Link:

http://searchengineland.com/google-builds-out-a-national-real-estate-search-engine-30232

Hope it's better than Google Base.

My concern - and this should be the concern of consumers as well - is accuracy. Who is going to hold the parties responsible for updating the status, price, etc.

Users on Trulia and Zillow are finding the same property posted multiple times (as the property expires and is relisted and T and Z haven't caught up) at different prices and even with wildly different data.

Unless it's policed somewhat, I don't see how this can become a reliable source of listings - at least w/ R.com and with local MLS's the only listing shown is the most current one. Expireds, canceled, solds, old prices are gone.

Google, in a sense, is already a National Real Estate search engine. Currently, IDX sites are crawled and indexed by Google. Most people go to Google to find homes by typing in what they know about the home and/or area. What comes up are the best SEO marketed real estate sites.

Looking at what they have planned, it doesn't come close to what I'm already doing:

1. Unlimited photos per home
2. Map of nearby restaurants, grocery stores, schools, etc. and their proximity to each listing.
3. Lat/lon data imported from the local tax office to more accurately display homes on the map - including new construction homes. Google nor realtor dot com can display new street addresses unless the MLS's export the lat/lon data (most don't).
4. Map of nearby listings.
5. More information than realtor dot com
6. (Coming soon) tax data for previous solds.
7. Listing history (when added, price changes, pending, etc.)
8. Video drive thru of subdivisions with my commentary.
9. Video of my listings (actual video footage, not a slide show)
10. Real estate forums for locals to discuss real estate, schools and other home information. Home inspectors, mortgage brokers, etc. are all welcome.
11. A facebook for their home once they create an account. It's fun (post pictures of their homes to their personal gallery's, write on each others walls, save favorite homes, make notes on each home).
12. Document area for all of their docs (offers, counters, home inspections, etc.)
13. Real time live help. I can also see each visitor simultaneously, and can see exactly what home they are viewing, and keep their history on record. I can find out exactly what they are looking for before they even contact me (I can see their search criteria). Usually I just pop in and surprise them while they are browsing. This is basically me doing "virtual floortime."
14. too many features to mention.

Google just can't touch what I'm doing. They can't afford to do what I'm doing (they can't possibly afford all of the tax data records for each county in America, nor can they afford to video tape subdivisions, only their street view data, which I include as well.)

It helps to be an editor, as I can add my own site to Google's directory (with proper disclosures).

"They can't afford to do what I'm doing (they can't possibly afford all of the tax data records for each county in America, nor can they afford to video tape subdivisions, only their street view data, which I include as well.)"

Google is sitting on tens of billions in cash and stock equity and can do or buy anything they want. It's just a matter of whether they want to. Their main business is search engine and ad sales but don't think for one minute they are not approached weekly about for-fee real estate initiatives.

Ah, more grim reaper warnings from Broker. I'm seeing a pattern here.

It's a well known fact that Google is sitting on tens of billions of dollars and can do or buy anything they want BUT ONLY IF IT MAKES ECONOMICAL SENSE. It would not make economical sense for them to purchase all of the tax data, and it would need to be purchased quarterly or as soon as new data is added so as to maintain a respectable level of accuracy. They won't be doing that on a national scale.

They also won't be paying an experienced agent to visit each subdivision and build a database of VIDEO footage drive thru's with experienced commentary. That won't be happening. And none of the things that are introduced on my site will be happening with more local success on a national level either. Locals do it better.

If you disagree, please, lets put our money where our mouths are. I already have, and I'm not losing.

There are already services going around and video taping subdivisions... that's nothing new.

My point is that you are for some reason assuming that others can't or won't do what you are doing - when in fact they already are. Maybe not in your area yet, but it's just a matter of time.

Local is always better. Economical sense is a relative term based on who is making the decision. A title company could opt to list and sell houses for free in exchange to capture the title work an affiliated business. That makes economic sense to them and not you.

[quote=broker]There are already services going around and video taping subdivisions... that's nothing new.[/quote]

We are talking about Google, are we not? Of course there are already services going around and video taping subdivisions. There are NO services doing that in my area, google or not. I'm the first. Folks come to me for convenient in depth real estate information. Change is nothing new. I'm always changing too.

[quote]My point is that you are for some reason assuming that others can't or won't do what you are doing - when in fact they already are. Maybe not in your area yet, but it's just a matter of time.[/quote]

Who cares if eventually someone else does what I do? Fact is I'M DOING IT RIGHT NOW. PEOPLE COME TO ME FOR THAT INFORMATION. Get it now?

[quote]Local is always better. Economical sense is a relative term based on who is making the decision. A title company could opt to list and sell houses for free in exchange to capture the title work an affiliated business. That makes economic sense to them and not you. [/quote]

It will never make economical sense, relative or not, for Google to do all of the things I'm doing. If you are still here in a year, crying that the sky is falling, I'll remind you of my claim. I have no problem saying "I told you so."

why are you so defensive? you may be doing these things now.. and have customers coming to you because of it... but you seem to feel that it will never make any sense for google, or some other company, to do what you are doing.

why do you and others keep taking the postion that i am saying the "sky is falling"? i'm not saying that at all. what i am saying is that what you don't think is possible or make economic sense -- is possible and can make economic sense to people other than you and real estate agents in general. and it's all about information and how it flows to (or is kept from) the consumer.

and I'm not talking about YOU - though you are on the defensive as if I am. This is real estate in general - big picture stuff. You are but one of 3 million agents and of little consequence to companies like google.

and to answer your question: "Who cares if eventually someone else does what I do?" - I would think you would.

There is absolutely near zero emotion that goes into these posts of mine. No anonymous guy on some Internet forum will get me worked up or "defensive." This is a discussion, is it not? It's been my experience that folks who read into posts with all of the emotion are the ones with the emotion. There were no exclamation points on any statements.

Yes, not only do I "feel" that way, I'll prove to you that Google won't be doing what I'm doing. Not even in a year from now. Stick around. I'll demonstrate.

Why do I and others keep taking the position that you are saying that the sky is falling? Well, because you are. It's a pattern in many of your posts. If one person sees something in your behavior, then it would be ok to shrug it off, but if a large majority of people see the same thing, then, well, it must be you.

Big picture stuff? LOL You've got to get the small picture before you zoom out my friend, but I hear you.

I'm not trying to be of consequence to Google. I'm trying to be the best I can be for my customers. I'm there. Where are you? Paralyzed in fear of the coming change? I'm actually making positive things happen.

I don't care that someone eventually does what I do. You miss the point. I will always be on the cutting edge. Everyone else is just trying to "catch up." I'm fine with that. Bring on the change. :)

Regards,
Mark

"Yes, not only do I "feel" that way, I'll prove to you that Google won't be doing what I'm doing. Not even in a year from now. Stick around. I'll demonstrate."

Can't wait for you to demonstrate. Really... I'm all ears/eyes.

"Why do I and others keep taking the position that you are saying that the sky is falling? Well, because you are. It's a pattern in many of your posts. If one person sees something in your behavior, then it would be ok to shrug it off, but if a large majority of people see the same thing, then, well, it must be you."

I've been on these boards for a long, long time. Some think that I say the sky is falling, while others "get" that what I am really saying is that the sky might fall and you can do one of two things: deal with it when it falls, or be proactive and prepare for it and dictate the way it falls. I look 5-10 years out... not in todays perspective. The impossible or unprobable is and likely will be the possible.

And you can't be truly cutting edge if you rely on services you can't control. Think about that.

But back to Google. Let's hear it.

Google could really step in here and use this to dominate for FSBO home sale sites. If they let users use this system to enter their own homes then it would replace craigslist real estate.

I don't know why they feel they have create a static page for every listing, other than the fact that they want their real estate to have higher visibility in search results. It could get to the point where people searching for real estate may have to start using Bing or Yahoo!.

My guess is they compiled ALL of the keyword data and found that individual pages would be delivered to many under utilized keywords. What the hell do I know though!

Agents better wake up...

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/...ou-1879669.html

Looks like we have a long way to go before we only charge 3%. Isn't that why the MLS was started and a co-op fee offered, to expedite the selling process?

what are you going to charge 3% for? buy side, sell side.. or both? if part of the object is to bring a willing buyer together with a willing seller.. and you don't need an agent to do that... where does the 3% come from?

Google has listed real estate for sale for years in the US and Canada. It used to be indexed and called Google Base.
This article was from England where real estate is done much differently than it is here.