Google and MSN have come out with some really great new tools. You can now look at satelite photos of your potential new home. More illuminating than a map, you can see schools, parks and playgrounds. You can zoom in and in some cases even determine if your next door neighbor has a swingset.

Google Earth: http://earth.google.com/
Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/
MSN Terra Earth: http://terraserver.microsoft.com/