I think it (Street View) *could* be a valuable tool for people searching for homes. My new IDX provider has it (though SV is still weak in Phoenix metro coverage — it’s a big, spread out city…).

We get a LOT of out of area buyers, who know little to nothing about the area, and SV can provide a pretty good insight. Yes, buyers still need to eyeball properties, but something like this can serve to at least get people up to speed faster.

That said, I do understand the privacy concerns. Just the other day we were at a listing appointment and the sellers were amazed at how much we knew about them and their home from what we found online — when they bought, what they paid, how much they put down, refi’ed, etc.

Online privacy (or lack thereof) is a growing concern. If I lived in the same town as my psycho-stalker ex-wife, I would be concerned.

But (and this is a bit of a cop out) the fact is, it’s not going away. “It” being the internet and what it breeds — things like Street View, online record access, etc. In a perfect world (which obviously we are not in) there would be provisions for opting out of things like Street View. But I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Sadly, it will likely take some sort of tragedy (someone hunting someone down via Street View, a terrorist attack or something of that ilk) to press anything like an opt-out into reality.