Client story CoreLogic empowers real estate agents and clients with Google Maps and SADA’s help

Business challenge

CoreLogic faced the challenge of providing a mapping solution that could meet the evolving needs of their diverse user base. With over 760,000 agents and 22 million consumers using CoreLogic’s OneHome, the platform needed to be scalable, reliable, and secure to host its value-added information.

“We have a lot of CoreLogic premium data that we surface up to consumers on OneHome,” says Sunny Ramamurthy, Director of Product Management, Real Estate Solutions, at CoreLogic. “We have great data like school ratings and boundaries, walk scores, points of interest, and more.” 

Recognizing the necessity of an exceptional mapping experience

CoreLogic recognized that an exceptional mapping experience was not just a “nice-to-have” but a “must-have” in today’s competitive real estate market. Homebuyers increasingly rely on online tools to research properties and neighborhoods, and a robust mapping solution can significantly influence their decision-making process.  

“On our end, it was important for us to have a mapping solution that was going to enable us to execute on our ideas,” says Sunny. “We needed a mapping solution partner who’s able to execute on what we have in mind. We’re creating a competitive edge on that front.”

Closing the loop with mapping and service enablement providers

CoreLogic’s commitment to providing their agent and broker customers with the best tools and resources meant that the mapping solution had to be seamlessly integrated into the OneHome platform. This would enable agents to leverage mapping features to enhance their services and better serve their clients. A close association with their mapping solution and service enablement providers would be essential. 

“For CoreLogic, when we look at different map resellers, it really comes down to the team that is going to provide the support and the relationship that we have,” says Mark Chowtham, Director of Strategic Data Sourcing and Acquisition at CoreLogic.

Making security a paramount concern

Additionally, CoreLogic needed a mapping solution that is secure. Security is a paramount concern for CoreLogic. They have stringent security and compliance requirements for their portal. OneHome, used by multiple listing services (MLSs), agents, and consumers, handles sensitive property data and must adhere to various regulations and policies across different states and countries. 

“At CoreLogic, security is a very critical part of the selection criteria for any technology solution,” says Sunny. “When you’re looking at open source map solutions, there is trouble there. I’ve seen instances where there have been issues where a developer can put whatever they want on the map interface itself, and that has been trouble.”  

Solution

To achieve their vision for a powerful and user-friendly mapping experience, CoreLogic turned to SADA, an Insight company, a multiple-time Google Cloud Partner of the Year and winner of the 2024 Specialization Partner of the Year Award for Location-based Services with extensive expertise in Google Maps Platform. SADA’s team of experts worked closely with CoreLogic to understand their specific needs and help them adopt a solution that would exceed their expectations.  

“Three years ago, when we were building the commute time feature into OneHome, we were engaged with the SADA team at that time,” says Sunny. “Overall, the engagement went very smoothly—we didn’t face any issues.”

Accessing a wealth of real estate mapping data  

The integration of Google Maps Platform into OneHome has been a game-changer for CoreLogic. Users can now access a wealth of information about properties and their surrounding areas, including:  

• Points of Interest: Users can easily find nearby schools, parks, restaurants, and other amenities, helping them imagine their life in a new neighborhood.
• Aerial Imagery: Users can view properties from above, gaining a better understanding of their layout, size, and proximity to other properties.
• Custom Overlays: CoreLogic can layer their own proprietary data, such as flood zones, soil data, and market trends, on top of the map, providing users with valuable insights.

Highlighting the importance of Google Maps in real estate decisions

These visual data features highlight the importance of Google Maps in the decision-making process for the real estate agents and prospective property owners that use CoreLogic’s OneHome. “With Google Maps embedded in OneHome, agents and clients are making home buying decisions all the time with those value-added features,” says Chowtham. “It’s critical to CoreLogic and OneHome.”  

SADA’s expertise in Google Maps Platform was instrumental in ensuring a smooth and successful integration. They helped CoreLogic navigate the complexities of the platform and verify its scalability to support CoreLogic’s growing user base.

Providing a secure mapping platform to comply with regulations

Google Maps Platform offers several features that enhance security for CoreLogic. It provides a secure infrastructure that protects against unauthorized access, data breaches, and other security threats. 

Additionally, Google Maps Platform allows CoreLogic to implement granular access controls, ensuring that only authorized users can access specific data and features. This helps CoreLogic maintain compliance with regulations like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Service Organization Controls (i.e., SOC 2, SOC 3) framework.

Impact

As a result of working with SADA on their Google Maps Platform integration into their OneHome real estate portal, CoreLogic has seen a significant impact on their business. Specifically, the company has seen:  

• Increased user engagement: Users are spending more time on OneHome, exploring properties and neighborhoods in greater detail.
• Improved customer satisfaction: Users are highly satisfied with the mapping experience and the wealth of information it provides.
• Enhanced brand reputation: CoreLogic is seen as a leader in innovation and customer experience within the real estate industry.

The inclusion of Google Maps features such as Aerial View have been particularly impactful on CoreLogic’s OneHome user experience. CoreLogic won’t stop there. They’re planning to work on some enhancements pertaining to Street View based on user feedback. “CoreLogic interviews brokers and agents once a week asking them about their user experience,” says Sunny. “One time they brought up that they wanted an additional enhancement on the map and that was Street View related.” 

With Street View enhancements, OneHome users will be able to take a virtual tour of neighborhoods, getting a feel for the area’s ambiance and character. “If they click on it, we’ll be able to show them the vicinity around the property,” says Sunny. “That’s one of the exciting features we’re working on.”

Expecting the Google Maps Platform user experience 

Beyond the robust value-added features delivered in Google Maps Platform, there lies the inherent advantage with using the solution. With near-universal consumer adoption of Google Maps on the internet and in mobile apps, users have come to expect its look and feel. Anything else adversely affects the user experience. 

“The user experience is critical,” says Sunny. “Consumers are used to Google Maps. They’re used to products in the market that use similar experiences. It would be a disadvantage for us to go down the path of testing out another maps provider. Any feedback we’ve had from consumers, we’ve been able to remediate quickly with SADA and Google Cloud, as well as build new feature functionality. A critical part of that is what we do with Google Maps, which is one of the highest engagement pieces we have on the OneHome property details page.”

Building relationships for more innovation and better responsiveness

To service their needs for mapping solutions and cost-effective support, SADA built a close relationship with the CoreLogic team. Based on mutual trust and understanding, SADA leveraged their expertise in optimizing API usage and managing costs to help CoreLogic achieve significant savings while maximizing the value derived from Google Maps Platform.

“For me and my data sourcing team, it’s really about ensuring cost effectiveness,” says Chowtham. “It’s about response time to the product teams that want to innovate, that need new APIs. All that has been critical to the team. Between our product tech folks, my team, and the SADA team we’ve just had a good relationship. That relationship has allowed us to bounce ideas off each other, share issues, and dive deep on certain things. The relationship is there, and lets our issues get addressed and solved quickly.”

Securing compliance with Google Maps Platform

By leveraging Google Maps Platform, CoreLogic has significantly improved the security and compliance of their OneHome portal. The platform’s robust security features and access controls have helped CoreLogic protect sensitive property data and prevent unauthorized access. 

This has not only enhanced the trust of CoreLogic’s customers but also enabled the company to meet their regulatory obligations. CoreLogic views Google Maps Platform as a reliable and secure mapping solution that supports their commitment to data protection and compliance.

“CoreLogic finds Google Maps Platform to be the most secure mapping solution that you can buy,” says Sunny. “We’ve never had a security or compliance issue with Google Maps—that is out of the question.”