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Finding my dream house inside an Invisible Web Database I just fished my dream house out of the Invisible Web. Let me tell you how I did it. 
Given all the information a buyer needs to ‘qualify’ a house, an online database was the natural choice. Since I knew that most database information is invisible to most search engines, I figured it was time to fish the Deep Web. Searches on Google, Yahoo & MSN were partly effective because they led me to real estate sites that hosted very powerful databases. The keywords turned out to be [San Diego Real Estate MLS] (for multiple listing service). This took me to sites like Zip Realty and The San Diego MLS. I also queried Forsalebyowner.com for bargains and Zillow.com to check current prices, plot plans and neighborhood comparable prices. After registering and logging into several sites, I quickly learned to search the MLS database. I let the suggested criteria guide my quest. I selected a price range, square footage, number of bedrooms and baths, and a community zip code. I used a profile tool to save effective queries and set up email notification of newly listed homes. The results I gathered using the database didn’t exist until I pressed search. I built a single ‘dynamic page’ based on my criteria. Search engines can’t compile this kind of information on the fly because they don’t crawl and index database files. Google, Yahoo, or MSN, helped me find the databases I needed, but I had to use the database on the MLS site to get to the information I needed. I created half-a-dozen community searches to zero in on neighborhoods I liked. I even found a Real Estate agent online. I could indicate the homes I wanted to tour and set up appointments… all online!
My Process: I did some preliminary real world scouting to determine neighborhoods and areas I where I wanted to live. There’s nothing like a drive through a neighborhood to tell you the important things. You can’t see abandoned cars and bars on the windows from the satellite maps. Sometimes you just have to go there. However, I still wanted to ‘see’ the property before I got in the car. The Google Earth and Google Maps databases were invaluable. Zip codes and addresses copied from the database allowed me to ‘fly over homes’ in satellite view. The satellite photos and 3 D features of Google Earth gave me a sense of the terrain. Once I found a good prospect in my price range high on a ridge with a Pacific Ocean view. Then, from 3 D view, I noticed that the back yard climbed a steep slope with an erosion landslide pattern just up the hill behind the house; a pattern only visible from about 5000 feet up. Once I’d narrowed my list I would send my Realtor a half-a-dozen homes I wanted to see. She’d set up a route and email me with the first house on the tour. I used Google Maps to get directions, which I copied into my PDA for reference on the road. After walking through about 60 homes I found ‘the One’. I closed escrow about 6 weeks ago. The system worked! I have found a house with the Internet that has become a home for my family. Resources:
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