Web Category Archive
Topography Maps
12 Feb 2007 12:53 pm
12 Feb 2007 12:53 pm
I found a very nice mapping tool today called Backcountry Maps.
http://www.backcountrymaps.com
The idea behind the site was to “to map out the spots we’ve been in the backcountry and the spots we’d like to hit.” The appeal for me is that it is the first site that I have found which successfully merges Google Maps with topography maps.
This is not all that important for real estate in Harris County since the county is for the most part very flat. However, if you are looking for property in the counties north and west of Harris county, this information can be very nice to have.
All you have to do is find the area you are interested via the “Hybrid” map option, quickly left-click the spot to “pin” the location (optional), and then click the “Topo” button. Each line generally represents 5 feet of elevation when you are in one of the maximum zoom settings. This information is nice to know if you are considering to build a house near a creek or river bed. If the building site is 10 to 15 feet above the creek bed, you more than likely do not have to worry about flooding.
The major drawback to the site is that I have not found an option to find a location via address or zip code.
Make Me Move!
08 Dec 2006 10:53 am
08 Dec 2006 10:53 am
Zillow just released a new intriguing feature to their arsenal this week. “Make Me Move” will allow home owners to post a price on their house without officially putting the house on the market.
So in other words, if a potential home buyer decides that he or she loves your house even though it is not officially listed on the market, he or she can log into Zillow to see what you would be willing to accept for the place if a buyer really had to have it. Best of all, this service, like all of the rest of Zillow’s services, is free.
In less than a year, the company claims to have 3.2 million users and 70 million home listings, so they are obviously trying to cash in on advertising revenue versus to pay to play business model.
For those of you unfamiliar with Zillow (www.zillow.com), they came on the the real estate scene early 2006 with an automated, free home appraisal service. You just type in any address and Zillow gives you an estimated value for the property. They even give you historical charts and graphs like you would see in a stock price.
Since then, they have added the ability for home owners and REALTORS to list properties as well as this new “Make Me Move” service.