Adding Google Earth and SketchUp to the Real Estate Web Marketplace
A post on the Zillow Blog got me thinking about how people could use Google Earth and SketchUp to better market and sell their real estate. Could a better detailed SketchUp model of your house make is sell better in the future than a standard web based aerial photo? Interesting thought, virtual walk through are already done with QTVR (or similar products) so why not just take the next leap? Wonder if Google has plans for something like this or will services like Zillow take the lead? Heck someone might be able to make money creating these models for people to put up on craigslist where I’m sure it would get great play.
If there was a way to integrate Bird’s Eye View with the SketchUp I’m sure we’d all be blow away (at least where Bird’s Eye View is available, ie not in Phoenix).
Hey James, it’s David from Zillow.
Very interesting ideas. I agree - Sketchup could put some part-time architects into the business of creating interactive models for folk.
I really like your idea of modelling existing structures and also think that this could put a whole new spin on the “virtual worlds” phenomenon we’re seeing on the web today.
Short news: Emerce, Google spreadsheet, India
Google Earth CTO Michael Jones will be speaking at the Emerce eDay conference, in Rotterdam on September 14. (Emerce eDay is about trends in digital business and marketing.) Ben Hammersley will be there too, I see. We had him at…