The practice of using maps in real estate isn’t a new one; people have been relying on property maps as long as they have been buying and selling land. Until recently, these maps remained largely unchanged. While 20th-century maps were certainly more accurate than those of the previous century, they were still somewhat illegible to those less versed in cartography. 

Though the same principles hold true, mapmaking demands an entirely different skillset today, one that is available to the general public. With advances in GIS technology, anyone can create an impressive map with a real estate map maker, and as more and more people turn to the internet during their home search, the need for intuitive, comprehensive maps is skyrocketing.

GIS maps are an excellent opportunity to capitalize on modern technology. A good business person doesn’t wait for opportunities to find them, they go where the opportunities are. In 2021, the bulk of these opportunities are online. According to the National Association of Realtors, nine out of ten people use the web as a primary resource when finding a home, and 52% use the internet as the very first step in finding a property. With so much of real estate happening online, agents have to think outside of the box if they are to stand out among the masses. 

Including a map in your listing is no longer a wow factor in and of itself - it’s almost surprising when you don’t see a Google map on a realtor’s site. To really blow the competition out of the water, your maps have to be unique, attractive, and exponentially more useful than the status quo demands. Luckily, with Land id’s (formerly MapRight) real estate map maker, GIS technology has never been so easy to use.

Visualize Your Properties With GIS

Boundaries And Lines

School Districts

For many homebuyers, especially families with young children, the most important aspect of a property is its location in relation to school districts. According to Realtor.com, 91% of prospective homebuyers stated school boundaries were important to them, which is saying something considering only 40% of households include children. In fact, school zones are so important that one out of five prospective buyers said they would spend 6-10% above their budget for the right school. 

A great way for realtors to capitalize on this is by using a real estate map maker to display school zones. Not only will displaying these lines show clients what school district they’re in, but they can also show useful information such as how long it would take to drive or walk their children to class.

City Limits and County Lines

The buyer may also want to know where the home is located in relation to city and county lines. These can be useful to homebuyers for a number of reasons; they can research the area to see if it is a good fit, look into the city’s governing bodies, find property tax rates or do some digging into local shops and restaurants. It could also be helpful to include details within the city lines, such as the location of highway exits and grocery stores for those who want to live close by. 

Neighboring counties can often appear identical to one another from an outsider’s point of view, and some even share a school district. While the differences between counties such as these may seem minute, it’s still crucial to display their boundaries. City and county services are tailored to the relatively small number of people who reside within them, and many people will pay a premium for county-specific programs, community centers and fire departments with a faster response time. 

Boundary Lines   

Prospective buyers will also need to know the property’s boundary lines. While misplaced boundary lines may not cause any issues, it’s better not to risk it. 

To start, boundary inaccuracies could land a property owner in a lot line dispute, which occurs when there is a disagreement on the exact location of the property’s boundaries. Inaccurate boundary lines could also lead to encroachments, which happen when one landowner builds on another’s property. Unfortunately, encroachments are more common than one would expect. If boundary lines are off by even a few feet, one could easily build on another property by mistake; it doesn’t take any mental gymnastics to see how a fence could end up on the wrong side of a lot line.

Displaying property lines with a real estate map maker can also mitigate against future access disputes, especially on large rural properties. Access disputes are the problems that arise when one party needs to cross another party’s land to reach a resource, such as a road or well. By visualizing the property’s boundaries in relation to vital resources, a prospective buyer can plan how they will access the property and come to an agreement with the neighbor in question before investing in the land.

Important Land Features

With Land id’s real estate map maker, you can display features of the land such as elevation, topography and shape, giving clients a more complete picture of the property. Those who plan to develop land will need a way to accurately visualize the land’s features, as not all land is fit for construction. To build on a property, the parcel needs to be flat enough, stable enough, and it can’t be located in certain areas (such as flood plains). The slope of the land is also extremely important for agricultural properties, as it influences what the land can be used for.

To take your property maps even further, you can share information on water features such as wells, floodplains and wetlands, and surface water features like rivers and lakes. Land id’s Texas-based clients can even view major and minor aquifers. This information is essential for farmers and ranchers who need access to water features for their livestock and crops. 

Data on the Health of the Land

Another pivotal aspect for farmers and ranchers is the health of the land, which you can easily display using Land id’s real estate map maker. Since soil reports give insight into the makeup of the land, they can guide farmers on what types of crops will be most successful. Each crop requires different nutrients from the ground, so knowing what the soil has to begin with can help farmers plan their crop rotations as well. The best part? Real estate agents don’t need to do a thing to gather this data: every soil report on Land id™ already contains all of the information you need, including the soil names, class and subclass data, acreage, and capabilities. 

Images and Videos, Etc.

While there’s always the option to show pictures and videos of the property the old-fashioned way, you can really wow potential clients by embedding images and videos into the maps themselves. Users can add as many panoramic photos as they want to their maps, and our real estate map maker will convert them into a beautiful, immersive experience. Those viewing the maps can take a virtual tour of the property, clicking on photos and videos to better understand each area. With aerial photography, panoramic images and videos, potential land buyers can get a holistic view of the land - one that’s close to impossible for other listings to measure up to.

Share and Display Properties With Land id’s Real Estate Map Maker

Once you’ve created a show-stopper with Land id’s real estate map maker, you’re able to share the interactive map in a matter of minutes. You can export the map as a PDF or PNG, email it to clients as a link and even embed it on your real estate listing site with the embed script we provide. Unlike the standard real estate map maker, anytime you wish to edit your maps they’ll update in real-time everywhere they can be viewed. 

You and your clients can also download our mobile app, which contains all of the functionality of our web app. In addition, the app has features unique to mobile, such as driving directions and the ability to track your location and movement throughout the property.

Ready to blow the competition out of the water? Sign up for your 7-day free trial, and ramp up your wow-factor with Land id™!