As you might have recently noticed, we've been experimenting with a new way of displaying information on HotPads. Our goal was to make it even easier to spot the best listings. Today we're happy to announce the release of our "Quality Map."
After testing several map variations, we’ve settled on a version that promotes higher quality listings with a building icon. This simple differentiation helps both home shoppers and property managers get the most out of HotPads.
How does it work? Listings displayed with a "building" icon typically have higher quality scores compared to listings displayed with a "dot icon". We award building icons based on an algorithm that takes into account listing completeness, level of detail, and other factors. Further, since extra verification measures are built into our paid listings, they generally have better quality scores. We have also found that listings with higher quality scores correlate with faster response times and improved likelihood of meaningful engagement.
As you zoom farther in, we automatically recalibrate the map, applying the same quality sorting to the new location. At full zoom level all listings will appear as building icons.
So what does this update mean? Well, we think this means a much cleaner and faster user interface, an easier way to find the best listings, and a clear benefit for verified listings. We believe making quality listings easier to find creates a better overall housing search experience, which is our ultimate goal.
Is it possible to specify location in saved searches?
For example, if i looking for apartment in area from San Francisco to San Jose i don't like to have in email listing apartments in Los Angeles.
Thank you.
Posted by: Pavel | Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 02:15 PM