Google made a big real estate move today

Google announced a big real estate move about two hours ago: listings can now be viewed on any Google Map by clicking on the “More” button, a position heretofore reserved for photos, transit information and other overlays.

Here’s what it looks like:

Read the full post from Google here.

A shiver of anxiety went through the industry four months ago when Google announced that it was, as I said at the time, “making real estate search on Google Maps slightly less obscure.” I did not think much of it. International online real estate sites, which actually charge brokers and agents to display listings, had a lot to worry about. Not so much in the states.

This, though, is a bigger deal. Real estate is no longer relegated to the sleepy backwater of Google Base, or appended to real estate-specific queries. It’s there on every Google Map.

That means a lot more eyeballs on listings via Google. While I still do not think this is earth-shaking for online real estate, it does make things a little more interesting.

More thoughts to follow.