The latest integration of property media - will this affect estate agents in the UK?

Two property websites in the US have designed their websites to include Facebook. The first website to do this was frontdoor.com and now Hotpads.com has joined the social networking bandwagon. Users can either log into the website or log into their Facebook account without having to leave the website. Users can get alerts straight to their Facebook account and share properties with their friends on Facebook.

Hotpads.com has gone one step further and has even created an application on Facebook that allows users to access the information straight from Facebook. Users are able to look for roommates within their network and even share rentals and sales with their friends. This gives property search a social aspect to it. Users will be able to find properties to rent through friends and friends of friends, possibly making it safer and more reliable.

Hotpads describe housing as being 'inherently social and therefore ideal for social networks. Could this be the next step in social networking? Currently this is only available within the U.S. but it won't be long till the U.K. catches on. Only time will tell.