Welcome to part three of this four part blog post series. If you missed the first two posts you can view parts 1 and parts 2 by clicking on their links

In this post I will be sharing with you some of the resources available to us to assist in researching our next property deal. There are literally deals everywhere – seriously! That’s why I always say start in your own backyard.

These days we have so many tools to assist us in our research, not the least of which is the internet. The simplest tool you can use is the email alerts provided by www.realestate.com.au Setup a free account on their website and start building an array of alerts that suit your strategy.

Another website you can use as part of your online research is www.domain.com.au Setting up email alerts with Domain is similar to realestate.com.au and it has the added function of using a keyword as one of your search parameters which is very helpful.

If you want to go to the next level there are other resources that you can pay for that have more data about the particulars of a property. These include www.RPData.com.au www.Pricefinder.com.au and  www.realestateinvestar.com.au In these sites you can really drill down about previous sales in the area, block sizes, on the market history and much much more.

Let's not forget the conventional resources we have such as the local and weekend papers. I don’t find a lot of deals in this medium but it certainly keeps you in touch with what is happening in your area.

Finally, the best resource is the real estate agent. They have the biggest databases and have their finger on the pulse with new deals as they come to market.

Part of your initial research should be befriending a number of local agents and ensuring they know what you are after. Most of my deals have come on the back of a simple chat over a cup of coffee with an agent and being on an agents’ hotlist means you get first look at the deal.

Don’t be afraid to go knocking on their doors!