Bigger (WAY) and Better MLS Search Pictures Now Available

Thanks to the good folks at Diverse Solutions (our MLS/IDX search provider), and the ever-growing wisdom of ARMLS (our MLS service), those using our Phoenix home search system now get to view much larger and higher resolution photos when performing home searches.

If you view full size photos, you’re now treated to large (640×425) images as opposed to the tiny photos previously served up.

This is a very good thing.

How do you see full-size photos?

Simple.

Go to the Phoenix home search page and navigate to a listing you like. Such as this one (coincidentally, one of our listings. Imagine that…)

You’ll see a screen like this one. Click “View full size photos” (where the arrow is pointing). While you are there, note the items in the red box – you can also print the listing, save it as a PDF file, email it to yourself or anyone you’d like, get a direct link to it, or bookmark it. You can also contact us too for more info or to schedule a showing.

But for now, click the full size photos link and you’ll get a nifty window on your screen with a large, hi-res photo like this:

Note: these screen shots have been shrunk significantly to fit on the blog page. The actual photos are much larger (about 4x the shown size).

You can click on the smaller photos below the large one to see them in all their glory.

Unfortunately, our MLS currently only allows six photos to be uploaded. Happily, that all changes on July 28 when our new MLS provider FlexMLS allows, get this, unlimited photos to be uploaded.

And of course the photo quality is completely dependent on the one taking the pictures. (We use Shannon, who actually gets paid to take pictures of everything from babies, to sculptures to real estate. She’s a great agent too!)

So dive on in. Relish the screen filling photos. It should make your on-line home search better and easier. And if you happen to find a particularly bad MLS photo, give Athol a shout….

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John Wake

The larger photos are fantastic!

Those guys have done a great job.

The only things I can think that Diverse Solutions needs are 1) video tutorials for beginners, and 2) a bird's eye view map of each home like on MSN maps ( I love those bird's eye view maps).

Andrew Mattie

@John:

We actually do have video tutorials in the agent control panel now. Is that what you mean, or were you talking about for the IDX front-end itself?

We developed a birds-eye view module over a year ago for the IDX and still have the code for it actually, but we decided to remove it from the front-end due to concerns over Microsoft's licensing restrictions. Whereas Google and Yahoo! seem to be much more open to allowing liberal use of their maps API, we didn't want to get in trouble with Microsoft as, the way we understood it, their licensing didn't play too nicely with the licensing of Google Maps. We'll continue to keep an eye on it though and post on our blog if anything changes.

-Andrew Mattie
Software Engineer, Diverse Solutions

John Wake

Andrew,

I like the videos a lot that teach me how to use your product. Great stuff!

What I was thinking of, however, were videos for users to see how to use the IDX front end.

I've had good luck using video tutorials so I'll eventually do one for your product when there is a break in the action. It's better when it's me doing the video anyway because users can see a bit of my personality while I explain how to use your IDX. It would be nice, nevertheless, if I had a canned one I can use in the meantime.

Wow! You already had bird's eye view programmed! Well done. Please keep an eye out for any changes to Microsoft's licensing agreement.

Thanks for the response.

[It kinda spooky how Jay's blog can instantly conjure up people like Andrew and Chris Pearson.]

Jay - The Phoenix Real Estate

Andrew - I'd *love* to see some short videos for IDX searchers. Also, I owe you some answers from the email you sent awhile back. Sorry, been *swamped*. Will get back to you by the weekend... (Thanks for adding Golf Courses!!)

Paula Henry

Your IDX solution rocks! Is this courtesy of ARMLS?

Frank

I am still gettting the tiny photos previously served up, has this feature been released yet.

JeffX

Great looking stuff Jay! I had the privilege of being walked through Diverse Solutions products yesterday and to say what they offer is impressive would be an understatement...you are their star client by the way...many time through the preso Robert would begin by saying 'Jay Thompson uses this feature really well...'

Andrew Mattie

@Frank: What MLS are you with? If you're with ARMLS, you should already have it. If you're with, say, Austin BOR or any number of the other MLS's that either don't want to or can't provide us with higher-resolution photos, you and I are out of luck until they change their policies or technology.

Jay - The Phoenix Real Estate

@Andrew - Frank is a heavy user of my IDX. If I go into the back end and click on one of his "favorites" it does indeed bring up the small photos. I don't know if it's because they were tagged as favorites when the photos were small? If so, can they be "refreshed" so he can see larger pics?

I assume you have access to my back end? If not, let me know and I'll get you in there.

We certainly want those using the system to see the spiffy new photos!

Jay - The Phoenix Real Estate

@Paula ARMLS has changed, but not that much! :) This IDX solution is a third-party "add on".

@Jeff it is indeed impressive. Star client, cool! They provide the tools, I just implement them.

@Frank - I sent you an email. *Thanks* for commenting! (and searching!)

@Andrew - Franks saved searches are also displaying the smaller pics. It's not just his saved favorites....

Athol Kay

I'm still seeing the little photos after clicking on the "show me big photos button".

Thanks for the link love! :-)

Frank

Jay,
Now you can recommend your internet tool instead of other internet tools. You have been quoted in this article on Yahoo. Six Secrets of Internet Home Buying, http://biz.yahoo.com/usnews/080506/06_six_secre...

Jayson

Nice - some people claim pictures don't mean much but I just don't see it. I like looking at properties with larger pictures, especially when they're high quality pictures that highlight a properties important details.

John Wake

The value of photos was brought home to me after seeing how two women clients focused on MLS photos.

After looking at some homes we were back in the office looking in the MLS. I left the room and when I came back they were going through the list of homes and they only looked at the photos, they didn't read anything!

My style is to focus on the numbers and details while these two clients were rocketing through the photos to narrow down the list. If they liked the small photos they would enlarge the photos and make a decision on whether to see the home.

I felt like an anthropologist observing clients in the wild.

Anyway, there is a certain segment of buyers out there who focus on photos first.