This is part 4 of The Data Deal, a series that helps guide professionals through the process of choosing the best data vendor resource for their business by offering questions and qualities prospects should look for in their data vendor.

When home shoppers search for their next place, they are looking for both a great house and a great community. So, providing expansive, accurate, and valuable community information to home shoppers is critical.

When considering which data vendor to utilize for your Community Data which questions should be top of mind? How do you ensure you're choosing the best data vendor for your business? Here are a couple of key questions to ask potential community data providers:

How many fields of data do you provide for community demographics?

The more the better. Ideally, you want to have options. Companies can range from 10-20 data fields to hundreds. Make sure items like crime, climate and air quality are part of your community package as those are the pieces of information important to shoppers looking for their next home.

How is the data delivered?

We offer a standard API with XML or JSON output. We also offer the Community data via a bulk file that is delivered via an FTP site in Pipe Delimited format. Either way you choose to have it delivered, you will have complete control over what data is displayed as well as the look and feel of the implementation. Our clients choose to work with the Community API and bulk file to generate SEO and increase user engagement.