Why property investors should use Google Earth Part 2

As our previous post discussed, the Google Earth satellite mapping tool can offer huge benefits to property investors, as it lets you get another perspective on particular properties and areas.

Here are some more practical ways in which you can use Google Earth to help your property investing process and decision making.

Google Earth can be used to assess the area demographics

As Google Earth lets you zoom in on a specific area, it’s really useful to look at the other types of property close by and get an idea of what the demographics area.

There’s no point in you investing in a property and aiming at it the student tenant market, only to discover that it’s actually primarily an area where families or elderly people live. The types of properties available can give you an idea of what the likely demographic is and help your property investing research.

Google Earth can help identify property problems

Looking at a property on Google Earth can sometimes help you spot potential problems too and identify the good investments from the bad.

For example, if there’s a new development very close to the property, if it’s right next to a main railway line with noisy high speed trains or if there’s no parking available near the property, then these could be warning signs. These are all issues that could affect the rental potential of your property and it’s best to know about them before you part with your cash.

Google Earth can help highlight geographical issues

By using Google Earth, and also Google Maps, you can highlight any potential geographical issues that could pose problems.

For example, if the property is located near a river, then it could be at risk of flooding, or if it’s located near old mines, then could potentially be the danger of mine shafts.

These are just a few of the ways in which you can use Google Earth to aid your property investing. It’s a valuable tool, so if you’ve not explored it, it’s definitely worth having a look.