Many people are impressed by the map searches at sites like www.redfin.com , www.trulia.com , www.homepages.com, www.zillow.com, www.realestateabc.com, . I do agree that these sites are fascinating and are generally a great tool for consumers. That said I have always found actually usability, at least with respect to browsing homes, leaves a lot to be desired.
So why am I bringing this up you might ask, well recently I ran across a UK site that I found rather amazing. It is amazing in the same way that Google is amazing. It has an extremely simple interface, is lighting fast, predictive and intuitive. The site http://www.extate.com gives you an extremely austere screen that simply asks “Where are you searching” Typing any letter instantly produces a drop down of relevant locations and the number of listings in each. This just isn’t simply the entire list though, if you type a second letter even more refined locations (with less listing) will appear. I am not overly familiar with the geography of the UK but a quick inspection seems to indicate a highly usable system.
Once you click through the link you will find you can refine your search by price, bedrooms and agents. The refinements are speedy and cool. There is a also a system of “Tags” that allow you to look for specific features of a target property. All in all, this site rocks!
Personally, for all the money that the first sites I mentioned have spent, I find http://www.extate.com far more enjoyable and practical to use.
I would love to hear what others think!
More about the guy that developed the site http://www.morewhite.com/archives/12
I love the combination of location-based and tag-based navigation. Note how the locations and tags are additive.
The back button works well and as-expected thanks to good use of AJAX.
Check out the command-line of sorts in the upper-right; edit your location at will.
Point2 could approximate tags today with the a listing’s feature list.
Great site!
I think it’s brilliant! Map searches work OK if someone knows exactly where they want to look. But we have a lot of relocating clients that have no clue where to begin with a map search in a metro area the size of Phoenix.
Extate is simplistic yet powerful. There’s a lot to be said for that…
So Brendan, when can I have a search like this on my Point2 site? 🙂
thank you for your work
I love the site, but I am wondering how does the site match the tags it collects when crawling to the correct position on the google map?