Real Estate, Mortgage & Property Records

Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, county assessors, mortgage trackers — buying, browsing, and refinancing.

The real-estate stack: browsing for sale, looking up property records, tracking your mortgage, and refinancing when rates dip. For broader household finance see Bill Tracking & Household Finance; for moving / change-of-address see Moving & Relocation; for home-improvement budget tracking see Renovation & DIY Project Management; for storing the deed / mortgage docs see Insurance & Vital Documents.

Browsing for sale / rent

★ Zillow — free + Premier paid (for agents); the largest US listing site; the Zestimate (algorithmic value) is widely cited but inconsistent — treat as ±10%.
★ Redfin — free; arguably more accurate sale data (often updated faster than Zillow); strong agent network.
Realtor.com — free; NAR-backed; comparable to Zillow.
Trulia — Zillow-owned; the "neighborhood lifestyle" angle.
Homes.com — free; rebuilt 2024; aggressive ad spend; coverage spotty.
HomeSnap — free + paid Pro; point-iPhone-at-house → instant MLS lookup. Useful for walking a neighborhood.

★ County assessor / recorder website — free; the authoritative source for sale history, current owner, parcel, tax assessment, permits. Every US county has one (varying UX). Bookmark yours.
★ PropertyShark — paid + free trial; aggregator of public records across counties.
NETROnline — free; aggregator linking to county sites.
BeenVerified, Spokeo — paid + free; aggregator-flavored; mixed accuracy and privacy concerns.
Local building-permit databases — free; varies by jurisdiction; useful for "did this house have a permitted addition."

★ Monarch Money / Copilot Money / Empower — track mortgage as a liability + see equity grow. See Bill Tracking & Household Finance.
Bankrate Mortgage Calculator — free; quick-amortization.
AmortizationCalc, Mortgage Calculator apps — free + ad-supported.
Apple Numbers / Google Sheets templates — free; the "I want to model extra-payments / PMI removal myself" answer.
Karl's Mortgage Calculator — free; web; classic.
Owner.com / Pennymac mobile app — your servicer's app; payment history.

HomeZada Finance — paid + free; track equity, tax basis, improvement basis (for capital gains math when you sell).
A Notion / Sheets table — your purchase price + closing costs + improvements (the "tax basis" for when you eventually sell). Cheap, durable.

Your tax basis isn't your purchase price. It includes closing costs, capital improvements, etc. Track it from day one. Capital-gains tax bites if you forget.
PMI removal at 80% LTV often requires a written request, not automatic.
Reassessment after improvements — major remodels can trigger property-tax increases; check before doing them.
Recasting (not refinancing) — some lenders allow a one-time amortization reset after a lump-sum payment, often free.
Deed scan — the original is at the county; you should have a digital copy in your vital-documents archive.

Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, Trulia, Homes.com, Apartments.com, Craigslist: free.
HomeSnap: free; paid Pro.
PropertyShark: paid + free trial.
County assessor sites: free.
BeenVerified, Spokeo: paid + free.
HomeZada: paid + free.
Bankrate, NerdWallet, AmortizationCalc: free.
LendingTree: free (paid by lenders).

Default for-sale browsing: Zillow + Redfin (use both; cross-check).
Walking-the-block "what's for sale here": HomeSnap.
Authoritative sale history / parcel info: the county assessor website.
Cross-county records: PropertyShark.
Mortgage tracking as part of net worth: Monarch Money or Empower.
Custom amortization modeling: Sheets or Karl's Mortgage Calc.
Refinance shopping: Bankrate / NerdWallet for rate-spread + your local credit union for an underdog quote.
Tax basis durability: a Notion / Sheets running list, plus scanned receipts in Paperless-ngx.

Cleaning, Handyman & Service Marketplaces

HOA & Condo Management