Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
No, thank you Accept
X
WWDC: Everything We ExpectRemote Working in ParadiseBest Mineral SunscreensBest Solar CompaniesCNET CouponsMeal Subscription vs. TakeoutBest Satellite Internet ProvidersCurrent Mortgage Rates

DotHomes real-estate search site makes U.S. debut

The BytePlay search engine links to agent sites and enables video uploads on the fly. Just enter your terms, and relevant listings pop up.

headshots_elinor_mills_140x100.jpg
headshots_elinor_mills_140x100.jpg
Elinor Mills Former Staff Writer
Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service and the Associated Press.
See full bio
Elinor Mills

Another week, another real-estate search site. DotHomes has gone live in the United Kingdom and South Africa, and it is now launching in the United States.

DotHomes
The free site offers short descriptions of properties to buy or rent, then links to agent sites. Looks fairly standard, except it also offers heat maps of local prices and enables video uploads for home sellers who think photos just don't do their home justice.

The DotHomes launch and the nationwide launch of the Roost home-buying site last week would seem to bolster the premise of an article in The New York Times finding that real-estate sites are booming despite the drop in home sales.

As Spencer Rascoff, chief financial officer at Zillow.com, put it: "In a down market, buyers, sellers, and agents need more tools."