Google Earth is the best friend of Cyprus Property Buyers

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 Yes, Google Earth is the best friend to anyone who is planning to purchase a piece of land in Cyprus for general building development or for your dream custom built home.

You can take photographs of the plots you have seen and then use software to “stitch” together one or more panoramics to help you make decisions or work very effectively with your Architect and Civil Engineer.  Best still you can use Google Earth to show you the profile that you recorded in your panoramic and accurately put in a Google Pin to remind you where it is.  And you can go back and fly up and around the plot and its orientation in the landscape.

Now comes the best bit.  You can do a preliminary land survey yourself !!  What you do is obtain a copy of the latest Topographical Map from the Lands Office.  Scan it in and save as a .jpg file.  Then use the Google Earth “Add” tool to bring in an overlay of the Topographical Map over the rolling Google Earth Map.  Once there you just teak it to align with roads and other physical features and you can see where the boundaries of the plot you are interested in.

This means that you can check that the plot that you have seen is the plot you are buying because the Topographical Map with your plot edged in red will be attached to your contract of purchase and will appear on your Title Deeds as well. 

Please take a look at two Google Earth Maps; one Without Overlay and the other With Overlay. 

Here is a view, zoomed in and looking at a plot.   

THIS DOES NOT rule out the need for a professional land surveyor, registered with ETEK, but it sure helps speed up your search for the right plot at low cost, till you find the right one.

All this with the free version of Google Earth !!

I have been contacted by Members who have asked if I could do this for them.  Sure, if you can supply me with a good quality .jpg of the topographical map with the plot or plots marked on it I will supply you with the Google Map plus Topo Overlay.  A small charge of GBP100/200 will apply (surveyors would charge GBP600 for this service.)

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The Black Art of Buying Property in Cyprus™ ®
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