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
April 17, 2006 at 4:36 am |
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!
April 17, 2006 at 10:39 am |
Hey Brendan, just sent you an email. I’m the guy who wrote extate. You are right, maps are just not that usable and can be too confusing for many people.
I’m working on various improvements, including google-like natural language search, as current tag-based search may still be difficult to grasp for some users. I’m also thinking of making the search platform generic and applicable to many verticals, allowing third parties to use it as their database front-end.
By the way, I’ve spent $0.00 on development so far (I don’t even use geocoding) compared to millions by trulia, zillow and others
April 21, 2006 at 2:21 am |
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?
June 11, 2006 at 9:59 pm |
thank you for your work
July 14, 2006 at 12:23 pm |
cool computer chair…
I am not sure if this is true but ……
April 8, 2007 at 2:54 pm |
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?