14 DAY TRIAL // Over the summer, Google introduced the Real Estate listing to Google Maps and, since then, it has been working on improving the feature. When it was first introduced, it proved somewhat useful, but it was still lacking and couldn't really be seen as a real alternative to real-estate search engines. But Google doesn't do huge product launches very often, rather it gets a feature out the door and then starts building on it until it shapes up to be a complete product. This is the case here too, and Google is now ready to make the feature more visible by adding it as an option in Google Maps under the “More” tab.
“First of all, we've made it easier to find real estate listings. Now, you can simply select "Real Estate" from the 'More' button on the top right of any Google Map to discover listings. From there, it's a simple matter to refine your search using the left hand panel – price, bedrooms, bathrooms, and so on. Of course, you can still pan the map to search for the perfect neighborhood and it'll automatically update with more listings,” Andrew Foster, product manager, wrote.
Along with the real-estate layer, Google is also enabling real estate-related search options in Google Maps when the layer is selected, but this feature is only available in the US for now. It allows users to specifically search for real-estate listings and to refine their search by selecting a price range, as well as other related options.
This may seem like a trivial change, but there are only four more options in the More menu and all of them rather generic layers like Photos or Wikipedia. It shows that Google is committed to turning real-estate entries into another revenue generator and a real business for the search giant. And, while it may not be a threat to the established services just yet, it won't be long until Google becomes a serious competitor in the sector.