The search for your very own Taj Mahal just got a little easier with the help of Google.
Let’s say you’re in the market to rent an apartment or to buy a home in Chicago, IL. Simply go to google.com and type in the phrase “Chicago real estate” (without the quotes.) You’ll be presented with quite a bit of information to sift through. But now Google has introduced a nifty little feature that lets you filter your search and narrow things down a bit:
You first specify whether you search is about properties that are for rent or for sale. You will then be presented with a screen that allows you to further narrow down your search, along with a map on the right hand side of the screen. Properties that match your search criteria are pinpointed on the map, as well as their corresponding links in a scrollable window to the left of the map.
The data are derived from Google Base, which is a service similar to Craigslist. Pretty cool. And a valiant effort to further empower customers that use the internet for their home search. But if you’re really interested in the “creme de la creme” of listing searches with far more search parameters than Google offers you, (get ready for a shameless self-promotion now) check out my very own MLS Genie.
