New Features Launched October 5, 2006
On
October 5, 2006, HotPads.com launched the first 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 descriptions.
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).
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
www.flickr.com
|
