RealBird Inc., a company that provides online mapping services to real estate brokers and agents, announced today the introduction of an integration with Google Base, a new online classified advertising service launched by Google Inc. that is now in beta testing.
RealBird’s “Google Base” Connect service is available as a free add-on for its existing clients, the company announced. Featured listings are uploaded with all relevant property details, agent contact info and property photos, and agents can control when the listings should be deleted or modified. Homebuyers can directly communicate their interest or questions with the listing agent, RealBird announced.
RealBird clients’ featured listings may also be included in the main Google search index and other Google products like Froogle and Google Local, the company announced.
RealBird services include street, aerial and topographical maps; broker-branded driving directions; and various data layers, with interactive hotspots that can be linked to photos, Web sites or virtual tours. RealBird’s recently announced Map-based IDX Property Search service couples the traditional, form-based search with the ability to browse listings on a street or aerial map. The company also offers full integration with Google Maps and the Google Earth Viewer.
Harmon Homes, a major real estate advertiser, has also shown interest in integrating with Google Base, Inman News reported this week. Google Base works similarly to online classified site Craigslist, making it possible to quickly and easily create a free post that will appear online and can be located by searching on specific terms, such as “real estate for sale.”
The new Google classified service could pose a threat to traditional classified ad businesses, such as local and national newspapers, and also to other established online listings services.
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