A specialist in real estate web design including IDX, VOW, ILD, RETS and MLS property search with integrated dynamic maps and
   customer relationship (CRM) automation for multi-branch offices, top REALTORS®, brokers and agents.

The Real Estate Web Blog

Google Maps: Video Tutorial on Adding Custom Points, Overlays and Commentary
July 20, 2007

Recently having a “Eureka” Moment, Pat at TransparentRE.com showed us all his fancy moves with Google Maps. In his words “…real estate professionals can use Google Maps to continually update their clients on the status of their local housing markets…”

A good number of us wondered how to do this. So I’ve created a video tutorial detailing the basics of the process.

Here’s the test map created in the tutorial

This has some great implications for the real estate market. Especially when combined with photos, video, street level views and property data.

Free Invite Wednesday
July 18, 2007

Busy day, but I have some free invites to hand out. First come, first served.

Here’s how to get them:
Send an email to metalsoftware@gmail.com with your name and email address and let me know which of the following invites you’d like:
http://www.grandcentral.com/
http://pownce.com/
http://www.joost.com/
http://gleamd.com/

Or leave a message in the Comments

Web Design Guide - Part 1: Great Colors in 3 Simple Steps
July 16, 2007

Need a color scheme for your site? Don’t fret. Let a photo be your inspiration.

You can generate great colors fast using digital photos.

If you’re on a life-or-death deadline… skip to “Bah! I’m too busy!”

Still up for it? Great! Here’s how:

Step 1: Find some inspiration
You can use your own stock photo collection or visit some of these websites to find some reference photos to get your colors…
istockphoto.com
shutterstock.com
flickr.com

Find a photo that appeals to you or the “mood” you’re trying to create at your site. For example, if you’re in real estate, you might choose some dramatic photos of your area.

Step 2: Extract some color
The most simple way to do this is to use a program designed for it.

Free and paid programs for Mac or Windows can be found here: www.colorschemer.com
Or, if you’re already a Photoshop guru, you know the drill.

You’ll need to use the color picker portion of whichever program you’ve chosen to extract the color values from the photo.
For example, if you’re on Windows and using the free Color Schemer ColorPix, you’ll have all the different color value schemes you’ll need (RGB, HEX, HSB, CMYK).

It’s best to start with one main color then use it in Step 3 below making the variations for that color, then come back to Step 2 before moving on to a new color.

Starting with the main color, and for each subsequent color, make a note of each RGB and HEX value.

Step 3: Mix and match
If you have a paid version of Color Schemer above, you can create your color palette from within the program.

If you’re using a free version, you can use the RGB and HEX code color values you saved to create your color scheme at these free generator sites:
http://www.colorblender.com/
http://kuler.adobe.com/
http://wellstyled.com/

Bah! I’m too busy!…
If you’re out of ideas or don’t have the time to do any of this, you can always skip right to a finished color scheme by browsing some of the ones created at any of these sites:
http://www.colourlovers.com/
http://www.colorschemer.com/schemes/

Note from the legal department: It’s fine to use a photo for color scheme inspiration. However, you’ll get into trouble if you actually put a photo on your web site that you don’t have the rights to use. When in doubt, take your own or stick to royalty free images.

The $225,000 Parking Space Solution
July 13, 2007

Parking a $25,000 car in a $225,000 parking spot seems outrageous to me.
Your Mileage May Vary:
From the New York Times: “As real estate elsewhere languishes, Manhattan property is still escalating in price, and that includes parking spots.”

I see 2 solutions:
1.) Get a more expensive car
2.) Or get one of these

Now all I need to do is move to Manhattan so I can convince my wife I need the Ferrari.

What Is Wrong With Property Search Maps?
July 12, 2007

The world of the real estate web 2.0 loves a mash-up. Google maps, Yahoo maps … maps, maps, maps. Ooh ahh … sigh.

You would think I was against mapping, to the contrary, I’m just against the superficial way they’re implemented.

Why? Maps are good for people who know an area or need to live in a specific place, but they ignore site visitors that aren’t familiar with an area.

Here’s an internal conversation our fictitious “Joe Re-locater” has with himself:

I’m “Joe Re-locater”, I come to your real estate website…

Nice site, where’s the search?
There it is, click…
I want a condo, 600-750,000, min 2000 sq ft… Searching…
These are all fine and good, The first one looks nice, It’s on “ABC street”
I see it on the map. 2 Miles from the beach, that’s good.
What’s that area like? The map shows me the streets, possibly even a plethora of statistics.
Man, it would be nice if this real estate site has some information about these areas …
maybe even tied to this map?
More visuals, pictures, descriptions, area amenities, local businesses and services …
I mean, can I get broadband, who’s it with, how much is it?
How close are the local stores?
Is there a dump of a building next door?
Oh well, I’ll have to get a plane ticket and go look… Sigh.

Maybe “Joe” will contact you; but most likely he’ll wait until after he’s gone through the area to get a feel for it. By then, he could be with another agent, searching on another site; remembering what a disappointment your website was.

Sure, you had the property search, but you didn’t answer his internal question properly: “Is this the real estate person I want to contact? Can I trust them? Do they know the area?”

The bottom line is mapping has so much more potential. If you give it some additional content.

Update:
Apparently, I’m on the right wavelength today. Google Maps blog had an interesting article on extending mashups with more data. Now let’s see if we can make this work in the API. Here’s a video…

Update 2:
TechConsumer had a nice piece about the future of Web 2.0 today. “…Location, Location, Location…”

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