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Goodbye Google Base

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Real Estate Agent with HER Realtors

Good Bye Google Base

Columbus Ohio real estate on Google maps Just yesterdayI was whining about how horrible Google Base (real estate on Google Maps ) is on a Columbus Ohio real estate post written for consumers. 

Yesterday or Tuesday Google announced real estate on Google Maps was going away...

Or perhaps I was whining about RealBird a real estate service built on real estate on Google Maps which used the Google Base API.

I was not aware of that change when I was complaining about inaccuracy of what I thought of as Google Base. I will admit I think of the real estate feature within Google Maps as Google Base. Oh well no point in sorting that all out anymore.  Goodbye Google Base and the real estate on Google Maps!   The Inman post yesterday which was big enough news that they sent out an email said:

"In part due to low usage, the proliferation of excellent property-search tools on real estate websites, and the infrastructure challenge posed by the impending retirement of the Google Base API, we've decided to discontinue the real estate feature within Google Maps on February 10, 2011," the company said in a blog post."

Google Base was retiring... so Google is discontinuing the real estate feature within Google Maps next month.   Google Base was bigger than just real estate on Google Maps.

I have not seen a lot of discussion of the demise of real estate feature within Google Maps on ActiveRain.  I saw a member cut and paste in the Inman post.  Elsewhere  Joel Burslem wrote about it  Google drops real estate listings.

Good news for Realtor.com, Trulia and Zillow? 

Bad news for???

Google Base or the real estate feature within Google Maps was supposed to be the national MLS.  The promise of a national MLS... Remind me again why a national MLS would be a good thing? 

Consumer: " Decisions, Decision...   I just can't decide between the bungalow in Hoboken and the  split level in Cincinnati."
 

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Information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction.  Information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice.  Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.

 


 

Show All Comments
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Maureen, Thank you for the information. I hope it will not hurt our google ranking when we post listings.

Jan 26, 2011 11:47 PM
Bob Jakowinicz
National Realty Centers Livonia--Bob Jakowinicz - Livonia, MI
Michigan Real Estate Agent-- MI Real Adventures

I wouldn't be surprised if some big brokerages someday started pulling out of the MLS and going back to old school way of doing things.  Of course I use Google a whole bunch but really never did hear or use Google Base much. 

Jan 26, 2011 11:49 PM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Gita I doubt that Google Base has anything to do with Google ranking of content in search.  Google search should be highlighting good real estate content as usual....

Bob  That would be pretty old school...  I worried a number of years ago that we would because we were so big but I think a market correction corrected some thinking...  not saying anything about my company because I don't know what they are thinking.  The thinking in general about building something better and saying "tough luck" to the rest of the brokerages in your market....

Jan 27, 2011 12:15 AM
Mike Jaquish
Realty Arts - Cary, NC
919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

IDXBroker, my IDX vendor, uses GOOG mapping.  I guess I will need to ask them if they are based on Base, or on mapping from MLS.
Triangle MLS uses Bing Mapping.  I like the Bing solution better, particularly like their Bird's Eye view better than Street View from GOOG.
Whatever, and probably not entirely relevant.

But I also think real estate is big enough that GOOG will be back sometime in some format.

ETA: And more folks should recognize when they aren't doing something well, and improve or "retire."

Jan 27, 2011 12:17 AM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

I did not think of this affecting a broker / mls maps.  I think of that being different than Google Base... but obviously what do I know?

Mapping is certainly still in Googles bag of tricks...

Our new website search uses Bing Maps...  Our MLS?  It was MSN?  Must be Bing?  Non Goog.

Jan 27, 2011 12:28 AM
Emily Medvec
eXp Realty LLC - Santa Fe, NM
Broker | Realtor | Serving Santa Fe & Northern NM

Maureen, Like you I did see the Inman news story and wondered what is the story behind this Google delete of Google Base. Perhaps, it did not become the big real estate portal of their dreams and only served to take traffic away from the site. Now I'll do a search on Google for more...

Jan 27, 2011 01:23 AM
Mike Jaquish
Realty Arts - Cary, NC
919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

Maureen,

Yeah, I tangled IDX and MLS Mapping with Base, but I have had more java now....

 

Jan 27, 2011 05:27 AM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Emily Google Base API is how Google  allowed users to add things to Google including real estate.  Google is retiring the Google Base API and using Google Shopping API for most things instead, but Google Shopping API  does not fit with the real estate content.  

Google was underwhelmed by the usage by the public of the real estate feature of Google Maps.  I don't know if a lot of the hype in 2055   2005 was coming from Google or from "fanboys"   I remember in 2005 when Google Base was first introduced there was someone on RealTalk that was gung ho over RealBird. I don't believe he was a real estate agent and he was predicting Google Base would be the national MLS and would replace real estate agents.  Of course people said that about Zillow in 2005 too.  Search does not sell real estate.  Even in a sellers market. 

I have to wonder about RealBird without real estate on Google Maps.  I am a subcriber.

In Joel's article he talks about small brokerages losing out because of this.  Google Base was part of our real estate syndication, has been for years.  I am sure one of our old diagrams for sellers called it "Google Base" rather than the real estate feature of Google Maps.

Mike glad you got straightend out.

Jan 27, 2011 09:28 AM
Jack Mossman - The Nines Team at Keller Williams in Lodi
The Nines Team at Keller Williams in Lodi - Lodi, CA
The Nines Team in Lodi

Maureen ... Let's see ... a national MLS ... because real estate isn't local enough!  Let's just make it possible for every person holding a license ... to become a referral agent in every crevice in the country ... OH ... BTW, I don't have an opinion! (LOL)

Jan 27, 2011 11:59 AM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

I think it is silliness.  Always have.

Jan 27, 2011 12:17 PM
Dave Halpern
Dave Halpern Real Estate Agent, Inc., Louisville, KY (502) 664-7827 - Louisville, KY
Louisville Short Sale Expert

Business is a process of experimentation. Google is big enough to take big swings even if they miss once in a while.

For us the little guys and gals, the lesson is to diversify our marketing channels. One of them may disappear overnight.

Jan 27, 2011 06:21 PM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

I don't expect Trulia, Zillow or R.com to shrivel up and disappear.... 

 

Jan 27, 2011 11:27 PM
Anonymous
Tom

This is probably good for sites such as DZEG.com and others like them.  It is always good to have a diversified marketing base, because you never know what might happen.

Jul 13, 2011 05:59 AM
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