How can I find out about recent home sales in an area I where am looking for a home?

Contact a local realtor in your area. Most Realtors have the ability to pull this type of information from the local MLS. They should be able to get market statistcis for you.

You can have your home professionally appraised. It cost me $350 the last time I had that done (to get a second mortgage once). A professional will study several homes that recently sold in your neighborhood that are similar to yours. They do a complete survey of your house (age of carpet, roof, appliances, etc) and compare that to other homes of the same size in the same general neighborhood. They can tell you with close accuracy what your house is likely to bring on the market. You realize that you also have to pay real estate fees out of the amount you receive. If you sell your house for $200,000 you don't get the whole $200,000. Google home appraisers in your area or ask a real estate company who they use. The Realtor who is selling your home doesn't want you to overprice your home because then it will not sell and they will be wasting their time. Your Realtor can give you a very accurate estimate of what the home will sell for.

Speak with a Realtor. They should have access to the MLS (Multiple Listings System) which will provide them with recent sales in your area.

You will have to do lots of digging through MLS books. You might want to go to you county's web site and look for that information. It's public in lots of counties, you can find out what people paid for houses too.

County tax recorder's office (it's public record), or have a Realtor pull comps for you.

http://zillow.com/ Close estimates on neighborhood sales