Most savvy house hunters today know that foreclosed homes are a growing portion of real estate available right now. In fact, consumers are searching now more than ever for foreclosures — a pattern we’ve seen on Trulia.com with 214 percent growth in searches in the first quarter of this year alone.

But, that doesn’t mean that home buyers are comfortable with the process. Trulia’s latest and greatest consumer survey by Harris Interactive told us that while consumers see the potential value in foreclosure properties, the vast majority are also worried about a process that may have potential to go horribly wrong.

So we scoured Trulia Voices to find a panel of foreclosure specialists across the country. Here’s the first installment of their TOP FORECLOSURE TIPs to put your foreclosure fears at rest:

• Prioritize your needs: Make a list of “must-haves” for your new home. The foreclosed house you choose should have some overall appeal as well as most of the items on your list.
• Talk to experts: Make an appointment with an experienced foreclosure agent. Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions.
• Be current: Look at neighborhood data with emphasis on real time sales. Compare current and last year’s home values to determine which way the market is moving.
• Aim high: Find out the overall value of the neighborhood in which you are buying. A foreclosure may allow you entry into a better neighborhood.
• Make inspection mandatory: Minimize hidden costs by planning a professional inspection. Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.
• Avoid pre-stage: The pre-foreclosure/short sales stage is typically not the most profitable. You could wait weeks or even months for an answer from the lender.
• Buy at the right time: The foreclosure stage can be profitable when it goes to public auction. The best REO deals are often situations where the home has been on the market for 60 days or more.

We’d like to thank our panel of pros for their time and great advice: Bill Boone, Fabiola Fleuranvil, John Goad Jr., Tom J. Hall, Travis Houston, Patrick Mahony, Melissa Morgan and Elizabeth Weintraub.

As always, you can get more questions answered from these pros and over 30,000 others on Trulia Voices. You can even find a foreclosure specialist in your neighborhood by entering a city and keyword foreclosure. What are you waiting for?

Time for more House Hunting Tips from Trulia’s bi-weekly e-newsletter.

Now you can walk the neighborhood for millions of homes on Trulia.com without ever leaving your couch. Using Google Street View, home buyers, owners, and real estate addicts can stand in front of a house, stroll down the block, check out the neighbors, and get the true view of a neighborhood.

You can search with Street View on Trulia.com in over 40 metro areas where it is currently available with more coming as Google expands its coverage.

So here are the top reasons why we think Street View on Trulia is cool.

Get the True View

Sometimes, what you see isn’t always what you get – like this Cleveland beauty described as having “sweeping views of the lake…” but sits across the street from railroad tracks. What else should you consider? Keep an eye out for high traffic areas, industrial zones, and other unpleasantries.

6931 Father Caruso Drive, Cleveland OH 44102

Find the nearest Starbucks

With Street View on Trulia, find exactly what matters to you before leaving your house. Narrow down your search to homes near a coffee shop, wine bar, dog park, school, bus stop, playground… or Laundromat, like the one across the street from this San Francisco condo.

2001 McAllister Street #A113, San Francisco CA 94118

Tour the lot (or lack thereof)

When you know the neighborhood is right, you can concentrate on the house itself. Save time and energy now and take a 360 degree tour of the street. Check out the driveway, the front yard, the parking situation, and if the neighbors are closer than they seem, like at this Chicago home.

3925 North Ravenswood Avenue, Chicago IL 60613

See the full issue and subscribe here.

The best school value for your housing buck

Spring break is here! Even if you’re not in class anymore, take advantage of the recent Trulia study to find some affordable homes in great school districts. Plus, our analysis shows that living near good schools can help your home maintain its value through the housing market lows.

Using info on over 2 million U.S. homes from Trulia.com and newly launched education data on over 125,000 schools, we found 27 suburbs with great schools at relatively cheap prices just outside nine major cities. Check out three of our favorites here:

Philadelphia

Love cheesesteaks, but worried the kids won’t be able to spell their address? Check out Collegeville, where you can score a pad with awesome schools for about $300K. See other cities here.

Q: Relocating to Philly suburbs, Which neighborhoods have families with young children (baby-ville)… [and] also good public elementary schools?
Asked by Caroline Kesmodel, Buyer & Seller in Philadelphia

A: There are several great suburbs in the Philly area, if you want to be closer to the ocean and don’t mind the commute… see more
Dallas

Deep in the heart of Texas, you can find Allen. This suburb scores 9 out of 10 on the education scale and is less than half an hour from downtown. See other cities here.

Q: [We] need affordable new home with master up in great school district with short commute to downtown? Possible?
Asked by Srp, Home Buyer in Dallas

A: I am a new home specialist, and your best areas for new homes approx 20-30 minutes from downtown will be Mesquite… see more

Boston

With some of the best colleges in the U.S., we know education is important in Beantown. But, finding a place that.s worth the price can be tricky. Check out Swampscott for amazing schools at a reasonable price. See other cities here.

Q: We are currently city dwellers, being forced to move to the ‘burbs b/c of space. We have 3 boys 3yrs and under, and are looking for a great Boston suburb… Where are your favorite towns?
Asked by Lemon, Home Buyer & Seller in Boston

A: I am a new home specialist, and your best areas for new homes approx 20-30 minutes from downtown will be Mesquite… see more

Stay tuned for more house hunting tips! Or sign up for the free newsletter yourself. We’ll love you for it.

It’s been a while since we’ve given you an update on Trulia Voices and we’ve received a lot of questions lately - ‘How many RE Pros are on Trulia’ or ‘How many registered users do you have in Trulia. Well, we’re very happy to share that the community is growing at lightening speed!

Now, each day, more than one thousand new accounts are created and more than one thousand Trulia Voices posts are published - breaking all our previous records!

Some more key stats:

• 70% of Voices users are home buyers/sellers/real estate junkies contributing 85% of Questions. The other 30% are real estate professionals contributing for 85% of answers
• Each question receives an average of 4 responses
• Hottest topics: home buying advice, home selling, market conditions and foreclosures

What does this mean for you, the members of the community? More new and unique content, more home buyers and sellers to connect with, and more great advice from real estate professionals (not to mention a great place to find an agent you trust). Which all mean better decision-making information for Trulia Voices members. Check out these testimonials and see it for yourself.

To current Trulia Voices users, thank you for your continued contributions and feedback. As always, we can’t say how much we value your feedback and patience as we continue to develop more ways to improve your experience. To everyone else, what are you waiting for?

- Your Trulia Voices team Read the rest of this entry »

Dan from Minnesota is relocating to the Bay Area with 2 kids and needs to know what areas have top-rated school districts so he can refine his home search. Shaila from Rocky Hill has a job offer in Boston and wants to learn more about areas with good public schools within commuting distance of Boston. So where should these home buyers start their search for affordable home prices and top-rated local schools?

Trulia of course! Trulia now has test scores, parent reviews, student-teacher ratios, and more on over 125,000 schools and 14,000 school districts in the U.S. We even have profiles on well-known institutions that you thought were fictitious schools. South Park Elementary School, with a rating of 10, apparently excels when it comes to student academic performance. Who knew? West Springfield Elementary School, previously at an undisclosed location, is now found in Fairfax County PSD in VA. Marge Simpson would be proud – students at this school, on average, scored better than 70% of the students in the rest of the state. Bayside High School? We have that one too in our Palm Bay, FL Real Estate Guide.

Trulia education study launched: Trulia also released a study today that identifies cities in 9 major metro areas with top-rated schools and affordable home prices.

Trulia found that certain areas with high-performing schools in these key markets managed to buck the trend and maintain value, or even increase in value, despite the economic downturn in the real estate market. (Press release here)

Did your city make the list? Check out the results of the study to find our “educational value” cities.

Looking for homes in other areas? Find more school ratings and stats & trends for your target market on our Real Estate Guides. Or go beyond the test scores, like Dan and Shaila, and Ask a Question on Trulia Voices, to get more insight into the local schools and real estate markets. Residents, real estate pros, and other local experts can share their experience and direct you to the right local resources for more information on top schools and districts in your area.

Happy Hunting!

Spring is around the corner and house hunting season is about to ramp up. Know what you want but not sure how to find it? Start by searching smarter on Trulia.com using some nifty new tools, like Open House Search. Here are our top tips on how to save time looking for your dream home.

Plan your open house tour

Find open houses by city or ZIP code on Trulia.com and line up an efficient afternoon by checking out multiple homes in one neighborhood. Another tip: Since many agents don’t post open homes until later in the week, you get the best selection by checking Friday mornings.

Make a wish list

Need granite countertops? Want an acre to build on? Cannot live without a good view?

Whatever your criteria, search for specific property details (i.e. a pool in Phoenix), and by lot and property size (i.e. only properties that fit your minimum lot size.)

Research ways to cut costs

Q: If I see a property I like through open house, do I still need a buyer agent… [Will this] save seller’s commission to the buyer agent?
Asked by S, Home Buyer in King of Prussia, PA
A: Your idea sounds feasible, but here are things that you need to consider. If the seller’s agent is representing the seller… see more

Stay tuned for more house hunting tips! Or sign up for the free newsletter yourself. We’ll love you for it.

What do foreclosures mean to me?
It’s nearly impossible to look for a home today without hearing about foreclosures. But how do you translate this headline news into your dream house? Here are some top tips on how Trulia can help you make sure you are getting the best deal on your home.

Understand the price difference
With over 2 million listings on Trulia, we compared listing prices with foreclosure prices for bank-owned foreclosure properties (aka REOs) across the country to show you how to buy or sell your home smarter.

Buying in the South or Mid-Atlantic?
Try using foreclosure prices to bargain for a better deal on a listed property. When price tags on foreclosures and listings are neck-and-neck, you have more options at lower prices and a better negotiating position.

Find a foreclosure on Trulia – such as in Brooklyn, NY or Philadelphia, PA – similar to your dream home, and start bargaining.

Enter your city and filter for foreclosures

Selling in the Midwest or Pacific?
If you’re trying to sell before you buy here, you might want to wait if you can. Unfortunately, a tough job market and the subprime crisis have meant a lot of foreclosures at prices well below the list price in markets like San Diego, CA and Detroit, MI.

Enter your city and filter for foreclosures

Want to know more about how foreclosures can affect you?
You can get personalized, free opinions from other locals and real estate pros on Trulia Voices. One first time home buyer gets advice on properties types in her range and strategies to negotiate.

Q: I am a first time home buyer in Maryland (suburb of Washington, DC). We have been pre-approved for up to 250K… is it completely unrealistic to put an offer in for one of the 300k listed houses for around 250k?

A: If you are flexible in your timing, you should be looking at foreclosures and… see more

Ask a question

Stay tuned for more house hunting tips!

Source: YouTube

Shopping for a Home is a Process of Elimination

You search for homes based on your specific criteria and eliminate those homes that are not up to par. When you find your dream home, you usually know it immediately. When you come across a dump, the same holds true. Our intuition is usually right.

Buyers Beware

Ever come across a home online or in print whose images and property detail descriptions just about seemed perfect? Yeah, me too. It’s kind of like what Alicia Silverstone said in the movie Clueless, “She’s like a Monet. Well, from far away she looks pretty good but up close she’s just a big old mess.” And just like in the movie the Money Pit, the home may look pretty from the outside but once you start turning things on all hell can break loose.

You might want to keep looking for your dream house if:

5. The neighbors yard looks like a scene from Sanford and Son.

4. The real estate agent warns you about funny sounds coming from inside the house.

3. The listing sheet highlights all the negative features of the home with suggested remedies and prices from experts of improving them.

2. The basement has water marks 3 feet high and when you turn the light switch on, the garage door opens.

1. You’re told by the homeowner, “Trust me, the smell is only seasonal.”

Bonus: After you look at the house the neighbor asks if you’re really serious about buying the place and then laughs hysterically and walks away.

If you can top these, we’d love to hear your stories.

Finding the right home is often like finding the right mate (hello Valentine’s Day): it’s all about timing. Should I buy now or wait? Has the market hit rock bottom or will prices keep sliding?

Real estate experts are warning buyers against trying too hard to time the market, which puts you at risk of miscalculating the “bottom” of the market – especially for first time homebuyers. So how can you avoid the same mistake? Start by picking the right timing for you (and not the rest of the market) by getting the facts and information you need on www.trulia.com.

Meet new people

And get the local scoop, especially if you’re buying in a new neighborhood. Ask other home buyers and sellers, or get free advice from local professionals about your area before you start looking. Check out how one Atlanta, GA couple used Trulia Voices to make their house hunting decision.

Q: My wife and I want to buy a house in Atlanta… Everyone tells us that nationally prices may [drop]… What is the projected trend?

A: Fortunately prices have not dropped significantly for resales in the intown market. Foreclosure sales prices will… see more answers here

Be a stalker

Set up free and easy email alerts for your neighborhood so you’ll know about new homes the moment they become available. Enter your city at www.trulia.com and track a property or get emails for specific criteria (i.e. Chicago foreclosures) so you can stay on top of your housing game.

Know what you want

National and even state trends don’t mean the price is going to go down for that loft in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood. Trulia’s hyper local neighborhood guides are a great place to get oriented and compare trends for home types across different cities. Find more city price guides here.

Single this Valentine’s Day?

Maybe you should move. Check out these affordable and hip pads in three of the top cities for singles and save your dollars for your next date. XOXO.

	Austin, TX $129,900 1br / 1ba 607 sqft
	Phoenix, AZ $88,000 1br / 1ba 665 sqft
	Boulder, CO $169,900 1br / 1ba 981 sqft

Stay tuned for more excerpts from House Hunting Tips and see the full issue here.

Happy Valentine’s / Singles-Awareness Day!

“Fed” up with the election already?
Super Tuesday is around the corner and the competition is getting tough. Will Obama upset Clinton after last night’s Florida win? Can Mitt Romney pull ahead of the Arizona maverick McCain?

Our money’s on the candidate that addresses your concerns about your local housing market, like when to buy, how to avoid a foreclosure or how to get the most for your money. And if you’re not getting the answers you need, ask your community on Trulia Voices to get free opinions from local experts and real estate pros - without anyone asking you for your vote!

Here are a few markets where the candidates should listen carefully to their local home buyers.

Tampa, Florida

As we all learned in 2000, you can never underestimate the importance of Florida, where home prices have grown quite a bit since 2004. One Tampa local gets the skinny on foreclosures and how to find good deals.
Q: Foreclosure Homes - How do you buy them and is it wise?
A: Foreclosure homes can be a great deal. Please remember though, the home… see more

Asked by Kim, Just looking in Florida

Los Angeles, California

Since Arnold “The Terminator” Schwarzenegger became California’s governor over four years ago, home prices in Tinsel-town have been heading up overall. But do Hillary, Obama, and Johnny MaCain really know what the trend means for home buyers? See all the latest house hunting ‘gossip’ on Trulia Voices.

Q: I placed an offer on a short sale property. Now there are multiple offers for the same property… Will the bank ultimately select the highest bidder?
Asked by Denise, Home Buyer in Los Angeles, CA

A: The bank, like any seller will look at price, closing date, buyer’s financing, and… see more

Atlanta, Georgia

Will Mike Huckabee’s endorsement by Chuck Norris make him a winner in Georgia? Not necessarily, but figuring out how to help home buyers save money in Atlanta’s rocky market would probably win him a few votes. One home buyer gets free advice on how to minimize local taxes.
Q: What is the tax assessment factor/rate for the Atlanta, GA area? How would I go about getting that information?
Asked by Vparker, Home Buyer and Seller in New Jersey
A: It looks like you may be an out of state investor. Be aware that owner/occupied property receive a tax break… see more

Go Patriots!
Voting Americans we mean… check out what the average American home ($276,845, 3.2 bdrms, 2.2 ba), looks like for Super Tuesday voters across the country.

	$279,000 Saint Louis, MO 3br / 2.5ba
	$279,900 Wasilla, AK 3br / 2ba 1,878 sqft
	$276,900 Hialeah, FL 3br / 2ba 1,260 sqft

See the full issue here.  Stay tuned for more consumer tips!