Google recently added real estate searches to Google Maps, but opinions of it have been less than stellar. Finding the real estate search isn’t intuitive. You start by going to http://maps.google.com/ and selecting “show search options.” Then, you can choose “real estate” search from the drop-down menu. From there you get five choices to narrow down your search: price range, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and foreclosure. Foreclosure is definitely not one of the first things I would search for. I’ve had many more buyers ask me for a particular style of house or for a basement or garage before they would specify that they are looking for a foreclosure. Most buyers are looking for a deal in general, whether or not it comes from a private seller or bank.
You can select a listing from the map or the sidebar to get a quick peek at the address, one picture, price, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and a link to another website for more information. I found it frustrating that when I went to the website I couldn’t go back to the Google map search without it clearing my search criteria.
Since Google has been so great in the other services it provides I just expected more. At the very least I expected it to be comparable to the other big real estate websites like Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, or Yahoo Real Estate. What are your opinions?
