Our lives just keep getting busier and busier and we all find that we have less and less time to accomplish many of the things we want to. In many ways the internet has both helped and hindered us in our quest to achieve all that we want. One area where the internet has given us the gift of time is when it comes to finding property.

Whether you\’re looking for your next property to buy or let, you\’re just starting out on the property ladder, expanding your property portfolio or just looking to move out of home into a place of your own, the internet is a great place to start looking for just the right property.

Let\’s say you live in Manchester or are looking to move to Manchester. In the case of the former viewing properties online will allow you to narrow your search before you go physically looking. In the case of the latter, physically visiting the city could be an impossibility or at least a huge problem so searching online is a great way to cherry pick one or two homes to view when you can visit.

The first thing to do is find an agent in the area in which you wish to live. For those looking to rent somewhere in Manchester, use a search engine and look for \”letting agents Manchester\” or \”Manchester letting agents\”. This will give you all the letting agents in the area and you can view properties on their websites. If you\’re looking to buy, simply change the search to \”estate agents Manchester\” or some combination of those words. Again, you\’ll get all the estate agents in the area and you can view properties for sale on their websites.

In addition, you will immediately have contact details for the agents you want. Using these you can request that they send you properties that match your criteria, again saving you a lot of time searchinig yourself.

You can also use the internet to find out more about specific areas within Manchester – or any other city you wish to live in. Sites like upmystreet.com and local government websites can give you a good idea of what the area is like.

You can find out about local amenities, schools, universities, local transport links, access to motorways, crime levels and that sortof thing. If you find a property you like you can even find out about that particular street. Using the Land Registry website you can find out about typical house prices so you know whether or not you\’re paying a fair price for the property too.

Google is also a great place to go when researching your next home. Using Google\’s Street View you can take a virtual walk around the neighbourhood in most areas in the UK, looking at the house your interested in, your potential neighbours\’ houses, shops and local amenities. Google Earth will give you a top down view of the area and Google Maps will show you what is in the area too.

The internet is now your starting point when it comes to looking for new property and it will save you a lot of time and legwork when doing so.

Author Bio: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Shepherd Gilmour, estate agents Manchester and letting agents Manchester.

Category: Real Estate
Keywords: property search, property research, internet, google