Tips for Using Property Search

SEARCH THE FULL MLS, SET YOUR OWN SEARCH

To create your own search go to this page CREATE CUSTOM SEARCH.  This option also appears on the right side bar of most search pages.  Also on the property search tab at the top of every page.

You can search the MLS for houses to your hearts content on this page.  You can search anywhere in the Phoenix area.  This is the place to find your new home.  No parameters have been set on this page.  The other pages have preset home searches.  You can click on one of the predefined searches . If you have ANY questions about how to search the MLS for the house of your dreams or about a particular house feel free to call me or fill out the contact information to the right and I will be happy contact you.

Scroll down the page for some helpful tips.

TIPS FOR HOW TO USE SEARCH FEATURES

You can edit this search to meet your needs.  You can establish the geographic area, dwelling type, square footage, number of bedrooms, number of stories, pool or no pool.  There is a list of over 40 search parameters you can set.  Your home is out there waiting for you.

Take a moment to register.  This will allow you to use the full power of this home search.  You can now save your home searches, rate houses and take notes.  The page to learn how to use the portal is here– PORTAL.  This link will show you how the portal works— introductory video.

Notice the colored boxes on the map.  Click on the color circle in the bottom right (next to the pin).  This shows the legend for the colors.  The default setting is for property price.  Each color represents a price range.  This can be changed to status, MLS, price, or price per square foot. Status and MLS doesn’t show you much.  You will want price or price per square foot.

Notice the star next to each house.  This is where you can indicate that you like the house..  If you do another search and this house comes up it will still have your rating. In order to do this you need to log in and create an account.  Then you can restore your information at any time.  All you have to provide is a name and email.  There is no cost to do this it is free!

Notice the action choices.  When you have a house selected (the box with the property address is now shaded in yellow) you can select some actions to the left. You can send me an email inquiring about the house (contact) or (message), request a home showing, print a report about the house, share about the house via email or Facebook, and take notes about the house. Take notes is awesome.  You can keep track of why you do or don’t like this property.

SEARCHING ON THE MAP

To narrow your search on the map, you may define search shapes (rectangles, circles, and polygons) where you would like to look for listings.

To remove a search area, locate the shape in the search criteria panel, and click on the blue X next to the shape name.

To create a rectangular search area, click on the rectangle shape, then click on the map to define one corner of your rectangle. Move your mouse until the rectangle is the desired size, and click again to complete the shape.

To create a circular search area, click on the circle shape, then click on the map to set the center of your search. Move your mouse to increase the radius of the search from that center point, click again to complete the circle.

To create an irregular-shaped search area, click on the polygon in your Search Areas box, then click on the map to define the first corner of your polygon. Click to define the remaining search boundaries. Your polygon can have as many points as you need to define your search area. Double-click to complete your polygon.

Multiple Search Shapes – When using multiple search shapes, you may choose if you would like to search only the intersection of those shapes by placing a check in the box marked Intersection.

You can click on a home on the map.  A ox will pop up with some basic information on the home.  If you now click the Detail tab more information will come up.

MOVING THE MAP

Pan – The Pan Tool is the default tool selection when you enter flexmls Mapping. Using the Pan Tool, you may move the map in any direction. To use the Pan Tool, click and hold, and move the map in any direction. When you release the mouse button, the map will stop moving.
Navigation Arrows – By using the arrow buttons above the zoom bar, you may move the map in the direction indicated by the arrow.
Keyboard Pan – You may use the arrow keys on your keyboard to pan the map in small increments. The Up, Down, Left, and Right arrow keys all work independently, or you may move diagonally by holding two keys together, such as Left and Up.

ZOOMING

To adjust the zoom level to display a larger or smaller area, you have four options:

Scroll Wheel – if your mouse is equipped with a scroll wheel, scrolling will increase or decrease the zoom level, centering the map at the cursor point.
Double-Click – double-click at a point on the map to zoom and center at that location.
Zoom Bar – to maintain the current map center but adjust the magnification, use the zoom bar in the upper left corner of the mapping screen. Click the + or – buttons to move the zoom level up or down.
Zoom Tool – The green plus sign is your Zoom Tool. Click on the green plus sign to select the Zoom Tool, which then changes the cursor to an arrow with a question mark. While the Zoom Tool is selected, you may click once to re-center the map at the click location, or you may click, hold, and release to draw a zoom area.

NOSY NEIGHBOR

Next to the search shape tools, the Nosy Neighbor tool allows you to click on a point on the map to bring up listing information. The parcel dimensions, where available, will display, and a mini listing history. Click on the link marked Select to place one of the historical listings on your selected tab. Click on the listing number to view its listing report in a separate window.

MAP DISPLAY BUTTONS

Back/Forward Buttons – Similar to your web browser, flexmls Mapping includes buttons to move between displays. If you would like to revert to the previous mapping zoom level or focus, click the back button (left arrow). From there, you may return to the most recent zoom level or focus by clicking the forward button (right arrow).

Display all Points on Map – Click the button in between the Back/Forward buttons to return to the initial map view where all plotted points are visible. This tool is handy if you have moved the map to a point where you have lost perspective.

MEASURE

Use the Measuring tool to measure distances on the map. Select the tool, click once on the map to begin measuring, move the mouse to the first point you’d like to measure. You may continue measuring segments on the map by repeating the process. Double click to clear the current measurements and begin again.

COLOR LEGEND

In the lower right corner of the mapping screen, click the color wheel icon to bring up the color legend. The initial view of the color legend will display different colored dots that correspond to the statuses of the properties that are plotted on the map. Click on the drop-down arrow to change the colored listing dots to display graded colors to show the listings by Price or by Price/Square Foot. This feature allows you to visually track price trends among mapped listings.

LOCATE ADDRESS

Click on the pushpin icon to locate a point on the map. If the address is found immediately, the point will appear as a pushpin on the map. If there are multiple possible matches, you will be presented with a list of matching locations to choose from. If no locations match your search criteria, you will be given the option to edit the address that you are searching for, or manually locate the location on the map.

OVERLAYS

Click on the drop-down list in the upper right corner of the map tab to view available overlays. You may choose if you would like to hide the listing icons or drawn shapes on your map. For example, you may choose to hide Drawn Shapes from the map. This hides, but does not remove the shapes as each criteria.

MENU OPTIONS

Using the menu options at the upper right corner of your Portal page, you may also:

  • Return to the portal dashboard by clicking Home,
  • Share the current listing or selected listings with others over e-mail, or to a variety of social networking sites by clicking Share,
  • Print listing information by clicking Print,
  • Get driving directions for the listings you’ve selected with a check box by clicking Route,
  • or Log Out of your portal by clicking Log Off

 

Whew that is a lot!

If you have any other question, I am always available!  Call 480 721-1195 or email me.