GoogleMaps Improves Real Estate Search Function

• July 8th 2009

by Mark Wellborn

GoogleMaps is already at the top of the internet map pecking order, used by people who don’t know how to get to everything from that specialty foods store that they have heard so much about to small towns in upstate New York.

Now, the mammoth search engine has improved the real estate search engine function on the mapping site.

From the Google LatLong blog:

“If you enter a query like “homes for sale in san francisco” on Google Maps, you’ll see that we make it easy for you to see all your results on a map with a one-box that will take you to real estate listings. Previously, you had to specify “real estate” from the search options menu, but now we’re making it easier to find available listings.”

We went ahead and did that for Washington, DC, and here are the results.

Some other improvements that you will notice on the map are to the markers. The ten largest markers (the red teardrops with letters) are considered by Google to be the listings most relevant to your search. The smaller markers identify every other listing in your search area. Google does a good job of giving ten listings “relevant to your search” that are spread across the DC area, however 7 of the 10 properties were foreclosures. Maybe that is a glitch that needs fixing. Or maybe it is just a sign of the times.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/googlemaps_improves_real_estate_search_function/1110.