Let's say you have a list of eight houses you would like to tour, not only does this take a substantial amount of time to set the scheduling of each viewing, whether you are doing this alone, by viewing open houses or utilizing your Real Estate agent to set up a tour for you, there's the gas and energy spent just driving to each property.
Now imagine you pull up to the property and just across the street is a used scrap metal yard or the neighbor has chosen to keep an above ground pool in the front yard, or even their car on the lawn, you know right away, this is NOT the property for you.
Could you have avoided this situation? YES, very simply by utilizing your online maps, such as Bing maps, using "Streetside" view or Google maps. Both have the capability of placing you right in front of most properties with the ability to virtually drive up and down the street and check out the neighborhood. Keep in mind some times these street views can be a couple of years old, but it should give you a good feel for the neighborhood and the property's surroundings.
This simple exercise, done from the comfort of your couch, can potentially eliminate any adverse properties on your list, saving you time, energy, gas and a lot of headaches on a property you know you will not be interested in. Or it may in fact confirm that property on your list is the perfect house....in that case, call your real estate agent and so see it at your earliest availability!
Happy Hunting!