WebSites Relevant to Louisiana Housing

A Class Project of LSU BA 7320 During Fall 1998

by

Kevin Boone

Lillie Carpenter

Kevin Cook

Shawn Darrah

William McAnelly

Dayra Peng

Christian Weichsel

 

General Housing Information Sites

1. www.nahb.com – National Association of HomeBuilders. Has information regarding:

*      New and existing homes sales and starts by year

*      New home prices by year with median and average prices

*      Home ownership rates by age

*      Housing affordability and interest rates

*      Housings direct economic impact

*      Mortgage interest rates by year

*      Characteristics of new single family homes

*      Characteristics of new multi–family buildings

*      Housing opportunity index

*      The affordability gap

*      How regulation affects the cost of housing

*      Remodeling expenditures

*      Materials used in home building

2. www.census.gov – Government website with links to national and state housing statistics including. The site has an easy to use search engine with links to a large amount of census related topics such as:

*      American housing characteristics

*      Housing starts, completions, and sales

*      Housing affordability

*      Housing vacancy survey

*      New residential construction

*      Value of new construction

*      Expenditures for improvements and repairs on home sales

*      Housing inventory change

2b. www.state.la.us/state/census/stf3ahsg.htm – 1990 Louisiana census population and housing information including:

*      Average number of bedrooms

*      Plumbing

*      Sources of water

*      Sewage disposal

*      Use of heating oil

*      Year household moved into house

*      Telephone service

*      Number vehicles per household

*      Mortgage status

*      Gross rents

2c. www.state.la.us/state/census/census.htm – Louisiana Census homepage with information regarding:

*      Louisiana profiles

*      Population projections

*      Current population estimates

*      Economic and poverty information

*      Household and housing unit estimates

*      Detailed STF4 reports

*      Louisiana benchmarks

*      State of the state 1996

3. www.hud.gov – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

*      How to buy a house with topics such as, how to get a loan or signing a contract

*      How to keep a home

*      How to buy land

*      HUD refunds

*      Fair Housing Act

*      Housing counseling

*      Housing discrimination

*      How to handle bad landlords in federal housing

*      Deceptive Home Improvement Contractors Act (Title I)

*      Fraud

*      Handling waste and abuse on property

4. www.rriworld.com – RRI World. Has a newcomer kit for every metropolitan area in the U.S. that can be used when relocating or traveling to a new area. These kits include:

*      Homes for sale

*      Cost and Availability

*      Taxes

*      Commerce and Industry

*      Culture, climate, recreation, history, and maps for that area

*      Education for the area (size, rank)

*      Transportation system

*      Available healthcare

5. leap.nlu.edu/bfact/BATONROU.TXT – The Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Facts. Summary of each state, MSA, and county in the nation. Includes information. Such economy changes over past 10 years and contrast from local compared to national estimates.

6. www.realtor.com – The Realtor Association web pages with information regarding:

*      Find a home for sale in the U.S.

*      Mortgage rates by state, city, county

*      Where to get the above mortgage rate

*      Applications for mortgage

*      Balloon notes as an option for mortgage insurance

*      Bankruptcy

*      Loan points, PMI

*      Closing on the sale

*      No money down sales

*      How to refinance and is it a good idea

*      Disclosure

*      How to get insurance

*      Home inspections and appraisals

*      Sales contracts

*      Lease options that are available

*      Rent vs. Buy

*      First time buyers and what to expect

*      FHA and VA loans

*      About property Title and Deeds

*      Zoning regulations

7. www.homebuilder.com – Official site of the NAHB National Association of Home Builders. Includes information such as:

*      Allows consumers to find new homes in any area of the country

*      Consumer can run search by picking any state and city

*      Provides information on mortgage rates and financing

*      Allows builders to join NAHB

*      Allows builders to list homes on Internet site

8. www.home–builders.org – Official site of HomeBuilders of New Orleans. Includes information such as:

*      Industry figures

*      Housing facts and figures

*      Housing forecast

*      Consumer services

*      Housing market publications

*      Mortgage calculator

*      Guide to remodeling

*      Guide for hiring a contractor

*      Guide for buying a home

9. www.nlu.edu/leap – LEAP provides same type of information as the area chambers do except it is more in depth and specific. This information includes:

*      Income breakdown

*      Median households in groups

*      Poverty levels (1990) by parish, age, city

*      Unemployment rates by city, parish for May 1998 and three months before

*      Population characteristics

10. www.louisiana–homes.com – Nationwide Homes Network. Provides information regarding communities and highlights to the area including:

*      Relocation information

*      Mortgage rates and a mortgage glossary

*      Search for neighborhoods by state with information about each one

*      Economic changes for state and cities

*      Demographics

*      Poverty status

11. www.helpfulhousing.com – Information and search engine for renting or buying real estate:

*      Listing of houses for sale by state

*      Steps to buying a home

*      Renting vs. Buying

12. http://la.living.net – School report data, residential homes, and other real estate properties:

*      Information on real estate listed by specific area

*      Help in finding a realtor in a specific area

*      Help in finding a real estate company

*      Latest updates on real estate

*      Community information for specific areas

Chambers of Commerce

These sites are the local Chambers of Commerce.

1.www.brchamber.org – Baton Rouge

*      School Board plan

*      Local taxes (rates, areas)

*      Better Business Bureau directory

*      Population demographics (1970, 1980, 1990, 1995 estimate)

*      Per capital personal income (1991, 1992, 1993,1994)

*      Household median income 1985

*      Population projections

*      General information about the Baton Rouge area

2.alexandria.iamerica.net – Alexandria

*      Alexandria business directory

*      General information on Alexandria

*      City map and geographic information

*      Information regarding atttractions to the area

3.www.shreveportchamber.org – Shreveport

*      Business and industry (types and workforce)

*      Education (information on schools and district such as size, locations)

*      General information about the Shreveport area

*      Cost of living index for major areas in the state

*      Area neighborhoods divided by area

4.www.monroe.org – Monroe (easy website with a great search engine)

*      Economic development

*      School statistics by city and county

*      Quality of life

*      Economic information from website at LEAP

5.www.chamber.lafayette.co.us – Lafayette

*      Facts about living in Lafayette

*      Schools (where to locate them, size, scholars, # that go to college)

*      Housing price ranges

*      Average home price

*      Realtor directory

*      Relocation information (can get demographics for $2 fee)

*      Parks and recreation

6.chamber.gnofn.org – New Orleans

*      General information about the New Orleans area

*      Population statistics (estimates, projections)

*      Schools (size, location, rank)

*      Housing prices and areas to live

7.www.chamberswla.org – Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana

*      Very general information about Lake Charles

*      Recreation, travel, restaurants, libraries

Information Regarding Apartments

1. www.rent.net/cgi-bin/RentNet/Home – Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana:

*      Very general information about Lake Charles

*      Recreation, travel, restaurants, libraries

2. www.rent.net.com – A site that provides apartment listings nationwide:

*      Apartments and rentals

*      Temporary furnished suites

*      Self storage

*      International rentals

*      Owner and manager resources

*      Moving resources

3. www.virtualrelocation.com – Apartments online by city:

*      Real estate by city

*      Community profiles

*      Cost of living by city

*      Careers (biggest employer, largest workforce) and education by city

*      Moving and self storage

4. www.helpfulhousing.com – Housing and rental information:

*      Renting houses and apartments in the U.S. by area

*      Buying houses in the U.S. by area

5. www.apartmentlinks.net – Alphabetical apartment listings by state or zip code:

*      Search by state

*      Search by zip code

*      News you can use regarding apartment living

*      Owners and managers

*      Add your property to the list

*      Create a web page for your apartment

*      Apartment brokers

6. www.aptfinder.com – Apartment listings by state or geographical region: