The MLS upgrades to Realtors.ca: website review
August 29, 2008 by Deyanira Bautista
Filed under General Info
Realtor.ca Website
Much has been said about the upgrade of MLS.ca to Realtor.ca: Image mapping, user-friendly layout and over all, a better use of technology.
As Toronto Real Estate West describes:
On May 28th, 2008, MLS.ca will be introducing some new features to the web site on behalf of REALTORS® across Canada. The result will be an even better real estate resource, with more information about the properties displayed on the site.The first change will be the introduction of interactive mapping. You’ll be able to use Microsoft Virtual Earth software on the site to determine your search area, and to determine where a property is located. Interactive mapping will make it much more convenient to search traditional neighbourhoods or a specific region.The web site will also have a new streamlined text search. You’ll be able to input your initial search criteria without all of the details of an Advance Search. The site will still offer the detailed or Advance Search option, but also has a streamlined text version to make looking for properties even more convenient.There will be a new look, or design.
After reading all the hype about the new and improved website, one can only think that it would be a change for the better and that finally the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) had a good thing going for the home buyers and owners who browse the site. But it was only after a visit - and testing the new features - that you realize: apart from the interactive mapping, not much has changed.
Really.
Yes, the design is much better. But then again, we’re not there to see the pretty graphics. Are we?
The search function with interactive mapping, great addition. But stick to the location box on the top right hand side to find your area of interest, otherwise you’ll be clicking on that map for ever, until it gives you the right sector.
Use the location option
Now on to the Advanced Search:
Advanced Search Page
Uh, not so advanced. Rather disappointingly simple.
First off, the form doesn’t give you a multiple choice box for the neighbourhoods. Instead, after choosing the province, you have to input the street and postal code. Which is fine, if you know exactly the street AND postal code of the area you are searching. But really, how many people you think can memorize these things? Honestly.
User friendly Advanced Search means you give as many options as possible so the user doesn’t get frustrated with the lack of them. Don’t have an exact street in mind? No problem, you can search by sectors.
In this particular case, I was looking into Old Montreal condos, but ended up with a list of properties from all over the island. Advanced? Not really.
Front page with two options: Text or Map search.
Well, the new mapping function is definitely a plus. But there are still some of us out there that likes the old fashion: “input-as-much-detailed- information-as-possible” and get the results we want with one click of the “Search” button. Unfortunately, we are not there yet.
Hoping (fingers crossed) that they will soon announce a much-needed upgrade to the site, once again. It was a good start, but there is still much more room for improvement.
All your points are truly valid. There are many more features that can be added.
All the boards that are members ( Board of Directors CREA) Must agree on the changes together. AS a National Service, its very good, but does indeed lag behind the technology slightly.
Many agents have moved to ONLINE Portals that permit live time searching.
The trick is to find them.
Thank you for your posts!
Cheers
David Pylyp
sun vally idaho…
I discovered your site on a bookmarking site…I like it and gave it a fave for you, I’ll be checking back regularly…
TERRIBLE!!!!! NOT user friendly. I found the old website MLS.ca MUCH more user friendly. The navigation is horrific on this new site. At least you could get where you were going much easier on the old site…..BOOOOO!!! to the new site.
Frowning in Calgary :(
The realtor.ca site is a huge step backward from the old mls.ca site. At least the old site allowed you to browse properties in a specific area easily. The new site with its MS mapping application is bog-slow and hugely cumbersome. The search criteria do not let you specifically find properties in a neighborhood easily and it is an interface disaster. A prime example of more technology makng things worse for th euser. They need to bring mls.ca back for a while while they totally redesign this mess.
I never thought the day would come where we would actually praise MLS.ca.
But given the reaction from the realtors.ca users, we definitely agree that while mls sucked, realtors.ca is not a better choice.
Perhaps CREA should leave the technology factor (development and creation of the websites) up to the users. Accepting suggestions, reading the users comments and implementing those changes.
After all, this is a new generation of buyers and sellers. CREA board of directors should listen, and improve once and for all the home searching experience.
Either that, or let other websites with advanced technology do the work for them, instead of penalizing them, collaborate with them. They might learn something good in the process.
The new site is terrible. I sent them an email a few days ago and got a generic robot reponse saying how the new site was more effecient. Overall I am disappoint because mls appears have sacrificed functionality for a “cool technologically advanced system.”
I agree that Realtors.ca is only slightly better than the old mls.ca only because of its mapping feature. So here’s a suggestion or two for improvement:
1. Have 50/+ real users (non-agents) who are searching specifically, use the realtors.ca system and have them critique it. Test drive it for a useful length of time. I have found many flaws which were extremely frustrating and which I think can be easily corrected.
2. Hire a software writer who CARES more about the users’ needs than his own ego. I am sure that there are many experienced, university-trained program writers in this country. Surely, management is smart enough to hire someone who is more knowledgeable about this than I am.
Hi
I was actually looking for websites reviews and got on this blog which looks pretty interesting. Do you do real estate reviews ? (if i shouldn’t post about it here, sorry)
Here’s the url
http://www.wprealestatelistings.com/realestate/wordpress
Thanks
Mike
Hi Mike
We don’t really review other sites. Unless it affects us directly, such as the subject here.
But I am sure there will be comments on your site from other readers here-( We take no responsibility for it). Everyone here is free to speak their mind.
I left the link, so others can check you out. Best of luck with your project!
Ok, I hate this new real estate site. Absolutely hate it! I am on dial up. It takes more than 30 minutes to download 2 seconds of the map. I haven’t even managed to get to the properties. I type into the info area the city name, the price range of $150,000 to 400,000 and the other relevant information…. and i get 0 properties? You have got to be kidding! How difficult is this? I am a firm believer in three strikes your out….I have tried 3 X to get into it, I won’t be back to that site any time soon. PLEASE give us back the old MLS.ca site! PLEEEEEASE!
The realtor.ca site sucks big time… what were they smoking when they came up with this one. I can see it now.. large boardroom table.. realtor.ca people on one side.. and frothing microsoft web geeks on the other side…. its pretty clear whoever gave the go ahead for this crappy site has no idea how to use a computer or knows what web design is…. did they even do any testing on this? Who is running realtor.ca John McCain?