Real Estate Search Using Google Maps on For Sale by Owner Center

Location, Location, Location... real estate has always been about location.

Now, For Sale by Owner Center.com is the first FSBO website to allow you to search by location using a dynamic and interactive map. This is reinventing the process of searching for real estate as now, you can visually see a map of the area you wish to purchase in.

So here is some tips and tricks to using our real estate map search.

Get started using our real estate map search by learning how you can navigate around it.

Navigate the Map

Click it - anywhere on the map where you see an icon like or (remember green means Go, red means Stop) you can simply mouse over it to view what state or city it is and click on it. The map will automatically zoom in on this location.

Drop down - at the top of the real estate map page you will notice a tool bar. In the tool bar there are drop-down fields that allow you to select a state then city. This toolbar will also allow you to further narrow your search by house price, number of  bedrooms and bathrooms.

Drag it - from any of the real estate maps, you can press and hold a left click and simply drag the map to any location and all current real estate listings will dynamically appear on the map. The map will move in real-time without having to reload.

Slide it - on the left side of the window you see arrows and a slider bar. Use the arrows to move the map up, down, left, right or center it using the middle button. The slider bar is to zoom in or out. Again, any listings will dynamically appear if the are within the maps screen.

Now that you know the basics, here are the useful (and cool) ways to view the real estate listings.

See it in real life... from the sky

Found a real estate listing you like... don't drive to it just yet. Fly over it and view it from the sky. On the top right-hand side of the map you will see three buttons. [  Map  ]  [  Satellite  ] and [  Hybrid  ]

This is were things get interesting as here is what each of these buttons do:

[  Map  ] - This is your traditional street map with street names.

[  Satellite  ] - Click on this button and you will get literally a "birds eye view" of the area with the satellite view from space. This is quite useful to get an idea of exactly what the area looks like, how many trees, housing density even which of the neighbors has a pool.

[  Hybrid  ] - this is a combination of both the aerial satellite images with the traditional street map superimposed over each other.

Doesn't that make looking for a home a little more insightful? Surprised how much you can learn about an area from the air... don't worry, we were too, that's why we provided this to you!

Looking at each real estate listing, some other useful tools for you.

O.k. now you've gotten down to the actual individual listings, which you can view on the right side. Here are some additional tricks for you.

Tab it - using the tabs you can view photos and details all of the current listings appearing on the map.

Map it - See where the real estate listing is located at by clicking on this icon .  Conversely, from the map you can click on the icon and the appropriate listing will be highlighted on the right side.

Email - You can contact any of the property owners via email directly from the map window by clicking on the email owner icon

Mortgage Calculator - Want to know how much the monthly mortgage payment will be for a house you love. Click on the mortgage calculator link and our mortgage calculator will show you the current payments and allow you to change the price, mortgage rate, down payments, amortization even interest only loans... but keep in mind it does not include property taxes or insurance.

Google Earth - If you really want a birds eye 3D view of the real estate listing fly to it, around it, tilt it, zoom in on it with our exclusive Google Earth kml location files. Requires you to download the free Google Earth program. If you already have Google Earth installed, simply click on this icon and your journey will begin. Learn more about searching real estate with Google Earth.

Mouse over - Point your mouse over the listing you are interested in and window will pop-up with the basic details of the the home with a photo. Learn more about the listing but clicking on the icon

Complete listing details - You found a home you love and you want to learn everything about it, simply click on the photo or the address and a new window will open with complete details of the listing including additional photos and description and school information.

Like this real estate search function?  Add to Favorites  and  Email a Friend

Tell us what you think... your feedback is appreciated!

Now you are a real estate map professional Start your real estate map search now.

Google Earth is a registered trademark of Google. For Sale by Owner Center.com is in no way affiliated with Google.