Google to help SA house hunters

Johannesburg - House hunters tired of spending Sundays in the car will soon be able to view homes, and their surrounds, from the comfort of the couch.

Google Street View, which will be available in South Africa before the World Cup kick-off, will offer users a 360 degree street level view of all major cities in the country.

"Real estate agencies in Australia are using the technology successfully to enhance their clients' house-hunting experiences," said Re/Max CEO Adrian Goslett.

"Each year an increased number of South Africans are searching online for property, so this is a natural progression."

According to Goslett, Street View will allow potential buyers to check out amenities such as open spaces, shopping areas and parking near or in the suburbs they are interested in.

Street View cars were seen since September last year, collecting data that will be used to compile a three-dimensional map of the country's streets.

Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town have been mapped since last year using millions of photographs, but the going has been slow with limited information available on street addresses and business locations.

"[Street View] will provide clients with the opportunity to narrow down the selection of homes to the point where the few that we show will actually be bought," said Herschel Jawitz, CEO of Jawitz Properties.

"It will be good for the client in reducing search time and irritation and good for the agent from a cost and efficiency point of view," said Jawitz.

According to Jawitz and Goslett, each year an increasing number of South Africans search online for property. "So this is a natural progression," said Goslett.

- Fin24.com