Some of the scarier databases that my colleague, Bev Butula, covered in the Internet Research Workshop were those in the Investigating Individuals section. One of these is Zillow.com.
Zillow offers free, instant valuations and data for over 67 million homes nationwide. Not just that, but it shows them on a hybrid satellite image/street map. Take a look at the screen shot from the neighborhood around the Capitol.
Click on the blue diamond next to the valuations in Zillow and you’ll get more info on the property including sales history and tax info. Some neighborhoods also have birds eye view images of individual homes. Take a look at Zillow’s sample home, for example.
Like Google Maps, if you want to see something off of the current map area, just click and drag in any direction. The map will reposition itself to the new location.
Try putting in your own address – I put in mine. Scary, but cool. Interesting to learn the assessments for all of the neighbor’s houses.