IDX 3.1 Release Brings Design, Feature Upgrades

Aloha! We are excited to let you know about the new version of our IDX, which will go live on Wednesday, July 3. As you know, our all-new IDX 3.0 was released in April of this year. But our development and design team has been continuously refining and improving it. The first round of enhancements are now here in IDX 3.1.

There are no huge, jarring changes. Instead, we’ve made quite a few improvements, including:

• Better responsive design elements for improved display on mobile and non-PC platforms.
• More cohesive and intuitive design, including tweaks to buttons, menus, and other UI elements.
• Adding the ability to search by “Oceanfront,” by “View,” and by keyword.
• Addition of a “Share this with a friend” email feature.
• Implementing the modern Bootstrap framework behind the scenes for cleaner and more efficient code.

We encourage current and potential IDX customers to take a few minutes to try IDX 3.1, and we would appreciate it if you’d send in feedback for future bug fixes and enhancements. If you have any questions about this upgrade, please contact our webmaster Michael Torres at michael@alohaliving.com.

Mahalo!

Limited Outage on Thursday, May 12

Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO) has scheduled a power outage for Thursday, May 12, 2011 that will affect our office in Iwilei. As a result, some services will be unavailable from 3:15 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.

Most customers will not be affected, as you will still be able to access REsearch. However you will not be able access BOC documents, or make changes to “My Profile.” First-time enrollment for Safe MLS will also not work.

Additionally, IDX, FTP, VOW, and beta RETS service will be unavailable during this time.

We will restore these systems as soon as power is restored. If there are changes or additional updates relating to this outage, we will update our Bulletins blog, Facebook page, and Twitter feed.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your understanding. Questions? Contact us at 1-800-628-3121 (or 808-599-4224 on Oahu), or e-mail support@hawaiiinformation.com.

Big Island Members: You’re Invited to a Special IDX Information Session with Colleen Yasuhara

As you know we have made vast changes to our IDX (Internet Data Exchange) products recently – 26 features and functions overall – and as such there is much to share about how to utilize these enhancements to help you grow your business exponentially.

To help with this Colleen Yasuhara, our sales account manager, is going to be in Hilo this Thursday, February 4th to give a special presentation on the new and enhanced IDX, talk about the different product options, as well as answer any other questions you may have about products and services through HIS.

This has proved to be a very helpful and informative class for all agents and we strongly encourage you to attend if you have time.  Come and acquaint yourself with the upgrades and changes, ask questions, and network a bit with your fellow members.  Seating is limited so please RSVP as early as possible.

When: Thursday, February 4th, 2010 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m.

Where: Hawaiian Island Board of Realtors, 26 Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, Hawaii

RSVP: By Wednesday, February 3rd by responding to this e-mail or by e-mailing me at erin@alohaliving.com.

If you can’t make this one in Hilo don’t worry, we will be doing another one in Kona as well as on Kauai very soon!  In the meantime please check out our Products & Services portion of HawaiiInformation.com for more information and demos of our IDX products.

Check out the robust list of features and functions added to the IDX:

Questions?  Please do not hesitate to contact me at erin@alohaliving.com

Exciting XML Update!

Added Latitude and Longitude Data to XML Feed Vastly Improves Mapping Accuracy

With this upgrade to our XML feeds, property location data will now be significantly more accurate than most mapping systems that merely estimate a location using street address. In some cases, you’ll now be able to display a position within 10 inches of the property* versus discrepancies of up to five miles using the address method.

How Will It Work?

We’ll now be populating previously unused fields in the XML feed with latitude and longitude coordinates. Field “latitude” will specify a property’s latitude, and “longitude” will specify the longitude. These coordinates will specify the “centroid,” or the very center, of the property, for maximum accuracy. This data is one of the many advantages of our parcel-based MLS!

How Is This Better?

On other systems, searching for a property without a street address is a challenge. For example, Google Maps would be unable to find ‘Kaniahiku House Lots’ without an address, or many other properties in a newly built subdivision. With integrated latitude and longitude coordinates built into your XML, displaying the property with pin-point precision is no a problem at all.

*Accuracy of 10 inches is possible only when updated property information with longitude and latitude coordinates is available.

EZ IDX – Basic Just Got Better

With 14 features and functions, our EZ IDX will allow your clients to get their property search started out the right way, all at a very affordable price price to you!

What you’ll find in our EZ IDX Suite:

Search…

• By New Fields City, Zip Code, County (New)
• The Entire state from one page vs. four (New)
• Using Sorting options, high to low, low to high etc. (New)
• With Dynamic Regional Maps (New)
• Using Multiple MLS Numbers (New)
• By Address (New)
• By Open House (New)

Customize

• Customizable CSS – Webdesigners and developers use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to design the way that a web page looks, i.e. It gives them the ability to personalize your IDX color, font, layout, etc. so it looks exactly the way you want it! (New)
• Agent Photo and Contact Information prominently displayed (Improved)

Detailed Property Information & More

• Property Description
• Display – Days on Market (New)
• All Photos
• Photo Captions (New)
• Print Page (New)

Want More? Upgrade to our Mid & Full IDX Suites easily:

With our Mid & Full IDX your clients will have access to all of the features and functions above, as well as:

Search (Full Only)

• Save Search – Consumers provide contact information to save their search criteria (New)
• Hot List – Consumers provide contact information to save their favorite listings (New)

Map It (Mid & Full)

Our Mapping features just got better!  Now, property location data will now be significantly more accurate than most mapping systems that merely estimate a location using street address. In some cases, you’ll now be able to display a position within 10 inches of the property* versus discrepancies of up to five miles using the address method.  (*Accuracy of 10 inches is possible only when updated property information with longitude and latitude coordinates is available.)

• Map Details – View a single property (New)
• Interactive Map Search – View multiple results on a map) (New)

Call To Action (Full Only)

• Schedule Showings (New)
• E-Mail a Friend (New)
• Ask an Agent (New)
• Open House Schedule (New)
• Mortgage Calculators (New)

Take our EZ IDX for a test drive using our new product demo.  Click HERE to access it.  For a personal tour of the EZ IDX and more information, contact Colleen Yasuhara our account manager who will walk you through it at 808-748-8751, toll free at 1-800-628-3121 #151 or via email at Colleen@AlohaLiving.com.

Mid IDX: Find Your Perfect Middle Ground

With 17 features and functions, our Mid IDX will put your clients right where they need to be.  And with a mid-level price that is just right it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

What you’ll find in our Mid IDX Suite:

Search…

By New Fields City, Zip Code, County (New)

• The Entire state from one page vs. four (New)
• Using Sorting options, high to low, low to high etc. (New)
• With Dynamic Regional Maps (New)
• Using Multiple MLS Numbers (New)
• By Address (New)
• By Open House (New)

Map It – Our Mapping features just got better!  Now, property location data will now be significantly more accurate than most mapping systems that merely estimate a location using street address. In some cases, you’ll now be able to display a position within 10 inches of the property* versus discrepancies of up to five miles using the address method.  (*Accuracy of 10 inches is possible only when updated property information with longitude and latitude coordinates is available.)

• Map Details – View a single property (New)
• Interactive Map Search – View multiple results on a map) (New)

Customize

• Customizable CSS – The ability to personalize your IDX color, font, layout, etc. (New)
• Agent Photo and Contact Information prominently displayed (Improved)

Detailed Property Information & More

• Property Description
• Display – Days on Market (New)
• Virtual Tour
• All Photos
• Photo Captions (New)
• Print Page (New)

Want More? Upgrade to our Full IDX Suite easily:

With our Full IDX your clients will have access to all of the features and functions above, as well as:

Search

• Save Search – Consumers provide contact information to save their search criteria (New)
• Hot List – Consumers provide contact information to save their favorite listings (New)

Call To Action

• Schedule Showings (New)
• E-Mail a Friend (New)
• Ask an Agent (New)
• Open House Schedule (New)
• Mortgage Calculators (New)

Take our Mid IDX for a test drive using our new product demo.  Click HERE to access it.  For a personal tour of the Mid IDX and more information, contact Colleen Yasuhara our account manager who will walk you through it at 808-748-8751, toll free at 1-800-628-3121 #151 or via email at Colleen@AlohaLiving.com.

Exciting VOW Update!

Added Latitude and Longitude Data Vastly Improves Mapping Accuracy

With this upgrade to our VOW feeds, property location data will now be significantly more accurate than most mapping systems that merely estimate a location using street address. In some cases, you’ll now be able to display a position within 10 inches of the property* versus discrepancies of up to five miles using the address method.

How Will It Work?

We’ll now be populating previously unused fields in the VOW feed with latitude and longitude coordinates. Field “mapX” will specify a property’s latitude, and “mapY” will specify the longitude. These coordinates will specify the “centroid,” or the very center, of the property, for maximum accuracy. This data is one of the many
advantages of our parcel-based MLS!

How Is This Better?

On other systems, searching for a property without a street address is a challenge. For example, Google Maps would be unable to find ‘Kaniahiku House Lots’ without an address, or many other properties in a newly built subdivision. With integrated latitude and longitude coordinates built into your VOW, displaying the property with pin-point precision is not a problem at all.

*Accuracy of 10 inches is possible only when updated property information with longitude and latitude coordinates is available.

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Question? Feedback? I’d love to hear from you!

Erin Shaw
Marketing Coordinator
Hawaii Information Service
Phone: 808-748-8759
E-mail: Erin@AlohaLiving.com

Full IDX: Nothing But The Best

With 24 features and functions, our Full IDX is not something to be missed.  Want to put the ultimate set of home-finding resources at your client’s fingertips?  Look no further.

What you’ll find in our Full IDX Suite:

Search…

• By New Fields City, Zip Code, County (New)
• The Entire state from one page vs. four (New)
• Using Sorting options, high to low, low to high etc. (New)
• With Dynamic Regional Maps (New)
• Using Multiple MLS Numbers (New)
• By Address (New)
• By Open House (New)
• Save Search – Consumers provide contact information to save their search criteria (New)
• Hot List – Consumers provide contact information to save their favorite listings (New)

Map It

• Map Details – View a single property (New)

• Interactive Map Search – View multiple results on a map) (New)

Customize

• Customizable CSS – The ability to personalize your IDX color, font, layout, etc. (New)
• Agent Photo and Contact Information prominently displayed (Improved)

Detailed Property Information

• Property Description

• Display – Days on Market (New)

• Virtual Tours

• All Photos

• Photo Captions (New)

Call To Action

• Schedule Showings (New)
• E-Mail a Friend (New)
• Ask an Agent (New)
• Open House Schedule (New)
• Mortgage Calculators (New)
• Print Page (New)

Take our Full IDX for a test drive using our new product demo.  Click HERE to access it.  For a personal tour of the Full IDX and more information, contact Colleen Yasuhara our account manager who will walk you through it at 808-748-8751, toll free at 1-800-628-3121 #151 or via email at Colleen@AlohaLiving.com.

Sneak Peek: The New & Enhanced IDX – COMING SOON!

Our new and enhanced IDX is going live TOMORROW Oct. 28th, 2009, giving you 26 new features and functions at your fingertips! Although the new and enhanced IDX will be officially LIVE tomorrow, it will take us some time to implement these changes.  A schedule will follow shortly explaining what the process will be to get your IDX up to date.

As a follow up to yesterday’s e-blast, here is a continued look at what you can expect, with a focus on the expanded features and functions that are only found in our Mid and FULL IDX Suites. (Click on the images to see a larger version of them)

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Better Saved Than Sorry…

Saving Search Parameters & Results*

One of the biggest advantages of having a FULL IDX is giving your customers the ability to save their searches, thus making their home buying search that much more easy and efficient.  What do you, the agent, get out of it?  Besides knowing that your customers are being taken care of, they will have to enter their contact information in return for being able to save their searches, giving you the ability to contact them and provide them with the educated help they need to take the next step.

Here’s how it works:

* Your customers can set the search parameters the way they want them and just click “Save This Search.”  If they are not logged in they will be prompted to do so, and then will be able to name their search, choose how often they want to receive updates, and go back to it whenever they please.

* Love at first sight?  Your customers can save their favorite properties to a ‘Hotlist’ and return to it at a glance.

* If your customers need more details or want more options they need not look any further than the Property Details Page.  By simply clicking on the “More Details” button on the listing of their choice they’ll find a world of opportunity at their fingertips.  From the property details page, they’ll be able to save or print the listing, contact you, the agent, or schedule a showing, or e-mail it to a friend.

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Tools Of The Trade

Our FULL IDX not only provides superior search capabilities for your customers, it also allows them to save specific listings of interest with the click of a button.

Here’s how it works:

* Getting There:  After logging in to their ToolKit Account, your customers will notice a button bar will appear at the top of each screen giving them the option to go to their ToolKit Home as well as view their HotList, Saved Searches, and/or Details etc.

* The View from the Inside: Your customers ToolKit contains links to their HotList, Saved Search Parameters and Details.  If they click on the “My HotList” button on the top menu bar or either one of the ones below they will be able to easily manage/add to their HotList.

* Your customers will be able to easily view property’s thumbnails in their HotList which they can also use to access the property details directly.  If they have more than one they can scroll through them by using the previous and next buttons on the right hand side.

*Saved Search and other Call to Action features listed here are only available to FULL IDX customers.

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Details, Details, Details…

What Your Customers Can Expect To Find on A Property’s Details Page

Included In All IDX Suites:

* Print Page

* Display Days on Market

* Display ALL Photos

* Photo Captions

* Agent Photo and Contact Information

Included In The Mid IDX (All of the above +):

* Virtual Tours (if available)

* Map Details – view a single property on the Google map

Included In The FULL IDX (All of the above +):

* “Call to Action” buttons such Ask the Agent, E-Mail a Friend, Schedule Showings, Schedule an Open House etc. at the top of the details page.

* Save listing to HotList: Your consumers must provide their contact information to save their favorite listings.

* Access to Mortgage Calculator

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Getting The Whole Picture…

At A Glance

For a quick reference guide, please see the table below which shows what you can expect from the new EZ, Mid and Full IDX packages.

Questions?

For questions pertaining to technical aspects of IDX please contact Michael Torres at Michael@alohaliving.com.  For Sales related questions or inquiries please contact Colleen Yasuhara at Colleen@AlohaLiving.com. Have a great rest of your week and we’ll be in touch soon!

Sneak Peek: The New & Enhanced IDX – COMING SOON from HIS

Our new and enhanced IDX is coming your way in a matter of days, and as such, we wanted to give you a little sneak peek of the 26 new features and functions you will soon have access to.  All of the features and functions detailed in this e-blast are included in all three of our IDX packages.  (Click on the images to see a larger version)

Check it out…

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A Whole New Look…

Main Search Page

You will notice quite a few changes have taken place on the IDX’s main search page.  All of these features and functions are included in all of our IDX packages:

* All the search fields from our existing IDX, plus much more!

* All search parameters have been consolidated on one page, eliminating the need to scroll down and jump from page to page.

* Search by subdivision AND Condo Project!

* Need a visual?  The clickable map feature allows you to choose your island of interest and then drill down further by zone etc. to narrow your search.

* Sort search results by price, high to low, etc.

* New & expanded search options: Map Search (For FULL & Mid IDX Suites only), Basic & Advanced Search, Search by Address, Search by Multiple MLS Numbers.

* Ability to log-in and save your search settings and results. You can even save your Advanced or Map searches! (For FULL & Mid IDX Suites only)

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Search And You Shall Find…

Clickable Map

* Using the state-wide map, choose your island of choice to view that island’s zones/districts and major towns.

* Once an island is chosen, search fields will automatically adjust to match the island.

Map Search (For FULL & Mid IDX Suites only)

* Switch between maps of islands and areas within an island quickly and easily, without ever leaving the page.

* Refine and easily sort your results.

* View all results as pins on our interactive map, or in list-form below the map.

* Click on map pins to view property details and photos.

* Zoom in and out and move the map around as necessary.

* Save map searches and results easily.

Address Search

* Search using a specific address, property type – you can even specify the island you want to search on and the subdivision the property is located in!

MLS Search

* Got multiple MLS numbers you want to search for all at once?  With the new enhanced IDX this isn’t a problem!

At A Glance

Stay tuned for more of what the new and enhanced IDX packages have to offer.  For a quick reference guide, please see the table below which shows what you can expect from the new EZ, Mid and Full IDX packages.

Questions?

For questions pertaining to technical aspects of IDX please contact Michael Torres at Michael@alohaliving.com.  For Sales related questions or inquiries please contact Colleen Yasuhara at Colleen@AlohaLiving.com. Have a great rest of your week and we’ll be in touch soon!