Real Estate anyone? :)

I just got a new client who’s looking to get his small real estate company online, and I’m pushing him to use MODx, since I love the system and find it easy to use

I was looking in the repository but couldn’t find anything - a plugin (?) where you can make Real Estate listings via the CMS, since the client doesn’t want to do ANY coding whatsoever

Anyone know of anything?


Thanks guys,
Soreng

I’ve always just had each listing on a separate document, then used Ditto for the main listing page. TVs work great for various fields, and you can offer sorting and searching by those TVs. You can embed MaxiGallery calls in the Ditto templates, or leave them to the individual listed property’s page.

I have lots of RE clients and I have not put one into MODx yet (because they predate my coming to MODx in 2006) but it would be easy as pie. You just need to create TVs for the fields/features and you can have them fill in the blanks. The you can display them using Ditto, use AJAX Search to allow queries and more. You can even create XML feeds with ditto and email newsletters with TEMailer and Ditto.

I am actually going to be developing a RE site with MODx and using Viele RETS to pull the MLS data directly off the MLS server for a brokerage but for an agent, I would just recommend doing the TVs. RETS is the Real Estate Transaction Standard developed by the National Association of Realtors

If you have never worked in RE before you might want to download and install OpenRealty to see what fields to use. Personally I don’t like OR as it is clumsy and requires many oddball scripts to interact with the core.

When 0.9.7 comes out I may build out a whole solution for MODx for REs. and Brokers as an alternative to OR.

Let me know if you have any specific questions on building out a site.

Cheers,

Jay

One neat thing you can add on top of Susan’s list is tvExplorer, you can see it implemented here (not Real Estate, and it’s in french, but you can see the concept in action => for more info ask Heliotrope & Perrine who built that one).


Quote from: smashingred at Mar 12, 2008, 08:09 AM

I am actually going to be developing a RE site with MODx and using Viele RETS to pull the MLS data directly off the MLS server for a brokerage but for an agent, I would just recommend doing the TVs. RETS is the Real Estate Transaction Standard developed by the National Association of Realtors.

Interresting stuff... funny I am currently working on something akin (pulling the data directly from a third party server) but in France we don’t have RETS Probably will end up doing a business proposal for a custom dev... I’ll sure post about this when I have more data.

Canada despite its geographic size has one of the most unique Multiple Listings Systems in the world. In many countries real estate associations have their own MLS or partner with other organizations to make larger ones but in Canada, nearly all RE Associations use a single MLS network and so all agents have access to all listings in the system from a single point. Up until recently though there was no way to get access to the data other than to receive parameter filled JS link and place it in a frame or iframe on the site and have no control on information display. Now accessing this server will allow output control like never before. I am one of very few designers in Canada with an account due to my relationship with a broker.

I hope to use it to build a package for REs for MODx possibly to license in Canada and maybe in the US.

I’ll look too at the tvExplorer thing though sounds like something I need to try.

Jay

Hi again Jay,

I appreciate the answers, but building TVs etc. is too complicated for me... I can do the basics in the MODx cms (I’m a graphic artist), but not any "specialties".

Do you (or anyone else, for that matter) have any idea if I can get someone to help me with this (paid job, of course)?

Thanks

Soren

Soreng,

Where are you? I might be interested in partnering with you in sharing the costs of creating the dynamic structure to get a working system going. The design and styling I can do. Custom MODx coding and creating TV’s I am less than experienced with though.

I build RE sites for clients. I would like to build them with MODx if it saves me time and makes the client happy. So far I have not used MODx for any commercial projects. Right now one of my clients has me building unique stand alone sites for individual homes he is selling. He wants zero to do with coding. I created a design template, shot a nice Seattle skyline banner photo (my primary profession is photography) and added his info etc. I update each site by hand. I now photograph the homes, create a floor plan diagram, add a camera position graphic and use some snazzy CSS to deliver it all. These sites have zero scripting. Its all CSS. The client and the home owners love these sites though. Doing these is just a part time thing for me. But I am interested in making the client happier if it can save me time as well. The two guys I design for work at one of the largest RE firms in the west (I am in Seattle.)

You can check out one of these sites here: www.CrownhillHome.com

Some of the snazzy features and TV’s that the above MODx gurus are discussing are out of my experience level right now.

Just throwing this chatter out there to see what kind of system you are looking for...

Cheers,

Max

If you’re not using TVs, your missing out on about 60% of what MODx offers when building sites IMO! Think of TVs as custom content fields on steroids.

Hi Max,

I’m in LA.

I appreciate your suggestion -- right now I’m almost done with the design (like you, I’m a graphic designer and not a hard core coder:) and I’m communicating with a guy here from the forum about this.

I’ll let you know, but right now I’m so behind on the project that I just got to get it rolling.

Talk to you soon

Cheers,
Soren