We wanted to see how big the gap actually is between a listing and the underlying data. So we picked a real for-sale property (not naming the address) and ran a full report on it.
The listing looked solid. Professional photos, updated kitchen, good yard. “Charming neighborhood” in the description. Competitive price. On paper, an easy offer.
Here's what the data showed.
Listing vs. reality
The listing:
“Quiet, family-friendly neighborhood”
What we found:
Four registered sex offenders within a mile and a half. Nearest one 0.4 miles away. Violent crime grade for the ZIP: C-minus. Property crime: D. The phrase “family-friendly” was doing a lot of heavy lifting.
The listing:
“Move-in ready! Recently renovated”
What we found:
Two permits on file - kitchen remodel and bathroom fixtures. Cosmetic work. But there was also a foundation repair permit from 2021 under the previous owner that went unmentioned. Plus an open code violation for a fence encroachment. Still unresolved.
The listing:
Nothing about flooding. Just... silence.
What we found:
FEMA Zone X - moderate to low risk. No mandatory flood insurance required. Good news in this case. But silence on a listing doesn't mean low risk. It just means they didn't check, or didn't say.
The listing:
“Great schools nearby!”
What we found:
Two public schools within 2 miles. Rated 4/10 and 6/10. A charter school 3 miles out rated 8/10 - probably the one the listing had in mind. Three miles is a stretch for “nearby.”
Other things the listing left out
- Local water system had a monitoring violation for lead and copper testing the previous year. Resolved, but on record.
- Brownfield site 1.2 miles out - former dry cleaner, PCE contamination. Cleanup marked complete.
- 22% annual turnover on the street. Higher than average. People weren't staying long.
- T-Mobile was the only carrier with 5G. Everyone else was LTE with “fair” signal. Relevant if you work remotely.
Was it a bad house?
Probably not. Flood zone was clear. Foundation repair was permitted - that's actually a good sign, means it was done right. Schools were average. Crime was below average for the area but not great overall.
The issue isn't that this was a bad property. It's that the listing provided maybe 10% of the information you'd want before committing $400K. The other 90% was sitting in public databases that nobody was going to aggregate for you.
Buyer with just the listing: “Looks good, let's offer asking.”
Buyer with the report: “Looks good, but let's address that code violation and adjust the offer given the school ratings don't match the description.”
Same house. Different negotiating position.
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