You’ve probably already checked out Google’s Street View utility at Google Maps. You know what your place looks like, and if you’re like my parents you’ll know what day of the week the Google Man drove by – for my folks it was early on a Tuesday morning because the rubbish bins are out on the nature strip.
Google Street View would seem to be an obvious application for the real estate industry, and Domain.com.au have already jumped on board:
On Domain.com.au, you can now use Street View to:
View street level photographs of properties in selected cities;
Take virtual walks; pan, rotate and zoom;
Explore the areas surrounding your property of interest; and
Look at the property’s proximity to amenities and utilities such as shops, schools,
parks and more.
Do you think the addition of Street View will help you in your real estate search? In my view it’s a really useful application for home buyers. For example, there was a property for sale out near Samford, and I was chatting with one home seller who said he went to check it out because the price looked unbelievably low. When he got there he found out why it was so low – massive power lines right behind the property, yet the photos advertising the home had managed to keep those out of the picture. If that guy had been able to use Street View, then he would have seen the power lines (as would all of the other people who checked out the home), and the reason for the low price would have been obvious to everyone.
What about real estate agents? Some agents may choose not to publish the address of the property online if the home is in a poor location. On the other hand, if an agent is trying to sell that little gem of a property – the worst house in the best street – then Street View will enable potential buyers to see just how good those neighbouring homes look.
If you’re a home buyer, will you use Street View? And if you’re an agent, do you think it will be helpful or a hindrance?