Using Google Maps as House hunting Tools

     When trying to pick a house that is worthy of a tour, many home buyers take into account the school district and the appearance of the home. Few people use the Google Maps to check out neighborhoods before a home tour. With the advance of technology, these interactive online maps can be highly efficient house hunting tools for busy or long distance buyers.

     Different from traditional maps, these maps can show you the street views of the neighborhood as if you were virtually there. Using this technology, you can find out if there is any nuisance in the neighborhood before you even spend time touring the home. For example, when you virtually scout around the neighborhood, you might find that the home is close to a factory, which is a deal breaker for you. If you were to personally tour the home and its neighborhood, it would have taken you more than one hour. On the other hand, you can use the street views of Google maps to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood and find out what kinds of stores are on the busy streets nearby.

     I am not related to Google in any way and I do not recommend completely replacing personal tours with virtual tours. You would still want to visit the neighborhoods of the home you plan on making an offer. However, these interactive online maps can be such efficient house hunting tools that they may save you hours on the road during your entire home buying process.