Real Estate

GIS is inherently a visual medium. GIS technology can help serious prospective buyers to target quickly the right house, browse listings, look at an appropriate map, and choose an agent without ever leaving home.

Consumers can perform searches using criteria along structural attributes of properties, such as the architectural style, the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, and the amenities desired, such as basement or fireplace. In addition, GIS allows spatial queries based on location and geographic relationships. Location-related queries can include information on a prospective buyer's place of work, preferred shopping or other desired destination, and preferred distance or travel time from home to the specified destinations.

GIS has the ability to calculate in real time specified geographic relationships and identify objects (such as homes for sale) that meet the specified criteria. These applications have the potential to make residential location decisions more intuitive and thereby enable better judgment by the prospective buyer.