*STOP PRESS* Google Property Search here at last?

16 June 2010
Posted in Online Marketing

Following a tweet from Negotiator Magazine today, it does indeed seem as though Google Maps UK now includes property search and listings!

(Or could this be another false dawn?!)

To try it for yourself:

  • Go to http://maps.google.co.uk/.
  • Click the 'Show search options' link just to the right of the big 'Search Maps' button and select the 'Properties' option, or pick the 'Properties' option after clicking the 'More...' button on the map itself.
  • Type in your town name and click 'Search Maps'.
  • Lo and behold, a map and list of properties appears, with filters for price, type of property and number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Edit: There's a new, simpler link I've become aware of: http://maps.google.co.uk/realestate.

Are you uploading your properties to Google yet?

google property

Leave your comment:



What you said:

Anonymous
18 June 2010 07:32:57
I have a feeling that with time this will change the face of estate agency and in particular paid for property portals such as our friends at Rightmove!
They must be worried about the effect this might have?

I personally found the system a little slow and the information wasn't 100% accurate, however with time and more publicity I beleive more and more people will use Google to find properties.

I am wondering if next agents will be able to pay to target specific properties to people searching across the Google platform. So for instance if a Gmail user received a message from an estate agent saying 'houses for sale Glasgow' other agents will be able to pay to deliver ads containing properties for sale in Glasgow to appear in the google ads frame? That would be interesting. I appreciate you can already do this by using the adwords system, but what about delivering one or two properties with a photo (like the ads appear on Facebook).
The Modern Estate Agent
18 June 2010 08:31:43
Thanks for your comment. I agree - this is likely to be the thin end of the wedge - an opening gambit for Google really.

They have already announced that product photos are starting to appear alongside AdWords adverts - and they have also been integrating shopping results within the search results for some time.

The accuracy of some data, particularly what I have seen from Zoomf, is an issue at the moment. I suspect this will be resolved over time though.

There is no doubt that what they are offering is not as sophisticated as the established property portals, but Google do have a habit of making simplicity work!

A case of wait and see for the moment.

Martin