Deed-transfer activity by ZIP

Deed of trust

3-party security instrument (borrower, lender, trustee) used in lieu of mortgages in 30+ US states.

Easement

Recorded right of one party to use another's land for a specific purpose — utility, access, conservation, etc.

Encumbrance

Any claim or restriction on a property's title that may diminish its value — liens, easements, deed restrictions, encroachments.

Lien

Legal claim against property to secure debt — mortgage liens, mechanic's liens, tax liens, judgment liens.

FHFA conforming loan limit

Annual maximum mortgage-loan amount eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac — varies by county.

1031 exchange (like-kind exchange)

IRS provision allowing deferral of capital-gains tax when investment property is exchanged for another investment property within 180 days.

Section 121 (capital gains exclusion)

IRS exclusion: $250k single / $500k married of capital gains on sale of primary residence if owned + occupied 2 of last 5 years.

FBI UCR and NIBRS — what crime statistics actually show (and don't)

The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program and its successor NIBRS aggregate crime data from local agencies. Plain-English guide to what gets reported, what doesn't, and how to read the numbers.

Property tax millage — what 'mill' means and how your bill is computed

Plain-English guide to property tax millage rates, assessment ratios, and homestead exemptions. How county assessors compute your annual property tax bill.

School district boundaries — how to confirm yours and why it matters

How school district boundaries work, where to find them, and why the same street can split between two districts.

Deed records — what they show and what they don't

Plain-English guide to county deed records: what gets filed, how to look up a property's history, and why zipradar aggregates only counts (never owner names).

Zoning codes — what R-1, C-2, M-1, MU mean and why your house is one

Plain-English guide to common US zoning codes: R-1 / R-2 / C-1 / C-2 / M-1 / MU. Why zoning matters for your home, your neighbors, and what you can build.

Homestead exemption — state-by-state property tax savings

Every US state offers a homestead exemption that reduces property tax for owner-occupied homes. State-by-state amounts and how to file.

Reading FBI UCR national crime trends — what 2020–2025 actually shows

Plain-English guide to recent US crime data: the 2020 spike, the 2021–2024 normalization, and how the UCR-to-NIBRS transition complicates year-over-year reads.

County assessor data — how millage rates and assessments actually combine

Property tax = assessment × millage rate, but the math has caveats. Here's how zipradar pulls + normalizes county assessor data across the top 50 metros.

Deed activity by ZIP — what aggregated transfers tell you about market trends

County recorders log every deed transfer. Aggregated to ZIP-level counts, the data reveals turnover, foreclosure pressure, and market temperature — without exposing PII.

County recorder vs. county assessor — they sound the same, they're not

The recorder publishes deeds and mortgages. The assessor publishes valuations and tax bills. Different offices, different data, different mistakes — here's how to read both.

Title insurance — what it actually covers, why it's a one-time premium, and why you can't skip it

Title insurance protects against ownership claims that surface after closing. One-time premium ($1,000-3,000). Lender's vs owner's policy. Here's the reality.

Closing day — what actually happens + the documents you'll sign

First-time buyer closing-day reality. The 30+ documents, the wire-fraud risk, the final walk-through, and what to bring. 1-3 hours typical.

Abandoned property + tax sales — buying via county auction

How county tax-lien and tax-deed sales work, redemption rights, due-diligence pitfalls, and the differences between tax-lien states and tax-deed states.