Buying a home can be complicated, but fortunately a lot of expert advice is available to help people navigate the experience. These online resources can help make the process smoother. Buying and Owning a Home Freddie Mac Buying a Home Department of Housing and Urban Development The Home Buying Process Federal Housing Administration FHA Loans Federal Housing Administration Homeownership Resources Fannie Mae Home Loan Learning Center Mortgage Bankers Association Home Loan Guaranty Services Dept. of Veterans Affairs State and Local Home Buyer Assistance Programs Housing Publications from the Federal Citizen Information Center Most in PDF format Consumer Information from NAHB NAHB.org Mortgage information from the Fed Federal Reserve Board Home Financing Information from the FTC Federal Trade Commission Research Arizona's public and charter schools at www.ade.az.gov/srcs/find_school.asp?rdoYear=2004 or http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/go . The ADRE advises: "Call the school district serving the subdivision to determine whether nearby schools are accepting new students. Some school districts, have placed a cap on enrollment. You may find that your children cannot attend the school nearest you and may even be transported to another community." Phoenix: http://www.phoenix.gov/webpmo.html Scottsdale: http://www.ci.scottsdale.az.us/show_cat.asp?id=5 Tucson: http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/planning.html For other cities and towns visit: http://www.azleague.org/links_city_town.htm For information on known environmental hazards visit the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality at http://www.adeq.state.az.us/. Another source of environmental information is http://consumerlawpage.com/brochure/home-haz.shtml. There are numerous sites in Arizona where the soil and groundwater have been contaminated by improper disposal of contaminants. Maps of areas in need of cleanup are available at Arizona Department of Environmental Quality http://www.adeq.state.az.us/environ/waste/sps/phx.html. Although the existence of a freeway near the property may provide highly desirable access, sometimes it contributes to undesirable noise. Search the Arizona Department of Transportation website for roadway construction and planning. http://www.dot.state.az.us/ROADS/rdfway.htm Crime satistics can provide some indication of the level of criminal activity in an area. To check crime statistics for the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, Glendale, Mesa, Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert, and Peoria, go to http://www.faxnet1.org. Find other Arizona city links at http://www.azleague.org/links_city_town.htm, and search for "crime statistics." Since June 1996 Arizona has maintained a registry and community notification program for convicted sex offenders at http://www.azsexoffender.org. Prior to June 1996 registration was not required. The legislature mandated the identification of areas in the immediate vicinity of military and public airports that are susceptible to a certain level of noise from aircraft. Boundary maps of military airports are available at http://www.re.state.az.us/airport.html; maps for many of the public airports are at http://www.re.state.az.us/airports/airportintro.html . These maps are intended to show the areas subject to the preponderance of airport-related noise from a given airport.