Believe it or not, one of the most helpful and user-friendly online real estate resources is managed by none other than The Mining Company. And what exactly is the mining company? It's a deceiving term. These Webmasters work in the trenches -- of Cyberspace, that is. As they so eloquently put it, "We mine the Web so you don't have to." The Mining Company home page, led by real estate investor Phil Butler actually contains much more than real estate. It's a clearing house of sorts -- covering news about business, technology, and more; helpful advice on health, family, and lifestyle issues; and information about history, arts, music, books, and culture. Its real estate page, however, is a consumer-friendly site that reaches beyond the standard Web fare. Butler refers to his view of real estate as "eclectic," a description that sums up this site, as well. It's a collection of handy tools that will help consumers at every stage of the game -- whether they're merely considering a move, or they're ready to sign a contract.

One of the site's sections, "In the Spotlight," features a weekly discussion group for users (the live chats take place each Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) who have for-sale-by-owner questions. The discussions are led by three experts on the subject of FSBO buying and selling. Users also are encouraged to led their own chat sessions about any other real estate-related subject that strikes their fancy.

Regular feature stories appear on the "In the Spotlight Link." An archive is available; previous features include such topics as B&Bs for sale, alternative building methods, "Equity Predators," real estate investing, and a warning against various get-rich-quick schemes in real estate. The current feature story on the Mining Company's real estate site is "What Are the Real Estate Super Rich Up To Now?" This two-part series is great fun and includes references to such megalomaniacs as "REIT evangelist" Sam Zell, Donald Trump, and Melvin Simon, among others.

The site's "Community" link is comprised of a real estate calendar (containing events, conferences, and scheduled online real estate chats) and an area where users may post their questions and/or opinions about home buying or selling.

A "Marketplace" link allows consumers to find discount mortgages (via Home Shark), home improvement tips, locate homes for sale (via Home Scout), and more.

An extensive list of "Net Links" includes real estate classifieds, real estate for sale, mortgage information, miscellaneous real estate information, location maps, land for sale, B&Bs for sale, commercial real estate, apartments for rent, luxury real estate for sale, and information on alternative building methods.

To stay informed about real estate as well as all other areas of coverage by The Mining Company, users may sign up to receive The Mining Company's weekly newsletter.

Whether you're looking for general real estate information or area-specific data, The Mining Company is a good place to start. Browse this site for a while, and you'll see why the name fits. Phil Butler and his crew of excavators have done the digging for the consumer to provide a wealth of real estate information at your fingertips.