It’s a huge cause for concern: The number of housing foreclosures across the United States continues to go up. According to RealtyTrac (www.realtytrac.com), a national provider of foreclosed properties, one in every 171 U.S. households received a foreclosure notice in the second quarter of this year. That’s an increase of 121 percent compared to the same quarter one year earlier. This is unacceptable. And the fact that foreclosures continue to go up should worry everyone: Foreclosures can devastate an entire neighborhood. With the country suffering through severe economic doldrums, a wave of additional foreclosures is the last thing we need.
Fortunately, last week members of the U.S. House of Representatives finally approved legislation that would provide financial assistance to U.S. homeowners facing foreclosure. This "bailout" for many suffering homeowners is called the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008.
The legislation’s main goal is to prevent more than 400,000 U.S. homeowners from losing their residences to foreclosure. It does this by allowing them to refinance their current mortgage loans into lower-cost government-insured mortgages. Additionally, it provides protection for builders who are rehabilitating units used primarily for residential purposes, encourages businesses and developers to use "greener" methods of construction and consumption (through tools like tax incentives), and provides $850 million annually for public transportation infrastructure.
Is the measure enough to slow the number of foreclosures? That’s impossible to predict. But I am happy that the government has done something. A healthy housing market is crucial to a strong U.S. economy. Anything the government can do to help boost the housing market is not only appropriate, it’s essential.
When considering the purchase of a new home, the choice of location is paramount as one of the factors in deciding where to relocate. This is especially true for those people who are migrating to a place that they are more-or-less unfamiliar with. This can include gathering information about the general aesthetics of a given neighborhood or street, and/or the location of schools, hospitals, and transportation with respect to your future home. Other inquiries can also be as trivial as ensuring a Starbucks© or your favorite restaurant is within close proximity (understandable considering we all love our daily dose of overpriced coffee). 
To take advantage of such a useful tool, simply click on the Maps section of Google's© home page and search for a particular address. A map will be displayed, with your address search denoted by a little green arrow. From this point, just click on street view, and shazaam, instant street level views that can be manipulated 360° in any direction - not to mention the zoom capabilities.
Despite the fact this feature of Google© is exclusive to only a few cities, Chicago is lucky enough to have been selected for street level mapping, meaning any person in the market for a new home in the city has access to such an invaluable tool. Though this particular aspect of Google© can be extremely useful, there are a number of other Goolge powered programs that might also be helpful. This includes the Google Maps© directions function as well as real time traffic displays, Google Map Street Viewwhich will also be available for mobile devices like Blackberry's© and other smart-phones/PDAs.
Ultimately, Google© has developed functionality that far exceeds simply viewing a map or getting directions to a given location. As a buyer, you have an array of tools to help in your decision making process, which certainly could include Google Mapping©. We would highly suggest you investigate this feature more extensively, as it may assist you in becoming a more informed consumer.
Mario Greco is the #2 full-service residential real estate agent in Chicago. He has sold over $575 million in Chicago real estate since 2002, and leads a group of 8 agents and 9 office personnel.
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