Real Estate Information

How to Use the Internet to Help Your Apartment or House Hunting


So you are looking for an apartment to rent or a house to purchase. One of the most important steps is researching the neighborhood to decide if you really like to live in that area. The best way to do this is driving around that area to see if you really like that neighborhood. You should pay attention to traffic, available stores, available transportation, noise level etc. Also, you should try visiting the neighborhood during different times of the day.

Do you know you can get help from the Internet for your apartment or house hunting?

You can view interactive maps on the Internet. The best tools I've seen so far are Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) and MSN Virtual Earth (http://virtualearth.msn.com). With these online tools, you type in the address of the place you are interested in and a map centered at that address will show up. You can zoom in, zoom out and drag around the map to see what other streets are close and how close this place is to the highway, etc.

You can view satellite images on the Internet. This new service is available at Google Maps and MSN Virtual Earth. After you type in an address, you can choose to view a satellite image of that place. Just like maps, you can zoom to different levels and move around using your mouse. This might give you a more direct feeling on what this neighborhood look like than looking at the map alone.

You can find out what business/services are available around a place on the Internet. With Google Maps, MSN Virtual Earth and Yahoo! Maps (http://maps.yahoo.com), after you get a map or satellite image of an address, you can do a local search in that neighborhood. For example, you can search for "Pizza" and all nearby pizza restaurants will show up on the map. This way you can get a feeling if it'd be convenient for dining, shopping or entertainment in that area.

You can get driving directions on the Internet. Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps and other online map sites provide driving direction services. You type in the starting and destination addresses and they will show you a detailed driving direction with map, total mileage and estimated driving time. This way you can estimate how easy would be for you to drive to other places (such as to work or school) from that neighborhood.

Although this Internet tools are pretty cool, it's still important to go check out the neighborhood in person by yourself. Happy hunting!

Brian Walker is a freelance writer who has written many self-help articles, including apartment rental and apartment living guide and mortgage and home loan resources etc.


MORE RESOURCES:

CORRECTING and REPLACING The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies ...
MarketWatch - 2 hours ago
ANNOUNCES ACQUISITIONS DURING FIRST HALF 2008 TOTALING NEARLY $1.7 BILLION The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc. today announced that the ...
Sunrise Real Estate Group, Inc. Will Restate the Previous ... MSN Money
all 12 news articles


Fitch Ratings Affirms Gramercy Real Estate CDO 2005-1
MarketWatch - 3 hours ago
Gramercy 2005-1 is a revolving commercial real estate (CRE) cash flow collateralized debt obligation (CDO) that closed on July 14, 2005. ...


Van Meter Real Estate pays $1.8M for Cool Springs office condo
Bizjournals.com, NC - 6 hours ago
Van Meter Real Estate has purchased an 8095-square-foot office condo for $1.8 million in the newly developed Carothers Park in Cool Springs. ...


Tampa Bay Crown Jewel "Bella Sol" Condominiums to Sell at Real ...
MarketWatch - 6 hours ago
JP King Auction Company, the nation's leading real estate auction marketing firm specializing in high-value properties, is managing the sale. ...


MLive.com

NRC Realty Advisors Inc. to hold largest new residential real ...
MLive.com, MI - 11 hours ago
by Carol Marshall | Michigan Business Review Chicago-based NRC Realty Advisors Inc. will hold the largest new residential real estate auction in Michigan's ...


The Risks of Real Estate
Motley Fool - 8 hours ago
But every now and then, I'll run into someone who's just as excited about real estate. It can be hard to argue with someone who's realized significant gains ...


Leading Real Estate Company Withdraws From UK Trade Body Over ...
MarketWatch - 10 hours ago
MARBELLA, Spain, August 21, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- A leading real estate company has withdrawn its membership of the UK's National Association of ...


Real estate slide continues in July
Aspen Times, CO - 1 hour ago
GARFIELD COUNTY — The real estate market continued to slide last month in Garfield County compared to the year before. Sales in July tumbled 57 percent ...


Boston Globe

AM Best Special Report: More Bank Failures Expected As Real Estate ...
MarketWatch - Aug 20, 2008
Regulators expect bank failures in the near term to increase, partly due to some banks' concentration in real estate loans and construction and development ...
Dear FDIC: I Want a Better Mortgage, Too Motley Fool
all 348 news articles


Alabama Power picks Leigh Davis to head real estate department
The Birmingham News - al.com, AL - 2 hours ago
Alabama Power Co. said its chief information officer, Leigh Davis, has been picked to lead its department that manages the utility's real estate needs. ...
Alabama Power names new department head Montgomery Advertiser
all 2 news articles

Real-Estate - Google News

home | site map
© 2006