The service will feature free property listings provided by estate agents and publishers, which will upload their details to Google's database.
The move means Google Maps could challenge online property companies such as
Craigslist and
Findaproperty, which generate revenue from classified advertising.
Google is launching the initiative in Australia with property listings from the Real Estate Institue of Western Australia and homehound.com.au. The search giant is also planning to roll out the service to other markets including the US.
A spokeswoman for Google said there are no immediate plans to launched property listings on Google Maps in the UK.
Google is launching the service because more people are using the internet to search for properties to rent or buy. Also, the number of estate agent-related queries on Google is believed to have grown by 35 per cent this year.
Revolution Magazine