Moving house can be a daunting venture in itself without having
to worry about additional dangers, such as the possibility of
moving next-door to neighbours from hell or areas where crime
rates are high. Statistics reveal that two thirds of people find
moving house highly stressful, while 9% have actually taken ill
from the process! Women in particular find moving house to be a
highly painful procedure, with 30% admitting to having sleepless
nights.
There are obvious difficulties, such as having to pack,
transport everything and unpack it all again, coupled with the
stress of the paper work and additional costs. However, recent
research suggests that a danger many fear is the consequence of
moving into the wrong neighbourhood. There are several worries
potential buyers are faced with including:
•Moving next to noisy students/neighbours •Moving into an area
with crime issues •Areas with bad public transport •A lack of
local shops •Living on a noisy road
More and more emphasis is being placed on the significance of a
location and the impact on which choosing the wrong place could
have on ones lifestyle. The image-conscious are likely to want
to move into a popular area of which peers will approve. Others
may be more drawn towards the practicality of a neighbourhood
and will question factors such as the proximity to the city
centre and the best local transport system.
As a result, various websites have taken action to educate
potential buyers and either remove their fears or alert them to
likely annoyances a new area could bring. Some sites have a
“search by postcode” option whereby they supply a wealth of
information about a location, such as the proximity of the
potential property to local supermarkets and health care
facilities. Examples include UpMyStreet
(http://www.upmystreet.com) and Multimap.com
(http://www.multimap.com/). Consumers have responded positively
to such information and are willing to take the time to research
the positive and negative aspects that choosing a specific
location will bring. The exterior surroundings of a property are
considered by many to be just as important as the interiors and
personal “home comforts” that come from being inside.
Advanced property websites, such as primelocation.com
(http://www.primelocation.com/local-area-guides/) have a section
within the site dedicated to local information. Their guides
provide area maps and detailed information about the local
facilities, down to schools and local plumbers and cinemas.
Country guides are also provided for international properties.
Google has exploited interest towards property location and as a
result have created Google Maps (http://maps.google.co.uk/).
Google’s recent mapping service has received a tremendous
response. In fact, mapping technology today has become so widely
adopted, it could be likened to the popularity of other
web-based services such as online shopping. Bret Taylor, the
product manager for Google Maps states “”We certainly can’t
think of all the innovative things we can do with maps. ‘We know
there are a lot of things we haven’t thought of yet. There’s
already sort of an ad hoc community out there using Maps, and
this really formalizes it.”
It is likely that such online services will make things easier
for those wishing to get onto the property ladder; with
innovations in technology stretching expectations of information
provision and empowering home-buyers to understand the context
of their investment.
About the Author:
Jo Wintour
Loves trevalling, great music and socialising with interesting
people
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Buying a home? Do your homework online first!
Transit on Google Maps
