# OPINION WANTED! If you were looking for a house online...



## BlingBling 3k12 (Apr 29, 2002)

what would you want the realtor's website to have on it? I'm plain out of ideas for my client... they want more, but I need ideas.

Anything that you think you would like would be great!

By the way, this is for my client (if i didn't already mention it) and the website is www.goodmanrealtor.com.

Thanks guys/gals/etc.
Casey Kelley


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## nkuvu (Apr 29, 2002)

> Thanks guys/gals/etc.


Hrm.  I guess I fall into the "etc" category  

First thing I noticed was the "low quality/high quality".  As a frequent modem user, I think I'd prefer to see "low bandwidth/high bandwidth" or "low res/high res".  I don't like someone telling me that I'm getting second-rate stuff (even when realistically I know I am).

Maybe some movies for walkthroughs?

Also, the picture links in each listing go to individual image files.  Add a "back, next, previous" set of buttons to make the site more user-friendly?

From the individual listings, a link to the home page would be nice.  I clicked on a link from the main page, then could only go to the St Clair listings using the page links.  The browser back button worked fine, but personally I prefer to keep the mouse on the page -- it seems easier.

I know that these aren't huge features, just UI improvements, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.  The site is well designed, and seems very lightweight as far as graphics go.


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## genghiscohen (Apr 29, 2002)

A Virtual Reality tour of some of the houses, perhaps.
And nkuvu has a good point about "low quality."  Better to say "dialup/broadband" IMHO.


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## BlingBling 3k12 (Apr 29, 2002)

> _Originally posted by genghiscohen _
> *A Virtual Reality tour of some of the houses, perhaps.
> And nkuvu has a good point about "low quality."  Better to say "dialup/broadband" IMHO. *



we're currently bringing virtual 360 tours into our site next week...

and when i made that image, i couldn't quite remember what word to put.... but now, i can change that image to say High and Low bandwidth


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## bossa nova (Apr 29, 2002)

looks really good. 

maybe add a search by low/high price query. 

I saw one site that allowed you to search the MLS listings by area code (or city) and price. this was important to me because I knew i had a price ceiling but also knew that I needed something a little better. If not that then maybe adding a sort by price in preferred area.

I looked at one of the listings in 
"http://www.goodmanrealtor.com./Listings/WestVirginia/Bethany/index.htm"

I notice there are abreviations. I really hate having to "think" about what abreviations mean. I know that they are common in the Real Estate Biz but maybe Harvey would like to buck the trend and do something that is simple and elegant. (I also notice the prices of a house there. Maybe I live in the wrong area or should pick up some rental properties...MAN!! $67,500 for a 3 bedroom house??? Unbelievable!)

Cutting abreviations and going with the full word might be a better way to go. As one Mac Book Writer said when describing Macs vs. PC: easy is Powerfull, hard is Primitive.

I really like the house pics droping down on the first page. Maybe you could slow it down a second or so. I saw one I like but could get to it quick enough.

Maybe a category for Motivated Sellers or "Hot Deals Ready to bargain". I can't think of anything really. Looks good.

John


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## scruffy (Apr 29, 2002)

A couple suggestions

In the 'browse listings' page, beside each area maybe put a number for how many listings are currently on offer there - saves clicking a link, only to find out there is nothing for sale in the area.

Definitely, kill the abbreviations - this isn't a newspaper ad, using a full word instead of a single letter is free.

This last one is maybe way outside the scope of what you and your client are after, but I saw a video demo of a system someone had built (and worked up something quite like it for a Human Computer Interface class), where you had a map of the area where the houses were listed, and you could change certain parameters ( cost, number of bedrooms, distance from one or two user-specified addresses, yadda yadda ), and points would appear on the map for all the listings that matched your specifications - click on a point to get the listing.  Instead of just saying "It's in Lumpsville", you could see on the map exactly what street in Lumpsville it was on, exactly what was near it, etc. 

Obviously, with a website, you would have to go with a very scaled-back version of this, but something along the general lines of having an actual map that really shows you where the house is might be cool.


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## BlingBling 3k12 (Apr 29, 2002)

> _Originally posted by bossa nova _
> *(I also notice the prices of a house there. Maybe I live in the wrong area or should pick up some rental properties...MAN!! $67,500 for a 3 bedroom house??? Unbelievable!)*



noticing where you come from (Los Angeles)... i noticed that a 3 bedroom home with around 1200 sq. ft. costs around $750,000.... this is near manhattan beach (i think... don't put me to that)

anyways......

abbreviations.... i'll try my best but it's sorta a habit...
search.... would take a while, but I have time

i am currently working on some sort of script or program that automates all my work... should make the "search" easier...

and about the sites with no listings in them.... i know, i know, but it's a matter of "want to do vs. time" and right now (for the month at least) time is killing the "want to do" 

thanks guys!


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## Jadey (Apr 30, 2002)

Wow! Homes are cheap in the U.S./that part of the U.S.? Anyway, I have 2 big recommendations:

1. Floor plans
2. Interior photos


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## nkuvu (Apr 30, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Jadey _
> *Wow! Homes are cheap in the U.S./that part of the U.S.? Anyway, I have 2 big recommendations:
> 
> 1. Floor plans
> 2. Interior photos *


Uh, most of the listings did have interior photos, at least the ones that I saw...


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## BlingBling 3k12 (Apr 30, 2002)

floor plans would be difficult to get (except on some newer houses) and about the interior photos, it's up to the realtor to take them...


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## Jadey (Apr 30, 2002)

None of the ones I looked at had interior photos. Judging from Bling's response, I'd have to say that I'm correct that some do not. If that is up to the realtor, I would recommend to him to add both of these things.


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## nkuvu (Apr 30, 2002)

Just luck on my part, I guess.    Each house I clicked on had interior pictures (I went to about four or five listings).


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## edX (May 1, 2002)

wow, is this bringing back memories. When we moved to CA from Ohio 4 and a half yrs ago, we spent considerable time 'shopping' online. We even tried to line up a realtor. the whole thing was a huge waste of time and very dissapointing. We ended up in a completely different area than the one we were looking at. I could say more but let me tell you how your site compares to others i have looked at some reasons i would be unlikely to choose one of your realtors. the only thing that might interest me might be one of the houses, but the ones i looked at were neither appealing nor well described.

1st - a list of names on the intial 'Our Realtors' page. This was always the first clue that it was an impersonal office. Whether people like it or not, we make judgements based on 1st impresions of how people look. I don;'t want to click thru 30 names to see the people. the first page should have pics and names with links to individual pages. In fact the whole site is too much text and not enough pics. I want to see houses from page one. Most realtors have anywhere from 1 to 10 'featured homes' on their opening page. (ok, i figured out you have such a thing but i can't see it. bad form BB. Believe me good static pics of nice houses are going to count for more than that little area you have devoted to it now. Your home page really looks more like a second page or stand alone page. It is not inspiring to go inside.)

but on the other hand, there is not enough description of any of the homes i looked at. the abbrevitions aren't even newspaper standard and require reading your codes to understand. Too much work for too little infol.

2nd - about 'the agency' - is there any aspect of real estate they don't specialize in? really , either narrow the field to what they really specialize in or list them as 'available services' or some such. nobody "specializes" in every aspect of their business. That would be another clue to me to avoid this realtor - full of BS.

3rd - feedback - poor choice of words. should be 'contact us' or something more general. feedback is a response. it sounds like you are asking for critique of the site.

4th - on the relocation page - do you really have house with more than one garage?  it is how many cars a garage will hold that people are concerned with. reword this info somehow.

on the whole i am left with a very impersonal feel from the site. and John Goodman would scare small children with the poor quality of his pic. BB, i know you are a friendly guy. think friendly and not techie as you work on this site. 

good maps of all the areas would be a big help though. 

and i had to wonder, is there an OU extension in St. Clairsville? I didn't realize OU had anything but their main campus in Athens.

hope i don't sound too critical. i wouldn't even bother if i didn't like you as i consider realtors to be about a half spot above bill collecters and would never do anything to help them. I am only helping you Casey.


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## BlingBling 3k12 (May 1, 2002)

you called me casey!

lol... thanks ed for the incredible advice...

and yes, we have an OU extension... Ohio University Eastern (which is about 1 mile from where I am typing right now)

featured homes: not my idea... theirs... i do what they tell me to do and that's what they wanted and where they wanted it.

realtor page: getting revamped! i was already planning on doing this, but now since i have a 2nd person that agrees with me, i will definitely do it!

not enough description: up to the realtors... if I wrote them, they would be longer and more in-depth... i would also have lots of interior photos

about the agency: also getting revamped, but not quite sure what to do with it... i just copied what they had on their old site, added some design to it, and haven't touched it since January 2001!

feedback: i know, i know... but it was set up when I got here... all i did was change the design...

maps: when i get everything changed over, we'll include maps with the houses (thanks to mapquest... not that new Maps *.net*_(No!!!! .net is taking over maps!)_ thing from microsoft

and ed, i thank you very much once more for giving me such great feedback! 

p.s. how much was your house?! looking at prices around your area, my parents would have fainted!


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## BlingBling 3k12 (May 1, 2002)

ED! 

what do you think of the new Our Realtors page? 

http://www.goodmanrealtor.com/realtors.htm


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## edX (May 1, 2002)

wow, it looks great! BIG improvement !!

couple of little things - Diane Onorato has a pic on her page and not on the main page. David Major's photo doesn't load on his page for some reason. I just get a little marker.  I didn't go thru and check them all but you should.

one little pet peeve - opening a new window for each realtor's page. I went to switch over to reply and still keep the page for reference and discovered i had about 8 windows of 'Our Realtors'. I think this goes to the navigation things that other people were talking about earlier. keep the site in one window and either provide navigation links on every page or be consistent about the back button and give directions to use it.

But yes, the redone page is much friendlier and inviting. and perhaps it would motivate those who don't have pics and or bios to get them.

And about the way they do features - it is your job to convince them it could be done better. i suggest you look at some other sites and show them how much nicer it could look. You might also point out to them that the formats they are using are not universally compatible with all browsers and it is better to accomadate to the differences than expect others to do what they dictate. Being exclusive to m$ would have kept me from using them. I can tell you that plenty of realtors treated us like second class in one way or the other but the realtor who believed in us got a nice commission as you might guess from the prices in our area. Keeping in mind that mac users are willing to pay more as a rule, we make good consumers. Remember, most realtors are basically educated idiots whose only real skills are talking to people. (notice i said most, not all. I know there are some good realtors. most every office has at least one)

sorry, i don't really want to discuss what we paid for our house. i will say it was less than what it would sell for today. and yes, prices in our area are outrageous. but saleries are pretty dam good so it all evens out. And Casey, where we live is one of the less expensive areas on the peninsula. Because the coast here is so foggy, it is not "the place to be" like in southern cal.


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## BlingBling 3k12 (May 1, 2002)

the ones where it says "No Photo" but it actually shows one is because I need newer and larger photos... otherwise they'd look like crap (like a few of them on there that I had to use)

and i'll fix that whole thing about them opening in new windows... i forgot to change the Page Default...

and what exactly did you mean by...


> You might also point out to them that the formats they are using are not universally compatible with all browsers and it is better to accomadate to the differences than expect others to do what they dictate.


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## edX (May 1, 2002)

you know what i mean. 

windows media player! 

not even sure what you are using for the features that i can't see them. older forms of flash and some quicktime would be nice if they are serious about reaching all of their potential customers. but hey, like i said, i really don't give 2 hoots about realtors. if they want to be smug windows users, let em. 

so what if the reason i can't see them is "my fault". a customer is never at fault. It is one thing to be high and mighty about formats with a personal page, but businesses need to cater to common denominators and cross platforms. and don't ever suggest i go to m$. you should know how that irks some people


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## BlingBling 3k12 (May 1, 2002)

oh THAT!

lol.... we have Quicktime clips ready... i'm waiting for the purchase order to go through so I can upload them to our provider Playstream.com

sorry...

and it's my fault it's in Windows Media... i wasn't sure if we'd use PlayStream so I used the smaller Windows Media files... on the 5th of May I think I will be able to upload them


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## BlingBling 3k12 (May 1, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Ed Spruiell _
> *like i said, i really don't give 2 hoots about realtors. if they want to be smug windows users, let em.*



we use macs... 4 of 10 computers in our office are macs... 2 of them are newer quicksilvers... one at 733 MHz w/CD-RW and one at Dual 800 MHz w/SuperDrive...

no flat panels though... we're fine with our new CRT's...


and if you want to include the laptops... 1 PowerBook G4 and one Graphite iBook... macs are 6/12.... 1/2 of what we use in the office....

wanna include the network server? really?! it's a PowerMac G3 (before the B&W) running OS X server... that makes it 7/13 in the whole building.....

guess what networking we use? AirPort! 

guess what they used when they took digital photos before they got new stuff? Apple QuickTake Camera!


see... we love Apple products...

and soon... we're getting an iMac G4 w/Superdrive... that'll be my work PC (well, it'll be in my office) running OS X and all sorts of neat-o apps like Photoshop and Classic (just cuz i don't wanna go into OS 9)


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## edX (May 1, 2002)

well then, sounds like you will have it together soon. and hopefully it will just get better as you go.

hey, i know you are still making the switch and it takes a few minutes to relearn how to do things. i am sure it just get easier as you go as well.

again, the pics page looks very good. 

oh almost forgot - you should link the pics to their pages as well. I kept clicking on pics at first and it was annoying to have to hunt down the tiny text link. pics make nice easy cursor targets.


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## BlingBling 3k12 (May 2, 2002)

Ed!

They didn't like my design!

Well, they did, but they had a lot of problems with it...

I have created and uploaded a newer version!

http://www.goodmanrealtor.com/realtors.htm

Hope you all like!  They certainly did!


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## xoot (May 3, 2002)

How about a lite version for 56Kers?


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## dricci (May 3, 2002)

How about a W3C complient version?


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## BlingBling 3k12 (May 6, 2002)

you know how long that would take?



lol...


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## BlingBling 3k12 (May 6, 2002)

look at all the errors!

W3C Compatibility Check


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