This is part 5 of the 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.

Home owners often monitor the value of not only their house but houses in other potential communities. A decision whether or not now is the time to sell or move can be based on the perceived value and market trends for their current home vs. their potential next community.

Real estate companies can increase traffic to their sites, and especially the amount of time spent on their sites, by offering Home Sales Trends and Transactions data to users. However, when weighing options on how to integrate this rich information as well as which home sales data provider to obtain this information from, there are a couple of key considerations to keep in mind when choosing the best home sales data resource for your business:

How often are Home Sales Transactions updated?

Home sales are constantly changing and are often the first thing that drives visitors to your site. You want to make sure you have the most up-to-date information possible. If the data you provide is inaccurate or infrequently updated, it can result in consumer and agent complaints that will undermine your company's credibility.

How often are Sales Trends updated?

Find out how often market price and volume metrics of home sales are updated and make sure they are provided at the local level including zip code, neighborhood, school attendance zone, county and city. This way you know you'll get the latest, most accurate information and your visitors will be able to find the data in a variety of ways. For example, showing users a trend line or a graph that explains how many townhomes, condos or single family homes have sold in a neighborhood and what the average prices have been will help your potential clients understand an area on a deeper level.