I would suggest interviewing agents that are sharp with background of living in the area and able to spew out market knowledge. Best to work with an agent representing you as the Buyer.

Talk to your local Raltor. Realtors know the market, usually provide this type of information for free.

Kendra-

Start out by looking at the city/county website. They will usually have an assessors link to find out what it is currently assessed at. They will usually have a "fair market value" as well. Caution is to be headed that this fair market value does not always take into account the current price of homes. What you could do is find a few homes similar to the one you want to purchase. Compare the sales price to the list price and then also compare both of them to the "fair market value" This will give you a good idea of what the home you are looking at should be priced at. Another great option is to find an Accredited Buyers Agent and they will do all of this research for you. Unlike traditional agency they are working in your best intrest and not the sellers. If you need a referral to someone that will take care of your needs in your area let me know. I would be happy to refer you to some great agents in your area.
Good luck with your home purchase!

Kendra,
any sales transaction information is available from the assessor's office of a municipality. I know that the City of Wauwatosa site http://www.Wauwatosa.net has past sale information available. As far as what a home is worth, that is something that is best determined by having your Realtor do a market evaluation comparing Recent sales (not from a year ago) for the homes you are interested in. If your agent is representing you as a Buyer's Agent, they can also help you in researching specific information on any properties you are interested in.
I have been finding that you can't base market value on property tax assessment values. Most of the assessments are based on old sales data and each community uses different criteria. Some homes are selling for much less than assessed value, while others are selling for much more.
Good Luck

The best way to determine the value of a home is to look at the homes that recently sold in the area that are similar to the one you are considering. You can check the tax records to see when the home was last purchased and for what price.

Sometimes it helps to check the price of foreclosures in the area, because they pull prices down. I have free list on my site http://www.elainezimmermann.com

Hi, Kendra, Another website to use for your personal research it's Zillow.com they give you comparables. Check it out, public tax records for your state it's also helpful. But of course a realtor can be of great help to give you all the info you need.

Hi Kendra: Finding the "right" price is part of the fun (and the job of a professional agent). Over the years, I've found that buyers need help understanding homes have several price points based on who wants to know. The tax assessed value, the appraised value (needed by a lender) and the market price (what buyers are willing to pay). It's easy to research the local MLS history for "sold" properties in the neighborhood and the property in question. But there's more. How old is it? What updates have been completed? - and other key questions.

If you agree to be represented using Buyer's Agency, your agent will take your side (not the seller) to help you learn the market and history. A buyer's agent will suggest price ranges and recommend a smart negotiating strategy to help you secure the home of you dreams at the right price.

If you're looking in SE Wisconsin, I will be glad to help you - please call or email. If you want more information, see my "buyer" section at http://www.dennisgoode.com and download any of the helpful guides.

Good luck!

Hi Kendra, When I need to price a home i first go to see is with a my team pricing experts. We must take in consideration other homes in the area that sold that are similar. Then of course we add on or take off value depending on the home, # beds, baths etc. I also find out what the home was purchased at and if there is a remaining balance. There is alot to pricing correctly.
You can go to my site and do some neighborhood searches and find out what sold as well.
Please feel free to email me w/anything further. :) Rose