Jul. 11, 2006 - Cruising The Neighborhood

So Mr. and Mrs. Buyer, your Realtor® has been e-mailing you all the latest listings in your price range. Of course you know your price range because said Realtor® has had you preapproved and you know what you can spend. You really like the look of some of the homes, but the problem is that you are not very familiar with the neighborhoods in which the homes are located. Where are the schools? How far is shopping from these places? What about main arterial streets and transportation? Your Realtor® tells you to jump in the car and cruise the neighborhood, which isn't a bad idea, as long as you don't get lost. Since you really don't know where things are located, how can you be expected to find them, right?

I am a firm believer that a picture is worth a thousand words. Not just a flat MapQuest kind of picture either. Whenever my clients find themselves in this scenario I suggest Google Earth. You can come zooming in out of the virtual sky and swoop right down on the neighborhood. You can get close enough to your subject property that you can tell if the sellers have been meticulously maintaining the lawn or not. You'll have no problem locating the places you want to know about and you won't get lost. Besides, with the price of gas these days, cruising the neighborhood from you computer is a heck of a lot cheaper than jumping in the car and getting lost.

So tell me................how's your Realtor® treating you?

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