Google Maps Adds Real Estate

Google Maps in Australia has added the option to search for real estate listings directly on Google Maps. The service has also been added to Google Maps in New Zealand. Here's the introductory video,



This new feature means that Australian users of Google Maps can search for up-to-date real estate listings directly on Google Maps. To use the new feature just enter a location in the Google Maps search box and choose 'real estate' from the drop down menu.



Results of your search are then tagged on the map and listed in the sidebar. Once the listings have been added to the map it is also possible to refine your search from options displayed in the sidebar. You can define the number of bedrooms you are searching for, the number of bathrooms, the type of property and the price range.

This new feature of Google Maps in Australia has some particular poignancy. The first ever Google Maps mashup, HousingMaps, by Paul Rademacher was a map of Craigslist housing listings. It is also significant because the Google Maps team is based in Australia.

Google Maps in the USA also has the option to search for real estate. In fact, as Alex Turnbull of Google Sightseeing has pointed out to me, using Google Maps Australia you can find real estate listings in many other countries including the UK and France. So it just seems a matter of time until the 'real estate' option is added to the search options for Google Maps domains outside of the US and Australia.

Via: Official Google Australia Blog & Mapperz

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