Google Streetview

Here's an invaluable tool for the modern day househunter. Streetview lets you check out the neighbourhood, see how dangerous it is, peer at your potential future neighbours, all without being seen.

You can see how far your target home is from that open prison, that busy mainline train station, or the silage works. You can check out the kind of cars people in the area drive to see if yours will stick out either cos it's half the size than the 4x4 rest, or if it's way too flash and likely to be key-scratched or taken off your hands altogether.

Now, if homeowners could overcome the obvious burglar fears, it would make my life a lot easier if vendors would let the nice Google cameras into their homes so I can see what it's like inside before I make my long trek to a viewing. Google Through The Keyhole would catch on methinks.