Google beefs up mapping and real estate search

November 20, 2009

Google has beefed up its map search considerably with basic natural phrases now added. In the past a user has to select real estate, now all they need to do is use basic search terms in mapping.

“Recently, we have been working on a particularly interesting project that combines Google Maps and search technology -- we’ve been trying to work out if your search query in Google Maps means you’re interested in having current real estate listings returned to you,” a press release from Google said.

“So here’s what we’ve been cooking up – in the past, if you wanted to view real estate listings on Google Maps, your best bet was to select “Real Estate…” from the “More” menu at the top of the map. Now, simply searching for “real estate” will return, well, real estate. You could also try “homes for sale Sydney” or “homes for rent Adelaide”. Or while you’re at it, check out “apartments for sale Brisbane”, or “homes for rent near Perth”.

“We also wanted to tell you about the integration of real estate listings with Place Pages. Now clicking the “more info” link next to a listing takes you to a faster, easier-to-read page that gives you all of the information we have about a listing: photos, inspection times, videos, details, a Street View preview and nearby public transit information if available, allowing you to quickly find the listing you want and click through to the sources of the listing,” it added.

“We hope you find these features improve your real estate search experience on Google Maps,” Google said.