Comments on: Google Base and real estate marketing http://www.realcentralva.com/2005/11/25/google-base-and-real-estate-marketing/ Tracking Charlottesville's Real Estate Market since 2005 Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:56:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Google, Garmin and Realtors | Real Central VA http://www.realcentralva.com/2005/11/25/google-base-and-real-estate-marketing/#comment-28284 Google, Garmin and Realtors | Real Central VA Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:37:25 +0000 http://www.realcentralva.com/?p=914#comment-28284 [...] Looking back at what I wrote in 2005, it looks like Google has improved a little bit: Limitations (to the former Google Base): - simply too much information - mapping aspects of Google are limited; identifying specific property addresses is not accurate. I have had to identify the properties with the town or the zip code rather than the actual property address. - the search aspect is not yet refined. How can someone search for a three bedroom, two bath home with at least 1800 square feet on at least .3 acres in the Henley Middle School district? - there is not yet a consistent search criteria used by all posters - The search results (at least for now) seem to be too easily manipulated by bulk submitters. [...] [...] Looking back at what I wrote in 2005, it looks like Google has improved a little bit: Limitations (to the former Google Base): – simply too much information – mapping aspects of Google are limited; identifying specific property addresses is not accurate. I have had to identify the properties with the town or the zip code rather than the actual property address. – the search aspect is not yet refined. How can someone search for a three bedroom, two bath home with at least 1800 square feet on at least .3 acres in the Henley Middle School district? – there is not yet a consistent search criteria used by all posters – The search results (at least for now) seem to be too easily manipulated by bulk submitters. [...]

]]> By: Real Central VA - Tracking the Charlottesville and Central VA real estate market and more » The WSJ on Google Base http://www.realcentralva.com/2005/11/25/google-base-and-real-estate-marketing/#comment-623 Real Central VA - Tracking the Charlottesville and Central VA real estate market and more » The WSJ on Google Base Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:23:54 +0000 http://www.realcentralva.com/?p=914#comment-623 [...] The WSJ on Google Base By Jim The WSJ has a wide-ranging article this morning on the impact that craigslist and googlebase may have on the traditional-model real estate industry. Read the whole thing if you want to see what I and others have been talking about for quite some time. [...] [...] The WSJ on Google Base By Jim The WSJ has a wide-ranging article this morning on the impact that craigslist and googlebase may have on the traditional-model real estate industry. Read the whole thing if you want to see what I and others have been talking about for quite some time. [...]

]]> By: Zen Poet http://www.realcentralva.com/2005/11/25/google-base-and-real-estate-marketing/#comment-138 Zen Poet Sun, 27 Nov 2005 03:00:19 +0000 http://www.realcentralva.com/?p=914#comment-138 After you published your first property on Google Base, another CVille realtor put a whole bunch of their listings, with the end results that the listings are unusable for all the reasons you mentioned. However, this is just a start. Google will most likely suggest or dictate a schema, i.e., geek-speak for a way to tag and organize information. In fact, the information on the MLS listing makes for a perfect schema. At that point, the information will be useful, provided: 1) enough folks search for a home via Google 2) the Google listings are as complete as the MLS 3) the Google listings are as timely as the MLS I have no doubt about (1) given Google's track record. (2) and (3) will take care of themselves as more realtors put listings on Google Base. The wild card and potential problems for realtors is when folks will decide to bypass realtors and the MLS entirely, and put their listings on Google Base directly. In the short term, this can only add to the downward pressure on real estate commission rates. In the long term, I think the real estate industry is in for an upheaval. Let's just hope that long term will turn out to be long enough for you to adapt. After you published your first property on Google Base, another CVille realtor put a whole bunch of their listings, with the end results that the listings are unusable for all the reasons you mentioned.

However, this is just a start.

Google will most likely suggest or dictate a schema, i.e., geek-speak for a way to tag and organize information. In fact, the information on the MLS listing makes for a perfect schema. At that point, the information will be useful, provided:
1) enough folks search for a home via Google
2) the Google listings are as complete as the MLS
3) the Google listings are as timely as the MLS

I have no doubt about (1) given Google’s track record. (2) and (3) will take care of themselves as more realtors put listings on Google Base.

The wild card and potential problems for realtors is when folks will decide to bypass realtors and the MLS entirely, and put their listings on Google Base directly. In the short term, this can only add to the downward pressure on real estate commission rates. In the long term, I think the real estate industry is in for an upheaval. Let’s just hope that long term will turn out to be long enough for you to adapt.

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