19 | June | 2009 | Nelson Real Estate

Two technologies meet for the benefit of Real Estate?

Heard of Google Earth?

And Oogle Tours?

I thought so.

I’m here to report today on something that can only be construed as “about time” and one of those that makes you sit back and say “why not”, plus at the same time “why didn’t someone thing about this before……………and if they did why didn’t they decide to go forth with it?”

It is just so obviously such a good thing. And I suggest in 12-24 months, will (should) be accepted as the “norm.”

The Guided Photo Tour at Starward Homes in the US, that’s what I am talking about.

The above graphic is similar to a normal overlay on Google Earth.

But if you merge a couple of things……

…well then you can not only imagine what your new home (this is advance preview for a new housing estate) will look like, but you can see perfectly where connecting roads are, intersections, and utilizing the Google Earth features available on this site, see where the elevations are, recognise your situation relevant to your neighbours, visualize the local parks and reserves, etc.

Another thing is the overall interactiveness, “easy access” of the Starward site, and the fact that most all of the visual pages have an accompanying Adobe Acrobat download. Many Oceania sites could take something from this.

After visiting, you simply cannot leave this site and say you were not informed.

Now to my mind, that’s what the internet should really be about.

Just in case you thought this was all they did, if you are a developer you should also check this out, and the associated links. Oogle Tours link here.

Our region has always been known for Apples and other pipfruit, berries and the like, but like many other “good growing” area’s of NZ, the need to increase profits per sq hectare has seen that change.

And we are no different to the rest of NZ in that regard.

Driving around each year it seems there are more and more grape vines dotting the plains, and hills.

Along with the Marlborough & Awatere Valley regions, the Top of the South would appear to have been blessed with ideal geography & climate for grape growing.

I’m aware one of the reasons favoured in Marlborough, just like some areas of the Hawkes Bay & Nelson, has to do with the underlying old river gravels/single base at many vineyard locations.

Obviously the metal base allows for great drainage, but I’m also informed that those same rocks sit there storing up heat all day long, and then when nightfall arrives, dissipate / radiating that warmth and obviously heat rises, and so, passes on many benefits. Anyone out there care to substantiate this?

We even have a cycle race in January each year called Tour de Vineyards.

Recently one of our wineries trumped some NZ big names.

I’m pleased to inform you that in one of the latest updates of the much respected Tom Stevenson‘s Wine Report the folllowing has been said……

“Neudorf is New Zealand’s greatest wine producer”

This same English publication has had Neudorf notch up positions in the Top 10 for a few years now, but that has all changed in 2009. They have been placed at position number 1.