HotPads Daily :: The Official Blog of HotPads.com

DC Police Release New 'Crime Maps'

The mapping application recently introduced by the Metropolitan Police Department displays the crime activity for a specified address, police zone, or other general area in the District.

The customizable crime map shows all the crimes committed within a designated distance from the chosen location (from 100-1500 feet) over a defined time period (from up to two years ago.)

Users can display the total crimes committed in the general area, or choose to display only particular types of crime at once.

Crimes are depicted by different icons that signify the type of offense that occurred.

This graphical representation of crime data presents a clearer portrait of crime by exhibiting the location of offenses. With this tool, people can acquire a better sense of a neighborhood or general area, as well as identify the environment around certain points of interest.

Unfortunately, while this concept is great, the execution leaves much to be desired and limits the effectiveness of this tool. The only browser it currently works on is Microsoft Internet Explorer, so Firefox and Safari users- you are out of luck.  (For another service that maps crimes for all browsers, check out http://www.crimeindc.org/)

HotPads Launched 2006 Election Edition

Today, we launched a 2006 Election Edition (elections.hotpads.com), which provides information about this years’ closely watched elections for the House of Representatives.   

The 435 congressional districts are outlined on HotPads’ Maps, with red and blue designating the party affiliation of the districts’ current Representatives.  By clicking on the districts’ "I" buttons below the districts' titles, users can view quick facts about the district including the current Representative and the candidates in November’s contest.  By clicking on the quick facts bubble, users can get more detailed information:  HotPads has incorporated Wikipedia articles with detailed information about the candidates and the close races.

For those housing shoppers that want to shop for
their next home based on political party affiliation, you can access the Congressional information on the normal site by selecting "Congress" in the "Areas" menu on the right hand side of the screen.

We hope you enjoy!  Don't forget to vote!

 

The Carnival of Real Estate

Welcome to this week's Carnival of Real Estate.  We have had a great time reading all of the posts this week.  We would like to issue honorary Awards for Best Weekly Post along with best post in the following categories: Marketing, Humor, Lending, Law, Economics and Technology.  In the likeness of Webby Award Acceptance speeches, we invite all of this weeks' winners to post a Five word acceptance speech in the comments of this post.

This Week's Best - themortgagereports.com – This is a great post discussing a client's reluctance to accept an offer below asking price because the client believes that the Realtor's incentive is misaligned with the seller's incentive.  At the heart of the discussion; is this truly an example of "Freakonomics" or is this merely the result of a down market?  See Post

Technology - rsspieces.com -- Mary McKnight offers her insight on the potential impact of Microsoft’s January 2007 release of Vista.  This operating system, which features an integrated desktop RSS reader, “will spike the blog reading population and substantially increase blog feed subscriptions” and may have dramatic implications for real estate professionals.  See Post

Marketing – Truliablog.com -- Asks the question: Are you embracing Technology and capturing internet leads?  77% of home shoppers are searching online and 24% of home shoppers are finding their next home online.  See Post

Humor – SandiegoHomeBlog.com -- Describes the life and times of "Willie" a house near San Diego.  "Born" in 1999, Willie has changed ownership 5 times and experienced 130% appreciation…however, in a turn of events, Willie is now tenant occupied…but still looking for its next owner.  See Post

Law - zillowblog.com – This is a very good analysis of the legal battle over property rights and eminent domain.  It talks about the balance of individual property rights and the rights of local government to take action to "revitalize" communities. See Post

Lending – activerain.com  -- Highlights an ongoing discussion and argues that Lenders do not have a fiduciary responsibility to borrowers.  See Post

Economics - zepad.com -- The 2010 World Cup should spark a property boom for South Africa, the host country.  While the growth that may occur in the “local leader property sector” could be great, Zebad highlights the problems and challenges that must be overcome to sustain this spike in the developing nation beyond the next three years.  See Post

All of us here at HotPads would like to thank those who submitted their posts for the Carnival of Real Estate.  We were impressed by the overall quality of insight into the real estate market and look forward to following these developments in the future.   Best of luck!
 

Carnival of Real Estate Honorable Mentions

Marketing - reinewbie.blogspot.com - Nice list of free listing options…but fails to mention HotPads! See Post

Humor - wenchwisdom.blogspot.com- Scathing review of Donald Trump Jr's "Get Rich Quick" junk mail…and apparently Junk Real Estate Conference as well.  See Post

Tech and Legal – webhomeusablog.com - MLS Friendly Search vs. User Friendly Search.  How long can Realtors fight user friendly (free) search engines and the DOJ?  See Post

Marketing – Tips for home sellers.  Make your prospects pause when they enter. See Post

Lending – Sellers are dealing with the consequences of being crushed by a Reverse Mortgage. See Post

General – Queercents.com  -  Discusses the benefits of the Granny Flat…(free childcare and a flexible tenant!) See Post

Technology - realcentralva.com - Discussing the future of the MLS, Jim Duncan believes that “we are in a time of massive transition, from one where the Realtor controlled all the information and consumers were forced to go through a Realtor to buy or sell property to a world where information is free-flowing.”  See Post

General - bloodhoundrealty.com - Analyzes the implications of the Divorced Commission for the MLS model.  He believes that ”divorcing the buyer’s agent’s compensation from the listings agent’s compensation has salutary consequence with respect to the agency relationship of both sellers and buyers and with the cooperation of agents.”  Commissions would “ to get the issue of our compensation out of the buyer’s way” and assist in improving the MLS system.  See Post

Economics - jdalton.realtownblogs.com - Jonathan Dalton continues the ongoing debate regarding the future of real estate commissions by employing the example of Nordstrom while considering the relationship of service and value versus price.  He posits that business models cannot be based on both price and service (as claims of “excellent service at a lower price” will ultimately fail to sway the public) and questions whether discounting the buyers’ side with a flat-rate structure is truly the answer. See Post 

International - nubricks.com - Many domestic investors have recognized the potential gains in foreign properties, as exemplified by boxer Joe Calzaghe’s recent purchases of properties in the U.K. and Turkey.  See Post

Marketing - futureofrealestatemarketing.com - Joel Burslem offers some valuable information about two tools that can assist all who advertise on Craigslist.   See Post

Marketing - 360digest.com - The Northwest Multiple Listing Service has decided against renewing their contract with Realtor.com, reportedly because the NWMLS felt that providing their service to the for-profit organization was an “inappropriate use of copyrighted data.”  This paramount decision to pull its feed may have devastating implications on Realtor.com in the region. See Post

Technology - blog.sellsiusrealestate.com --  In an interview conducted by NY Houses 4 Sale, the founders of SellsiusRealEstate detail their experiences of becoming dominant in the blogosphere.  Sharing their interests, inspirations, and favorites, this interview offers some insight into their world.  See Post

HotPads Gone Wrong!

Every once in a while, the HotPads Mapping Dept. will come across a bug in our map that has amusing results.  Now, we all know that finding and fixing bugs is just a normal part of the programming process, but usually the errors aren't as cool-looking as these:

1) In-Flash drawing goes haywire.  This was back when we were drawing ZIP codes in flash.

2) Loaded areas are the wrong size.  We later switched to using pre-rendered outlines of cities, but that also had its initial problems.

3) Finally, Kirk Herbstreit, of ESPN's College Game Day, makes a guest appearance as one of our map tiles.  I guess I had been on ESPN.com earlier in the day and somehow this image became mixed up with a map tile.  He's looking sharp, though.

Top 50 Blocks in New York

Time Out Magazine just ran an article called "The Top 50 Blocks in New York".  Here's the Original Article

   

Check them out on HotPads...

 

1. South Portland Avenue between DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues, Fort Greene, Brooklyn
HotPads Map - Bird's Eye View

2. Gramercy Park South between Park Avenue South and Irving Place, Gramercy Park
HotPads Map - Bird's Eye View

3. West 20th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, Chelsea
HotPads Map - Bird's Eye View

4. 45th Avenue between 21st and 23rd Streets, Long Island City, Queens
HotPads Map - Bird's Eye View

5. Convent Avenue between 143rd and 144th Streets, Sugar Hill
HotPads Map - Bird's Eye View

6. Montgomery Place between Prospect Park West and Eighth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn
HotPads Map - Bird's Eye View

7. Beck Street between Longwood Avenue and East 156th Street, Longwood, Bronx
HotPads Map - Bird's Eye View

8. Coffey Street between Conover and Ferris Streets, Red Hook, Brooklyn
HotPads Map - Bird's Eye View

9. Charlton Street between Sixth Avenue and Varick Street, Soho
HotPads Map - Bird's Eye View

10. West 78th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, Upper West Side
HotPads Map - Bird's Eye View

And the rest... (sorry, no links yet)

11. Seaman Avenue between Cumming and Dyckman Streets, Inwood
12. West 11th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, Greenwich Village
13. West 106th Street between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, Upper West Side
14. Arthur Avenue between East 184th and East 186th Streets, Belmont, Bronx
15. West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, Hell’s Kitchen
16. West 139th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue), Harlem (Strivers’ Row)
17. St. Pauls Avenue between Beach and Clinton Streets, Stapleton, Staten Island
18. Columbia Heights between Clark and Pierrepont Streets, Brooklyn Heights
19. Howard Street between Broadway and Mercer Street, Soho
20. 11th Street between Prospect Park West and Eighth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn
21. Park Place between Carlton and Vanderbilt Avenues, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
22. Horton Street between City Island Avenue and Eastchester Bay, City Island, Bronx
23. 3rd Place between Court and Smith Streets, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
24. Bank Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets, West Village
25. Duane Street between Greenwich and Hudson Streets, Tribeca
26. East 10th Street between Avenues A and B, East Village
27. Indian Road between 215th and 218th Streets, Inwood
28. Stuyvesant Street between Second and Third Avenues, East Village
29. West 72nd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, Upper West Side
30. Beechknoll Place between Borage and Park End Places, Forest Hills Gardens, Queens
31. Clinton Avenue between Myrtle and Park Avenues, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
32. East 93rd Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues, Upper East Side
33. East 2nd Street between First and Second Avenues, East Village
34. 80th Street between 35th and 37th Avenues, Jackson Heights, Queens
35. Kent Street between Franklin Street and Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn
36. Marlborough Road between Albemarle and Beverly Roads, Ditmas Park, Brooklyn
37. East 57th Street between First Avenue and Sutton Place, Midtown East
38. Great Jones Street between Bowery and Lafayette Street, Greenwich Village
39. 19th Street between 22nd Drive and 23rd Avenue, Astoria, Queens
40. North 6th Street between Kent and Wythe Avenues, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
41. St. Marks Place between Hyatt Street and Victory Boulevard, St. George, Staten Island
42. Sullivan Street between Prince and Spring Streets, Soho
43. Vestry Street between Greenwich and Hudson Streets, Tribeca
44. Commerce Street between Barrow and Bedford Streets, West Village
45. Havemeyer Street between Grand and Hope Streets, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
46. Beekman Place between 49th and 51st Streets, Midtown East
47. Emmons Avenue between East 14th and East 15th Streets, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
48. Grace Court between Brooklyn Heights Promenade and Hicks Street, Brooklyn Heights
49. 33rd Street between Broadway and 31st Avenue, Astoria, Queens
50. 49th Street between Skillman and 39th Avenues, Sunnyside Gardens, Queens

Saved Searches

We added the ability to save searches and return to them later.  To save one, just zoom to the location you're interested in, set your pricing and bedroom criteria, and hit "Save this search" at the top right of the screen.

To find one and two bedroom rentals between $2,000 and $3,000 in the Financial District of Manhattan.... well, your screen should look like this:

Then hit "Save this search" and you can give it a name.  If you're logged in, your search will show up on the home page and on the "My Searches" page.

If you want email alerts about new properties matching your search, choose daily or weekly.  I added an hourly option as well for anyone who really likes this stuff.  (Anyone want minute-by-minute updates???)

New Features Launched Today

We have launched a map-based neighborhood search portal. Now, as housing shoppers search for available rental properties on HotPads.com, they will be able to compare neighborhoods, zip codes, cities, counties, and states based on age, income, average rent, type of housing, aerial imagery, and Wikipedia articles.

Just remember to click

Area Mapping - At the click of a button, users can highlight different areas (zip codes, neighborhoods, cities, counties, and states).   Clicking a "?" in an area displays information about the area that enables housing shoppers to put the location of a property into context.

The screenshot to the right is of the downtown neighborhoods of Chicago.  All properties have been hidden.  Link

Quick Facts - When surfing, users can quickly view area facts including Population Density, Median Income, Median Rent, and the percentage of people that rent.  When users click the Quick Facts bubble, the full area detail (described below) appears below the map.

The screenshot to the right is the "Quick Facts" of Miami, Florida.  Link

Map-Based Demographic or "People" Search

Age Distribution - Users are now able to compare different areas based on the age of its residents. The screenshot to the right is from zip code 94129 in San Francisco. Based on the graph, housing shoppers can see that this particular neighborhood has a lower percentage of residents under the age of 20 and a higher percentage of people between the ages of 20 and 30 than the national average and other neighbohoods in the city.  This data is based on the 2000 Census.

Income Distribution - Users can also view the income distribution of different areas (zips, neighborhoods, cities, counties, states).

Link

Neighborhood Descriptions and Aerial Photography

Neighborhood Wikipedia Articles - As users search for available rental housing, they can view relevant Neighborhood Wikipedia Articles.  The content of these articles is generated by the Wikipedia Community and provides neighborhood descriptions, histories, and other relevant information.

The screenshot to the right is of SoHo in New York City.  Link

Neighborhood Views from Microsoft's Birds's Eye View and Google Maps - As housing shoppers hunt for their next home, they will get a "Birds's Eye View" of potential neighborhoods thanks to an integration with Microsofts' Virtual Earth. 

In addition to Bird's Eye View, users can also view satelite imagery from Google Maps.

The screenshot to the right is of Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.  The properties have been hidden and the neighborhoods highlighted.  Link

Housing - Users are now able to determine the average rent and the distribution of the different sizes of buildings (number of units) in particular areas.  Users can get a feel for the area by looking at building sizes.  The area to the right has most residents living in large apartment communities.

Housing shoppers can see the average rent in areas based on Census data.  They can also see the rent distribution of HotPads' current listings based on number of bedrooms. 

The screenshot to the right is the housing data for Dallas.  Link