Today home buyers have access to a greater supply of tools and information than ever before. When my wife and I decided to move to Hattiesburg in 2007, we spent countless hours searching the web and magazines for potential candidates to call home. We then spent copious amounts of time and fuel just to drive by the homes before ever scheduling an appointment to actually see them.
Shortly after we purchased our first home, Google unveiled “Street View”. This revolutionary mapping system was unbeknown to many including myself even as a real estate professional. Fortunately, I happened to be introduced by accident during a sales call with a telemarketer. I didn’t buy what the guy was selling but I did receive a valuable new tool that has saved me countless amounts of time and money.
So what is Street View? Basically it’s an interactive mapping system that allows the user to do a virtual drive-by of almost any road in North America. There are countless applications for this mapping tool, yet none have been more useful to me than having the ability to virtually drive by properties from the comfort of home.
Below is a short demo showing how to use Street View which is integrated directly into the Vines Realty website.
Step 1) Pick any home on the site to begin. For demonstration purposes, I am showing a new MLS listing at 4 Crestwick Circle in Hattiesburg.
Step 2) Scroll down to the maps beneath the listings. As you can see, we feature two interactive maps for each listing. The top is the standard google map that features Street View and the bottom is the Birds Eye View map. The Street View map is outlined in RED below.
Step 3) Click and hold the yellow “peg man” in the top left corner of the Satellite/Street View map. All the roads that are viewable with Street View will illuminate in blue. The featured home will have a green symbol marking its location.
Step 4) The photo below shows the roads illuminated as I drag the “peg man” to the front of the home.
Step 5) The image below shows the actual street view. From there you can drive forwards, backwards, turn and zoom in and out. It really is the next best thing to being there!
Once potential homes have been vetted with Street View, the next step is to call Vines Realty to schedule a appointment!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.