Mountain View, California — Another day, another enhancements to Google Maps that increases time spent on the site. In a move that promises to heighten competitive pressure, Google, back in July, began fetching real estate listings directly on Google Maps. Google on Thursday said that it had enhanced Google Maps to make it easier to search for a new home with Google.
For about a month before the $8,000 first-time home-buyer tax credit turns out be a thing of the past, and gone were the days that users had to specify “real estate” from the search options menu. Users of Google’s search engine can now simply enter a query for homes for sale or apartments to rent and find out more detailed information about real estate.
If you are looking for a particular piece of the globe through Google Maps, you now have the option to choose “Real Estate” from a drop-down menu at the top edge of the map area box in the “More” section of the map.
Checking the “Real Estate” checkbox populates Google Maps’ left hand panel with property listing, which can be further refined using the search criteria for what you are looking for by checking the boxes for renting or buying and apartment or house, as well as price range, square feet, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and foreclosure listings.
It has now become easier to find unaffordable real estate in San Francisco’s Mission District through Google Maps. (Credit: Google)
And for those unable to afford real estate in San Francisco–or unwilling to pay the shockingly high prices offered in this town–Google Maps also now offers rental listings. Using Google Maps, users can search for listings that are for sale, for rent, or foreclosures.
Google Maps product manager Andrew Foster explains that Google Maps now includes more information about areas if you pan around and zoom in.
“There are small icons on the map showing the names and location of businesses and prominent features of the neighborhood,” he said in a blog post. “This means that during your property search, you will be able to tell at a glance just exactly what shops can be found down the road from where you are looking, all without typing!”
Google says the rental options are for the U.S., but you can also search real estate in cities and towns in Australia, New Zealand and India. Give it a try.
Lastly, so that either buyers or renters can figure out whether they would be moving in next to a charming old movie theater or a hospital with a helipad, you will see icons on the map calling out businesses and prominent features of the neighborhood as you navigate the neighborhoods where you are searching for land, or at least a room. Super useful for the person or family relocating to cities unknown for work.
This should nicely mesh well with the mortgage comparison ads that Google introduced early this week. Google is also inviting real estate agents to list homes on Google Maps here.