Recently I read about the new Google beta service with great interest. No just because only a few short months ago I was looking for a house myself, but because I have an idea (yes, another one) somewhere in the back of my head about developing an online house search/rating/buying application. As Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Watch rightly said, Google have really just linked their database system with their mapping service.
In effect, they’ve mashed up themselves.
Which is fine, commendable even. But this is Google, and to be honest I want a little more. Where’s the facility to one-click-email myself house details that I like the look of? Where’s the facility to rank and rate houses based on what features they have? Where’s the facility to compare the price of this house with comparable houses in the same area? Still, it is in beta, so whoa knows what they’ll cook up eventually.