[l2ridehd]

Trudy is right on target. I also crunched information for 2 years before buying. I built spread sheets with a long line for each home I was interested in. Used new construction upgrades for cost factors(reduced by 25%on resales). Like lot premiums and granite and tile and birdcages and sq footage and garage size, and every other upgrade possible. Did a comments section for things that were a challenge to value. Took the price down to cost per sq ft for living area, garage and lot. Covered that information as accurate as I could for recent sales. Determined the area I wanted to live and started shopping. Use the Sumter and Marion county sites to see tax valuation and purchase prices. Use google earth and mapquest to see aerial views of the house. You can get it to the actual home 99% of the time. Look at the pictures and see which side the drive way is on, which type roof the home next door has, what the foot print looks like and you can get it down to the exact home. That way you can see how close streets, traffic circles, other homes behind yours are and other valuable information. Get a Villages map and put in the train tracks and power lines, sewage plants and any thing else that may bother you. That way when you visit, of the 100 homes that fit your size, style and price range, you know the 3 to 5 you really want to see. You know which is the best value and why. And you can do ALL this before you ever get there.