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Juice Alert!! Is the Google Pond Shrinking?

By Elva Branson-Lee

Real Estate Agent with Solid Source Realty GA 320764

December 30, 2011 08:15 AM

A good friend sent me a link to this information today.

Google’s Insights for Search gives a graphical depiction of inquiries and broad search patterns. The Google Real Estate Index tracks queries related to "real estate, mortgage, rent, apartments" and so forth, intended for general analysis of volume google search patterns. The real estate chart below shows that, traditionally, searches on real estate industry terms generally rise for the first half of the year and then drop off steeply about mid-third quarter. Nothing new there, I guess. This corresponds exactly to what I’ve seen and experienced in real estate sales in the ATL market in the few years I’ve been practicing.

But what is startling to me is the overall decline in such searches over the years since 2004. While I’d expect google searches to be up, in general, with more people having their own personal and portable (and sometimes multiple) computing devices… the chart below shows that real estate-related searches have been declining drastically year-over-year.

Look at the prediction for 2012!!

google real estate searches

As an internet marketer, I rely on south metro Atlanta real estate searches to bring propspects to my pages. Going into 2012, and marketing for Googlers as we do, what is the lesson here, do you think?

You can view the index at http://www.google.com/finance?q=GOOGLEINDEX_US:RLEST

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Joan Whitebook

BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH

Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

Oh my -- that is quite interesting.. I would think searches would go up for 2012. We shall se what happens.

Dec 30, 2011 08:19 AM

Kristal Wilson

KB Home - Fontana, CA

Cause We Like 'Em New ~ New Home Specialist!

Elva ~ you have definitely given us something to think about but I wonder if the but this information seems contrary to everything else I've read about the popularity of on-line searches for buyers and sellers.

Happy New Year!

Dec 30, 2011 08:22 AM

Elva Branson-Lee

Solid Source Realty GA - Atlanta, GA

CDPE - Atlanta Real Estate & Short Sale Agent

Me, too, Joan. This chart seems counter-intuitive, doesn't it? With more users, why not more searches? Instead, google has tracked and is forecasting fewer and fewer. Things that make you go "Hmmmm."

Dec 30, 2011 08:23 AM

Kristal - I know. But it's Google themselves doing the tracking and forecasting. There is no bigger search engine currently in use. My friend, Deb Nardy of KW Stockbridge, who sent me the link in the first place, thinks the slope is because of the tremendous R. E. activity pre-housing bust.

Dec 30, 2011 08:28 AM

go to RealEstateFaster.com & get 20 Listing Appointments per month

Real Estate Faster - Los Angeles, CA

Very interesting info. especially with like you said all the personal and portable computing devices people have. Thanks for sharing that.

Dec 30, 2011 08:42 AM

David Spencer

Keller Williams Northland - Kansas City, MO

Show Me real estate in Kansas City

The drop looks very consistent from 2008. I would think people's interest in real estate has been waning since then.

Dec 30, 2011 08:58 AM

Former Agent

None - Adak, AK

Hi Elva. Interesting observation and statistic. As an aside, I like your short sale map!! Where did you find that tool?

Dec 30, 2011 09:32 AM

Deven & David - it is intersting, and David could be right -- perhaps interest in real estate has just waned in lockstep with the economic downturn. r

Aimee - the tool for my map is realbird, and I found it right here on activerain. Just do a search for the realbird AR blog to find out all about it.

Dec 30, 2011 11:58 AM

Liz Lockhart

Riverbend Realty, Cape Girardeau, MO - Cape Girardeau, MO

GRI, Cape Girardeau Real Estate

Elva~I don't know much about "juice," but I think buyers may use Google to find a REALTOR page or a company page and then they search THAT page for listings. Maybe in the past, searches from the industry pages were not a good as they are now.

Dec 30, 2011 03:07 PM

Liz, you could be right. It will be interesting to see what 2012 reveals.

Jan 03, 2012 11:17 AM

Anonymous

Danny Roberts

Much of this is due to activity dropping off after the crash but much of it is due to change in consumer behavior. Consumers are doing much of their searching through optimized sites such as Trulia, Zillow and our own, Redfin. Consumer are becoming much more sphisticated in their internet searches and the days of randomly sweeping the web are fewer and fewer. Companies are responding with their offers. Cheers. :)

Redfin Recruiting

danny.roberts@redfin.com

Aug 16, 2012 09:29 AM

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Juice Alert!! Is the Google Pond Shrinking?

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