Frequently Asked Questions

Where do you get this data?

BlockShopper's real estate data comes from government sources, including county assessor and recorder offices. It is all public record, available via their respective web sites or at the county courthouse itself.

If you believe you've found an error on our web site, let us know immediately so we can investigate/fix the situation. You wouldn't believe it, but sometimes your government makes errors in its record-keeping.

What about the news stories?

BlockShopper news stories only include information that's already been made publicly available on the Web. That's either by the buyer/seller, public records or a trusted media outlet.

To be clear: we don't talk to nosy neighbors and we don't want to hear from them.

This is not gossip, rumor or innuendo; it's community news intended to bring neighbors together. We're of the opinion that there isn't enough of it these days.

What do you mean?

Those of you from small towns grew up with local newspapers that didn't limit their scope to the big politicians and the pseudo-local celebrities. To everyone's benefit, they also covered the everyday
folks who made up the fabric of their communities.

And we're not just talking about the bad things, like the banker's DUI or the local insurance salesman's divorce. Reporters weren't just out digging up local dirt; they were writing about celebrations and milestones, helping their readers make connections to their neighbors.

BlockShopper aims to do something similar, using home sales as a vehicle to help all of us get to know our neighbors. That's why we include not just the "what" and "how much," but the "who" as well.

But I crave anonymity! Can you take my information off your site?

Public records are public for a reason. That is, your name isn't on the title of the property you own-- for all to see-- to facilitate neighbor nosiness but because it is in the collective public interest.

The most important charge of a local government is to guarantee land title; to keep accurate, timely records of who owns what. If we couldn't learn the "who," uncertainty would reign and land transactions would slow to a crawl. This would be bad for everyone's house value.

Furthermore, the prices we pay for our homes are public as they serve as the basis for local property taxes. Keeping this information like a secret would result in a lucky few paying too little, while the rest of us pay too much.

In the spirit of fairness, we report public records as they are reported to us. We do not eliminate records on WhoBoughtWhat.com, as doing so compromises the integrity of our data.