Once in a while I will get a call to do an inspection that is outside of my normal business area.  If the call is about a comercial inspection I always want to "eyeball" the location before I make a bid.  Mircosoft Virtual Earth is a great way to view an area I'm not familiar with go to www.maps.live.com.  Enter the address or business name in the upper left corner.  If you use the business name be sure to include the city and state.  This will bring up a map of the location.  If you select aerial view you can get an idea of what the building looks like right from your desk.  Another site www.trulia.com  will show you information on the street address you enter and on residential property will give you information like year built and nuber of bedrooms and bathrooms.  Not the same as putting boots on the ground but it can be useful at times.