Housing on the Web   

                  A Directory of Government Sources on the Web

                                                        By Harriette Kelly

     The U.S. government offers some fine sources for researching information on housing.  Be sure to check those sources available through the state governments too.
 
U.S. Consumer Gateway: Your Home
     This is an excellent site for government publications about morgages and realestate offering 25 articles by various agencies ready to download in PDF format. Recommended as a good starting point of the new homebuyer.
http://www.consumer.gov/yourhome.htm
(HUD) Housing and Urban Development Sites

National and Local Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban  Development (HUD)

     This site offers a variety of data on subsidized and public housing all over the United States.  Included are
Totals, Indian Housing, Public Housing, Certificates and Vouchers, Moderate Rehabilitation, HUD subsidies, and
Low Income Housing Tax Credits.  You can view state, project, agency, and census tract information. Information on income limits and fair market rents is available.
http://www.huduser.org

     HUD also offers a vast selection of publications dealing with home owning and financing.
http://www.huduser.org/publications/pdrpubli.html
 
 

OFHEO House Price Index
    Ofheo House Price Index provides information of the changes in the value of the single-family home in the nation
as well as in regions of the country using the information provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
http://www.ofheo.gov/house/
United States Census Bureau
         There is an abundance of material available through the U.S. Census Bureau and only a few links have been included here but the author suggests the the user take time to investigate this site more thoroughly.
Housing Affordability
     Here you will find information on the affordability of homes in the United States.  Maximum prices for homes is given as well as type of financing, type of home, race, family type, down payment subsidies, age, and more.
 http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hsgaffrd.html
 
U.S. Gazetteer
    A place can be identified and viewed with the Tiger Map Server and information obtained from the 1990 Census Lookup Server.  The name, state, or digit zip code is entered in the search box. http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer
Census Bureau Housing Topics
    This link will take the viewer to Census Bureau Housing Topics including the American Housing Survey Data, Home ownership Data, Housing Affordability, Housing Vacancy, etc. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing.html
State and County Quickfacts
     By clicking on any state on the map a vast and varied amount of information is available on the county level.
 http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/
Publications - Construction and Housing
     This site offers a variety of publications in PDF format - 17 dealing with just housing.
 http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cons-hou.html
Rural Housing Service
     Rural Development is a section of the Department of Agriculture.  It provides information on all types of family housing in rural areas.
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/Individual/ind_splash.htm
 
Federal Consumer Information Center
     The Federal Consumer Information Center offers a variety of information on home financing
and home maintenance. Many available online for free or by mail at a low cost.
 http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov
 
Fannie Mae
     Fannie Mae was created by Congress in 1938 to "bolster the housing industry during the depression."  It does not lend money directly to homebuyers but makes sure that there are funds available for mortgage loans. This site offers some excellent information on home buying resources and community development.
http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/
 
Ginnie Mae
     Ginnie Mae has helped over 24.5 million families make home owning a reality.  It offers a variety of information
and educational resources.  Like Fannie Mae Ginnie Mae - The Government National Mortagage Association - it
does not loan money to prospective homebuyers but helps by increasing the availability of morgage monies.
 http://www.ginniemae.gov
 
Federal Emergency Management Agency
     (FEMA) offers a web site which it says is a "dynamic, customer-based service designed to provide the latest information" on the National Flood Insurance Program.  It offers Digital Flood Insurance Maps, Flood Insurance Rate Maps, Flood Insurance Study reports, Digital Q3 flood data, Community Status Book, Flood Map Status Information Service, Letters of Map Change, and NFIP Insurance Manuals.
 http://msc.fema.gov/MSC/

      FEMA also offers "Top Ten Facts Every Consumer Needs to Know about the National Flood Insurance Program."
 http://www.fema.gov/nfiplc_10htm#@
 

American Disabilities Act Website
     The ADA website offers information on court rulings and new releases for those concerned about housing and the American Disabilities Act.  Entering the word housing into the search box resulted in 96 documents found.
 http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/srchada.htm
 
National Center for Educational Statistics
     This site has been included since many potential home buyers must take into consideration the school system
that their children will be attending.  The link takes the viewer to a report titled "Change in the Sources of Public School Financing" with charts and tables.  The sidebar links to much more information.
 http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch
 
United States Postal Service
     This link has been included because many databases can be searched by using the zip code. It also links to a page of the Official USPS Abbreviations.
 http://www.usps.gov
First.Gov
     Billed at the official website for searching the U.S. Government.  If the viewer selects home and community from the sidebar this will link out to various government sites providing information on housing.
http://www.firstgov.gov/topics/communities.html
 
Veteran's Administration
     This site offers plenty of information on guaranteed loans to qualifying veterans.
     http://www.homeloans.va.gov/Pamphlet.htm
Non-governmental Sites
ERIC on the Web
     ERIC is the "world's largest source of education information" but a search using the terms "low rent housing,
middle income housing, suburban housing, and homeowners," resulted in 48 hits.
http://www.accesseric.org/searchdb/whatis.html
 

State and Local Government

     Provided by Piper Resources.  Contains comprehensive links to many types of governmental agencies of
various levels.
http://www.piperinfo.com/state/states.html
 

Habitat for Humanity
     This non-profit organization builds homes for private owners in need at affordable prices through the use of volunteers.  To search for information in your area click on the link below.
http://www.habitat.org/local/


 
                                                  Page constructed by Harriette S. Kelly
                                                                  hkelly@hgo.net

                                                             Last updated 4/2/2001