Domain last week released it's first entry into the realm of iPad apps and it appears to be an awesome app at that!

The app is of course available free and bears no resemblance to the boring, slightly useful but very slow iPhone apps released previously by Domain and REA. This app makes searching for property for sale, rent, sold and share listings intuitive, fast and interesting.

The user interface is map based and you're immediately greeted with a map of your current surroundings (presuming you allow the use of location services on your iPad) along with the properties around you for sale marked on the map and listed down the right hand side of the screen. Each listing is shown on the map with a location marker and properties not showing an address simply come up in the property summary area. Showing property locations on a map can sometimes be very confusing when you have say 10 units for sale in the one complex. Many systems will simply have 10 place markers and most will become hidden and therefore useless. Fairfax has addressed this by showing on the one place marker how many properties are available at that location and by pressing on the location marker you are given a list of the addresses and prices with a link to each property.

You can change to search for rentals, sold listings or share accommodation at the top of the screen and can refine listings via price range, features, property type, land size or inspection details at the bottom left of the screen. By pressing twice on the property summary a detail page opens up covering the map with all property details much the same as the property detail page on the web and you can save multiple properties as favourites to reference again later. From the property detail page you make an email enquiry and view photo's and floor plans.

This app will help to make agents uploading listings without addresses a thing of the past. With tools for sorting by inspections and the ability to genuinely follow listings around the streets you like, agents will now; more than ever before need to ensure full listing details are uploaded to guarantee the highest possible exposure to buyers/renters. Possibly for the first time, a buyer/renter could plan their day house hunting directly from mobile technology.

I love the layout of the user interface and if I was having an app designed to showcase our listings today I'd be replicating a lot of what is in this app (there's a hint for Peter & Ryan). The app seems to be genuinely optimized for displaying results on the iPad; it's fast, clear and eye catching.

What are you going to come out with REA? It better be good because Domain has a great head start here!

You can download the app on iTunes or visit it here.