The New York Times published an article last week, The Data-Driven Search, that we thought might interest our clients and “alumni” (those we help relocate to NE Ohio). It shares some of the ways that people gather information on a city when they are considering a move to a new town. After reading it I couldn’t help but feel proud of the business model we have created at Executive Arrangements that allows us to:
- put the priorities of the candidate/new hire first VS focusing on trying to sell them a home so we can be paid (our fees are paid 100% by our corporate clients)
- provide detailed info about communities & schools that candidates/new hires need to make educated decisions during the stressful relocation process (we have no financial ties to real estate so we are ablt to share details about neighborhoods, demographics, school rankings, etc. that the federal Fair Housing Act laws prohibit Realtors from sharing)
- create a high touch environment so our clients don’t have to rely on websites that produce reams of data, but provide no context and are often inaccurate, misleading and confusing (we ran a test on all the websites listed in the article above and found dozens of errors that could really cause confusion
In addition to our own blog, which is packed with info helpful to newcomers and those considering a move to Cleveland, Akron or Canton, here are a few local websites, written by those who know what they are talking about, to offer insights into NE Ohio. Unlike national websites (Zillow, Movato, Trulia, Neighborhood Scout etc.) which create giant data dumps of info pulled from national databases like the federal census, locals (like EA) can help you interpret the info and make it meaningful to you. A few helpful local websites:
- The Plain Dealer (NE Ohio’s largest newspaper) has a great reporter by the name of Rich Exner, who is the geekoid of factoids and compiles them all into a section of the website called DataCentral. Rich gathers both national and local data after elections, census reports, etc. and puts them into meaningful context.
- ClevelandPlus – the website of the Regional Marketing Alliance, which shares useful info to those living and working in the 18 counties surrounding NE Ohio
- Fresh Water Cleveland – local on-line weekly news outlet, shares great info including these apps for getting to know the region.