Lots of companies have been touting that investors are taking over the market (many of whom have an agenda, of course), but no one seems to have data from past years of how many investors there were in years past.Before making statements about how much more impact investors have today, the reporters and commentators out there need to get solid evidence and make conclusions based on real data.Certainly it is in my interest to make claims like there are more investors today than ever before, but since I have absolutely nothing to base that on, I'd never make such a statement.

They submit the offer to the bank w/ their complied data showing the progressive reduction in price.

Have your agent send you the raw data for the neighborhood and determine your own comps.- If necessary, hire an independent appraiser to give you an idea of the area comps and also what you could likely get the property appraised for after rehab -- there's nothing worse than getting a property fixed up, putting it on the market, finding a willing buyer, and then finding out it won't appraise for the offer price.- In terms of materials prices, go spend an afternoon in Home Depot, and get a feel for how much things cost -- everything from lights to faucets, to sheetrock to bathtubs to doors to windows.

As an agent, you have access to the data you need to do this correctly.

Though older workers in previous recessions were less likely than their younger counterparts to be laid off, that advantage has eroded in recent years, said Munnell, who analyzed more than two decades of Labor Department data on layoffs.Fewer workers are now protected by union contracts that require newer employees to be laid off first.

It seems that list source is more expensive but on Roops website he mentioned that in his experience Melissa data has outdated information.

I try to sift through deals using the 50% rule and then take a closer look if they pass that test.Before I end this long post, does anyone know where I can get data (free or pay) that is historical and for rent, property prices, and vacancy rates ready to download in excel?

I use 4x6, full color both sides, variable data printing, $0.365 ea.

Some of the information could be sourced from the 2000 census for all I know, and is 9 years old.Also, "neighborhood" data could be vastly different and I've found when looking at their population information for instance (46,557 in this case) is not neighborhood by my definition.

Save the difference to build up a buffer.