The past few weeks at ByTheOwner’s web development offices were focused on upgrading the search tools available under the Find a property tab. The advanced search, map search and search by phone number (which becomes the search for a specific property) all received important changes.

Advanced search

This page’s layout has been re-designed so that you can get a quick look of all the parameters chosen without having to scroll down. Instead of displaying a long list of checkboxes for the cities and types of properties, we’ve decided to roll back and use a control we had in the past : The available cities are displayed in a list-box. The visitor then clicks on the cities he’s interested in and sends them to a second list-box, using arrow buttons. Note that you can send multiple properties using the CTRL and SHIFT buttons or by clicking and dragging your mouse over the cities.

A keyword field was also added just below the options so you can be even more specific in your search. Simply type in the words you search for, separated by spaces and click on the search button.

Google Map search

The map search also received a lot of upgrades.

The provinces, regions, and cities markers were all replaced by a red target icon whose size represents the number of properties available in it. Keeping the same marker icon for those 3 steps makes it clearer and more intuitive to use.

The posted markers adjust themselves now automatically according to the zoom level and the map movements. In the past, it was necessary to click on the markers to enter a province, then in an area, a city, etc… Now, if a visitor uses directly the google maps controls to explore the map, the areas, cities or properties are displayed automatically.

A Jump to city field above the map makes it possible for visitors to quickly position the map on a city of their choice. Simply type in the city name and push Enter.

The filters you can apply to the map are now available under the button Modify my search criteria.

We have also decided to double the size of the map. This makes the map a lot more interesting to use.

Finally, a maximum of information on the properties is now available directly in the map. When you rollover a property, you get it’s photograph, price and city. When you click on the marker, an infoWindow containing part of the listing, the 320×240 pictures, the owner remarks and contact information opens. The visitor does not have to go back and forth any more from the map to a listing, the map, the listing, the map…

Also, in each search mode, a navigation bar allows the user to go to the other modes quickly in order to use that one that is appropriate to his needs.

Your comments?

Frédérick Dubois, ByTheOwner.com
Web development and programming

Google added recently the GMarkerManager class to the Google Maps API. This class is used to manage visibility of hundreds of markers on a map, based on the map’s current viewport and zoom level.

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The last 3 posts on blog.ByTheOwner.com and ByTheProgrammer.com are now displayed directly on ByTheOwner.com’s home page.

This new feature allows the visitors to see easily if a subject that meet their concerns is talked about in the Real Estate blogs.

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Here is a little trick to use if you’d like to know more about a website’s indexation on Google.

The “link:” option

This option allows the webmasters to see rapidly what are the websites, known by googlebot, that are linking to a particular website.

The “site:” option

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Viacom, owner of MTV and Comedy Central, complains that almost 160,000 unauthorized clips of Viacom’s programming have been available on YouTube and that these clips had been viewed more than 1.5 billion times.

Google said that it and YouTube had yet to see the lawsuit but added they feel “confident that YouTube has respected the legal rights of copyright holders and believe the courts will agree.”

• blogs.business2.com
• money.cnn.com

Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion last year.

The new Download my pictures link, now available into the Your account section of ByTheOwner’s sellers allows them to save a copy of their home’s pictures onto their personal computer. This new page is usefull for the ones who wish to keep those photos in their files or use them in another advertisement on the free classifieds websites.

In order to download your pictures :

1. Right-click on the picture;
2. Select the Save picture as option;
3. Choose an easy to remind folder on your local computer;
4. Rename the picture as you wish;
5. Click on the Save button!

A new column was added to the Room dimensions box in the fsbo listings on bytheowner. Owners can now assign the floor covering type of each room in their property, to help visitors figure out more about their home.

Frédérick Dubois, ByTheOwner.com
Web development and programming

The english version of neuves.DuProprio.com, the selling tool custom made for builders is now available at newhomes.ByTheOwner.com

Have a look!

Frédérick Dubois, ByTheOwner.com
Web development and programming

A new search panel was made available today on bytheowner’s front page.

Located at the top of the right column, four(4) new ways to find a property for sale rapidly and efficiently are now available.

1. By keywords, search for the specific criteria of your dream home
2. By phone number, get to the listing that you saw in the newspaper or on the street
3. By street name, visit the home that you saw for sale while you where driving home
4. By access code, go directly to your property for sale on the website

The keyword search has been disabled for one year. Many people asked for its comeback so there it is!

Frédérick Dubois, ByTheOwner.com
Web development and programming

Clients asked me lately why some streets weren’t showing on the maps we use for ByTheOwner when they do show on the maps.google.com website. Unfortunately, this ain’t due to a version bug, we can’t fix it. Here’s why.

The maps Google uses on his website are provided by Navteq. The maps we are allowed to use through the google maps api are provided by TeleAtlas. This is why the maps aren’t exactly the same everywhere. Navteq didn’t gave google the permission to share their maps through google’s api.

If you’d like to read more on the subject :
http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2005/10/google_maps_and_their_data_pro_1.html

Frédérick Dubois, ByTheOwner.com
Web development and programming