Do you know what's going on in your neighborhood schools? This type of information is important to parents who have school-age children, but it's also important to residents who don't. Why? School quality is one of the most important indicators of property values and "neighborhood desirability."

An often-overlooked source of school information is your Neighborhood Expert real estate professional. He or she can provide extensive information on local public and private schools with a Neighborhood Report. Neighborhood Reports, such as those provided by eNeighborhoods, provide more than just names, address and phone numbers of local schools. They also provide information such as student enrollment, number of teachers, student/teacher ratio, student/librarian ratio and more.

You can also get an idea of school quality by looking at student achievements. Neighborhood Reports can tell you the percentage of students who have taken the SATs, average SAT scores, and average ACT scores. You can also learn about graduation rates, how many graduates attended two and four-year colleges, National Merit Scholar Finalists and more.

How does that school stack up? You can learn more by checking expenditures per student, how the school ranks in national and state spending, and what percentage of funds is spent on instruction. Where's that money come from? Neighborhood Reports can tell you the percentage of funding from state, local and federal sources. To learn more about local schools request a free Report on your Neighborhood from your local real estate professional.

CLUE stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, a report that tracks insurance claim histories for people and properties. Thinking of buying? Ask your real estate professional or buyer agent how to get a CLUE today to avoid unpleasant surprises in the future.

Safeguard your possessions with a home inventory

In case of a fire or other disaster, what happens if you lose all your possessions? Creating a home inventory is a simple step that can help you recover from such a loss. A current home inventory can help simplify insurance claims and tax matters at a time when you don't need any more hassles.

A home inventory is a record of your possessions that would need to be replaced in the event of loss. This includes appliances, electronic equipment, furniture, jewelry, artwork, collectibles and more. To make this easier, you may choose to use a word processor or spreadsheet to allow you to save electronic copies.

Many people now use video cameras as an easy way to document home inventory. As you film each item, read any serial number or descriptions to help identify the item's value in case of loss. This is also a good time to gather any sales receipts, contracts, warranties and appraisals you have. If you take still photos, you can write additional information about items on the back of the photo. Be sure to keep your records off-site or in a fireproof container.

If you find that some items appreciated in value, ask your insurance agent if they are adequately insured for their current value. For more information on creating a home inventory, visit Insurance Information Institute website at www.iii.org.