Foreclosure-Gate: Google Map Foreclosure Tricks

12-09-2010 • Ritholtz.com

Prepare yourself to be floored: Google Maps keeps evolving, expanding the ability to drill down into granular detail. This great and terrible Google trick has been around at least since 2008 — but it seems to have become much more robust earlier this year (See Dregs of the Future‘s post in January 2010). Our friends at Chart Porn — a blog that got its name from one of our posts (honest!) — remind us of this, with a step-by-step lesson of how to use Google maps: Google Maps Foreclosure Listings 1. Punch in any US address into Google Maps. 2. Your options are Earth, Satellite, Map, Traffic and . . . More. (Select “More”) 3. The drop down menu gives you a check box option for “Real Estate.” 4. The left column will give you several options (You may have to select “Show Options”) 5. Check the box marked “Foreclosure.” I wanted to demonstrate the full extent of Foreclosures in the US, so after setting GMaps on foreclosure listings, I slowly zoomed out of the map. Voila! Most foreclosures that are for sale in the USA are now showing on your screen.