Google moots property search engine
North Staffordshire estate agent Heywoods has welcomed news that Google is setting its sights on the British property market with plans to launch its own property search engine.
The search giant is reported to have entered into talks with UK estate agents about plans to introduce a new property portal similar to the version it launched in Australia in August this year.
The new service is set to rival existing online property search sites such as Rightmove and Zoopla! It will be powered by Google Maps and use its Street View service to show photographs and property details.
The move also looks set to accelerate what has been a gradual switch away from traditional newspaper advertising towards online property websites.
Commenting on the proposals, Heywoods said that anything designed to help match up sellers with buyers had to be a good thing.
It said that online property portals had given its clients economical new ways to market their homes.
The Newcastle-under-Lyme agency believes that the Google service promises to be a very popular marketing tool with its clients, but much would depend on the monetisation model Google decides to use