Real estate is one of the many types of data that are perfect for inclusion in Google Base.  Attributes like bed/bath number, square footage, price, and location make property listings easy to find and easy to filter with the Google Base interface.  Oddly enough, however, real estate isn't one of the listing types frequently referenced by Google (like… say… recipes).

According to Curbed LA, that's because Google is trying to keep a lid on its real estate ambitions… for now.

Apparently the search company has been working with the Houston Associate of Realtors to upload the 25,500 member organization's entire listing database to Google Base.  Complete with photos, Curbed LA reports that the Houston Association is the first real estate group in the country to list all of its properties in Google.  If all goes well, Google Base could become a prime real estate selling tool.

As the Curbed LA article points out, though, not every real estate association or real estate agent is jumping for joy at the thought of a Google push into their territory.  If you remember back, radio advertisers are the same way:  some happy, some not.  It's understandable that they'd be worried.  Google has a pretty decent track history of success, particularly in the two areas covered here - advertising and search.

But on the other hand, this is a great example of yet another way to use existing products to make your service better.  Wouldn't it be nice to expose your real estate listings to millions of potential buyers?