Something which is not readily obvious in Google Maps is the ability to find real estate listings. And no, it’s not just for new houses. It also includes rentals, foreclosures (good for the bargain hunter) and so on.
Here’s how to do it:
Load up Google Maps and click “My Maps” to the left.
Looks like this:
Note the “My Maps” in the blue section.
After clicking that, check the box for “Google Real Estate Search”.
Looks like this:
Note the checkboxes at the bottom.
After that, select the type of listing you want.
After that, select the location you’d like to search (entering in just a ZIP code is fine), the price range and bed/bath options and any custom search options and click “Search”.
Search results will look something similar to this (if searching for foreclosures):
The nice part about searching for real estate this way is that you can “Street View” it to see a photo of the property without actually having to go there.
Some quick questions answered:
Are search results limited to one provider?
No. Listings are acquired from many sources and is dependent on region and state.
Can I get phone numbers from search results?
On some you can, others you cannot.
Concerning foreclosures, on some listings you may be prompted to sign up for a one-month membership to see full information for the listings on an external (meaning not Google) site. It’s usually pretty cheap and somewhere around $15 a month to get listings with full information.
Is it worth it to spend cash to see detailed foreclosure listings? That’s up to you and how interested you are in foreclosure properties. Remember, it is free to at least see what’s out there on Google Maps. And if you have a GPS you can plug in the address information and check it out for yourself without signing up for anything (there’s usually a sign in front of the property with contact info).
Concerning rentals and new homes, the contact information is ordinarily listed in plain sight with one click-thru. Look for the green link in the “speech bubble” for search results after you click on them.
Are listings accurate?
Depends on the listing. A good bit of advice would never to take anything at face value and call to confirm it still exists.
Are some listings better than others?
Oh yes. Here’s an example of a good one (foreclosure listing):
The above lists the full address, when the auction will happen, the time, an invite to inspect the properties personally, dates on availability, the works. And even though an image is not available, if you have a GPS you can plug in the address and take a ride by to check it out.
Does any of this require a Google account?
No. Google account is optional. You can go to maps.google.com now, follow the instructions above and start searching with no sign-ups.
Even if you’re not in the market for real estate right now, familiarize yourself with how to search real estate on Google Maps. You might have use for it later on.
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