I spend a good amount of time at my job researching vacant and distressed properties in Des Moines for acquisition and rehabilitation. The internets are a great tool. Some of the key web sites I use are:
- Polk County Assessor
- Iowa Courts Trial Search
- Polk County Treasurer
- Iowa Secretary of State - business filings search
And, of course:
Google Street ViewSo I was pleasantly surprise to find that Google has included Des Moines in their groundbreaking "Streetview" effort. Essentially, they drive a specially outfitted car up and down every street in the city taking Point of View photographs. The public can explore Street View maps by clicking on the "Street View" button on any Google map. Streets with POV photos are highlighted in blue, and your location is indicated with a little yellow figure.
This tool will make the property search easier.
It appears that the Des Moines pictures were taken in September or October of 2007. I happen to know this because there is a For Sale sign in front of my house (note: the example to the right is not my house) - we closed in October 2007.
Hat tip to Living Downtown Des Moines for reminding me that I meant to write this post.
