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Google Earth Tours The Moon - Will Real Estate Be Next?

By Brad Andersohn

Education & Training with Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp Non-Licensed

August 03, 2009 12:05 AM

Google Earth can now Take Us To The Moon - But How Long Before They Can Tour Homes for Sale?

By now, most of you have probably heard of and even explored Google Earth and Google Maps. They're fascinating and fantastic state of the art tools which are very interesting and quite entertaining. Not just for consumers, We all love this stuff. Now you can explore and tour the Moon, Mars, The Sky and other parts of our world using Google Earth and Google Maps. My guess is that it won't be long before you'll be able to click on the front door of a property and tour the "homes" and "Real Estate Listings" for sale too.

You can visit the Google's Video Channel on http://www.youtube.com/google

Google Earth currently allows you to search any part of the Earth, zoom down to the street level, see 3D images and buildings, photos, videos, and in connection with Google Maps, scroll up to the front door of any property. Now all they (or you) need to do is create a link to the listing, MLS, or "Virtual Tour" information, and the Virtual Real Estate World would be changed forever.

It's almost unimaginable. Or is it?

Come With Me On A Quick Google Earth Tour

Starting from the Moon, the Global View of Earth

Arrive at a Satellite City View with Photos and Videos

Virtually Transported to Helicopter View Of Neighborhood

The fastest trip you've ever made Down To The Car and Street Level

And In literally seconds, you're Standing in Front of the Property ready to knock on the Door.
You're Just one "Click" away from Going Inside.... So Why Have We Stopped Here?

Imagine clicking on the Front door above - I Envision This Next Screen popping up...

Welcome Inside This "Home For Sale" Enjoy Your Tour!

We can send man to the moon and even you to MARS with this new technology, connecting with the Real Estate Community and Industry would seem like the next natural progression for Google Earth.

Google Earth and Panoramio.com currently allow consumers (and you) to upload their photos to Google Earth, Youtube Videos are posted everywhere, so why not have the Real Estate Industry provide the final touches? Property Information, Listings, Links to community posts, photos, and videos. You can already take a tour of 3D buildings in the Google Earth Gallery, but I want to go inside.

Think of the potential a connection like this could have, and the convenience to both consumers and the Real Estate Industry. If this eventually does happen, well then, I called it. If it doesn't, why wait? Start using Google Earth and Maps yourself to create the Links and provide Community and Property Information.

Look at what others are doing on Google Earth right now...

The point and message in this post is that anyone with a computer using Google Earth and Google Maps can do this right now. Virtually travel to nearly any piece of property anywhere in the world. This one final connection would make looking at neighborhoods and finding out about communities, homes, and property much faster and extremely convenient. Millions of people are using this stuff now. Wouldn't it make Real Estate more accessible, and easier to access "Virtually?" Connecting a link to some detailed property information at the final stage of this "virtual travel" could make this one of the greatest "Virtual Tools" in Real Estate.

I'm just sayin...

Check out Google Earth and Google Maps, this may be the next "ONE GIANT STEP" for Google and mankind.

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Danae Aballi

Douglas Elliman of California Inc - Newport Beach, CA

thANKS for sharing. It's interesting how far technology has come!

Aug 03, 2009 10:02 AM

Dan Magstadt

Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, Inc - Lake City, FL

You wouldn't have thought this type of thing would have been possible, even 5 years ago - WOW!!

Aug 03, 2009 10:03 AM

Christianne O'Malley

Dickson Realty - Reno, NV

Exceptional Service - Delivering Results in Reno!

This is yet another reason why we have to play nice and pay attention to Google! And they are so nice to work with. I would love to see our Virtual Tours integrated with Google Maps and Google Earth.

Aug 03, 2009 10:39 AM

Joshua Talayka

Chase Internatinonal - Reno, NV

great idea Brad. So have you sent this idea to Google yet? I think it is something they could deffinitly take advantage of, if they havn't already thought of it themselves.

Aug 03, 2009 10:42 AM

TheMillsTeam YourSebringRealtors

Advantage Realty #1 - Sebring, FL

863-212-5441

I sometimes take trips back to Germany to visit my childhood home, my elementary school. They do not have the street feature for Germany yet but I can see my grandpa's car parked in the drive way and my Mom's laundry blowing in the wind on her balcony. Most of the landscape is so beautiful to look at from the bird's eye view, especially the small farmer fields.

Aug 03, 2009 12:50 PM

Claude Cross

Homes By Cross, Inc. - Charlotte, NC

Charlotte NC Homes For Sale

Brad - Buzz Lightyear said it best " To infinity and beyond" , Most of the leaps seem to catch me after the fact. Hence my presence here at AR. Eyes wide open are becomming a credo . Thanks for your constant points that help me push my business

Aug 03, 2009 01:24 PM

Christine Donovan

Donovan Blatt Realty - Costa Mesa, CA

Broker/Attorney 714-319-9751 DRE01267479 - Costa M

Brad,

You're always giving me new, cool things I really need to look into.

Aug 03, 2009 02:43 PM

Stephen Kappre

KW Hometown - Mantua, NJ

Helping You Home

This is just another way for us to really stand out wtih our posts (and listings). The sky is the limit to how "one-of-a-kind" we can market ourselves. Thanks for the tips.

Aug 03, 2009 03:00 PM

Chris Olsen

Olsen Ziegler Realty - Cleveland, OH

Broker Owner Cleveland Ohio Real Estate

Hey Brad -- I hope this happens. I would love to see google base or better yet, an open source database for owners, agents and brokers all put into one massive database with extensive GIS, videos, etc., it would make MLSs compete, and agents compete even more.

Aug 03, 2009 03:52 PM

Esko Kiuru

Bethesda, MD

Brad,

Soon enough there will be something like Google Home and you suddenly are touring listings. Now what I would like to see is getting a virtual tour of mortgages.

Aug 03, 2009 04:21 PM

Terri Adams-Scott

J. Rockcliff, REALTORS - Walnut Creek, CA

Realtor, Walnut Creek CA Real Estate

Brad, My YouTube 'map' location does not give me the latitude and longitude coordinates. It only allows me to type in an address. How did you get your coordinates in there instead of the physical address? I have plenty of home video tours on YouTube, but they didn't show on Google Earth's YouTube icons. I'm thinking it's because it needs those coordinates instead of an address!??

Aug 03, 2009 04:41 PM

Brad Andersohn

Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA

ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Hi Terri - when you move the little flag or pin marker, it will automtically place the lat/long cordinates in that address box. Use the address box to just get close to the location, then use the mouse to drag and pinpoint the exact cordinates for the video. No matter where you drag that little pin, the cordinates will show up in that address box, then make sure you click on the "save changes" for your video. :-)

Aug 04, 2009 01:17 AM

Terri Adams-Scott

J. Rockcliff, REALTORS - Walnut Creek, CA

Realtor, Walnut Creek CA Real Estate

Brad...thank you! I will go geo tag all my vidoes now! You're awesome!

Aug 04, 2009 02:07 AM

The Somers Team

The Somers Team at KW Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA

Delivering Real Estate Happiness

Wow ! Very interesting ! Very powerful... is just a matter of time. Technology is sooo amazing... and Google does rock the world per se !

Aug 04, 2009 10:18 AM

Linda Breeding

Keller Williams Realty - Pinehurst, NC

Hi Brad, I have checked out google earth and in my area the addresses are not correct but if you know "enough" about where you are trying to see, you can figure it out. It still is amazing and I have used it to check out a few locations.

Aug 05, 2009 11:32 PM

Tarris Rogers

Cascade Sotheby's International Realty - Bend, OR

Bend Oregon Real Estate

I'm a technology lover and love utilizing the latest and greatest technologies for both my clients and myself. However, even I would have to draw the line at being able to click on a house on Google maps and go inside. Criminals would be able to case a house more effectively. When it comes to vacant homes, transients would be able to go to a public library and figure out what empty house they want to spend the night in, and then there is the privacy factor of government, insurance and other agencies being able to easily locate and observe the interiors of a home. I'm sure that is one of the big reasons why their is still limits placed on how much data MLS will allow into the public. I can appreciate that the idea is intriguing to us agents who are looking to maximize our listings exposure to the public, but in this case I think we should look before we leap.

Aug 27, 2009 02:16 PM

Brad Andersohn

Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA

ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Tarris - I appreciate, respect, and thank you for sharing your opinion and comment here. It's always nice to have the view points of Industry professionals from every angle. I fear we are too late though with the advances of technology. It is already way past our control and the new stuff that is introduced each day to the world can be used as good, or in the wrong hands, used as bad.

Baseball bats were created for playing a game and having fun, however they have also been used for bad and unimaginable things. I too am a technology enthusiast and love to explore all the possibilities and solutions that can come from some of this stuff, maybe I am only looking for the positive aspects and potential, and need to pay more attention to the negative and adverse repercussions that could be created.

Even though every rose does have thorns, I guess I'm pretty one sided in my thinking, and blinded by trying to only see the beauty in the things that can also have a negative impact. Thanks for keeping my eyes open and for keeping me accountable.

Having said all that, I still want to click on the door and go inside. :-)

Aug 28, 2009 03:43 AM

Tarris Rogers

Cascade Sotheby's International Realty - Bend, OR

Bend Oregon Real Estate

I know in many ways the door has definitely swung open. For now, a person up to no good has to be a bit tech savvy to put all the pieces together and get a composite. If Google is given everything, it makes the whole process easy enough for a 3 year old to do it.

Perhaps I'm getting to be a bit more skeptical as I get older and beginning to realize just what a Pandora's box we've all been so eager to open. Like you, my excitement for the new tends to have me looking at the possibilities rather than the repercussions. I suppose man will always be that way. Sorry I didn't mean for this to sound philosophical. Keep up the great posts!!!

Sep 04, 2009 01:27 PM

Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-617-6375

Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA

Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

Dear Brad,

Always love to bump into one of your posts when searching for something on AR. Wrote a Zillow Client's contract today - moving along!

Have a happy day -
Lynn

PS Have you seen the new CAPTCHA? L.

Jun 08, 2013 01:37 PM

Brad Andersohn

Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA

ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876