I’m rocking the Diverse Solutions goodies on my site and I love it. The WP Plugin IDXpress indexes a bunch of properties which is awesome for search results. The way it displays individual properties looks incredible, example:
http://fischer-realestate.com/idx/mls-11735740-2007_hillcrest_street_fort_worth_tx_76107_3961  I love the way these pages look and I have had several contacts from people using this product to look at properties. The indexed addresses and MLS #’s are a driving force of traffic to my site.

I like the integration with Google Maps for the DSsearch, but have to say this is where my love for the product ends. I really don’t like the way the properties are displayed once it gets narrowed down, and I do not like how the Iframe loads within your page (and other peoples who I’ve looked at). It is kind of choppy and doesn’t integrate the way that I want my featured search to work in my website. http://fischer-realestate.com/search/ . It is often referenced (proved, maybe not) that the ‘conversion’ is lower than competitors.

The customer service is A+ in my book. Techs get back to you quickly and there is a forum where you can post suggestions for improvements to the product. Ricardo pushes out a ton of great content on his personal blog and the DS blog and has included a bunch of “how-to” videos as well as access to webinars, etc. I’m curious to see how other providers compare in this category, as Diverse Solutions has incredible customer support that would be hard to beat. -Note, I am curious to see what the future holds under Zillow ownership.

So, in summary – Diverse Solutions is an awesome company and the WordPress plugin is extraordinary (there are a lot of ways to customize searches, landing pages, communities, and blog posts by utilizing both IDXpress and DSsearch with the shortcodes – which I love). I’m very happy with the customer service and ongoing training. I wish the map search was less “graphic-y” and more like (but better than)  a combination of Real Estate Webmasters (who is not mentioned in this post) and IDX Broker. If they really really improved the map search – I would get a DS tattoo.

Great news! I wote for iHomeFinder!)

Thanks for the mention Ben!  I chose IDXBroker for RealFX.com mainly due to the design possibilities and CSS control – I also like the more “traditional” approach to searching for homes. I “personally” prefer map searches, but I found through analytics and experimenting with other solutions for months, that the robust map searching tools were ironically not holding the user’s attention as I would have expected.

For each of the options, I would love to know:
1)      Does the IDX come with a mobility application for iPhones & Droids        
2)      How configurable are the options for forcing login for lead capture….some methods work better than others
3)      Is there url tracking with registrations. This is important if more than one agent is using the IDX (such as offering access on each agents profile page if there are a few in the company).
4)      What is the quality of the back end lead management system.  Can it assign leads to different people by price point, by area?  Can you categorize leads by agent, but quality and make notes in the sytem about each?
5)      Does it integrate with any CRM products like Top Producer
6)      Can you set the map default view or default search by page (let’s say you have a page about several cities and want the default map view to be specific to that city on each of those pages)

I have been researching IDX providers for some time and I have used several of the above.  I just got off the phone with 1ParkPlace (http://www.1parkplace.com/)  I am very impressed by their Cirrus Homesearch solution.  I think it may be the most user friendly map based IDX solution out there.  I am strongly considering using their IDX for my Geek Build 2012 site, http://www.tophomesforsaleco.com/ …..Drew, any thoughts?

The most important thing is having a solution that is fast & VERY user friendly that has a high conversion rate with a low bounce rate. Those all go hand and hand. Websites & Idx solutions loaded with bells and whistles usually do not convert well and are not as user friendly therefore have a higher bounce rate 🙁 Plus having a good back-end lead manager as well!

These things should be based on analyzing stats from analytics not a warm fuzzy feeling you get inside like many agents do 😉

“IDX is vital to generating a significant amount of leads and keeping
visitors on your site for as long as possible making it THE most
important aspect of your real estate website.”

IDX plays an important role in most real estate website and is very friendly user. Realtors will greatly benefit to this. Thanks!

The site looks great. I know its new, but do you have any stats or insights to your traffic and conversion?

Your “download free report” button is broken. And confusing…as a user, I have no idea what to expect on the other side of that click.

Knowledgeable post indeed! Awesome.

I agree about how great Diverse Solutions is but a big part is who and what template you use to implement it. I use woothemes who I love for other sites I build but I have a lot of qualms with my real estate site. It gets regular traffic and I really could spend some time to clean it up but the search is overly complicated (you have to choose a city, the default is just to search your own listings {I have 5}, etc) and so I added another dynamic search from our MLS but that is just getting overly complicated. 
One search to drive leads and another for ease of use…doesn’t make sense. Honestly if WooThemes would just update for better integration I would be back in the game. I like the leads but I tell my clients to use any search site they like and that is embarrassing.

I
wanted feedback from all the agents in my brokerage regarding what they thought
of each of these IDX Solutions.  So, I
sent out the links to each of the web sites above and asked for feedback on the
map based home search tools.  This was
one of the first reply’s I received back:

http://coloradospringshomesource.com/ confusing and dull to look at – not engaging

http://www.homesalessandiego.com/ did
not lead with map and when I found it, the response was slow. Again, this was
dull and uninviting

http://www.goodlifeteam.com/ cleanest
look, liked how the search criteria was on the same page as map and easy to
follow. This is the leader.

http://www.realfx.com/
almost too simple looking and cheesy

http://www.anyhomesrealty.com/
cool map but a little confusing,
controls not intuitive

You
will note that the site using Diverse Solutions is not listed above.   I have
to disqualify Diverse Solutions as an option for my Geek Build 2012
site as they have been shut down in the Denver market following their acquisition
by Zillow: https://geekestateblog.com/two-mls-metrolist-and-santa-barbara-boot-diverse-solutionszillow/
(plus I tested Diverse Solutions vs. Wolfnet and Wolfnet generated more leads).
In place of Diverse Solutions, I have added 1ParkPlace’s solution to the mix
because it is a company I worked with previously and they have great customer
service.  Their solution is as robust as the others being considered and I
believe the usability is better and that it will thus, convert at a higher
rate.  They are also working on some
really good mobility options that are important.  So far, 7 of 9 of my agents have indicated
that they like the search tool at http://www.goodlifeteam.com
the best.  This is the 1ParkPlace option….I
expect some more feedback by Monday from the rest of my agents. 

Wonder if we could get any @displet:twitter users to comment on their experiences?

Jeff, can you provide any other examples of Real Geek sites built on WordPress that we can check out (That Virtual Results did not design)?

Just a comment here. I’ve looked at a ton of IDX Broker sites the past couple of days. The best ones seem to have customized the CSS from the IDX a lot (an advantage – maybe, but absolutely time consuming). Would need a whole separate project on how to do this well, or at least consult with a designer who has the specific experience (ie: customizing the IDX Broker solution on a WordPress theme designed for maximum conversion).

Mobile is going to change rapidly obviously, and there are some companies better positioned to advance this market on their own products (Zillow, Sawbuck, Trulia, etc). This is not a criteria we identified to explore in the project – in regards to the IDX. IDX Broker offers an app with the option to input an agent code for branding. Diverse Solutions and IHomefinder have mobile optimized searches that link directly from your main site to the mobile site. Displet and Real Geeks (to my knowledge) don’t run mobile optimized solutions, but still work well on mobile.

What is interesting to consider is that a variety of sites on different IDX use Mobile Real Estate ID to optimize their site and search for mobile. Perhaps this is an option, especially for the IDX that don’t currently integrate directly with mobile versions? I’m burnout for now on researching, so if someone wants to help explore this question and solution – I’m all ears…

For instance, once clients are registered on our searches and we start meeting them in the field, it should be easy for either of us to load phones or Ipad’s with our website and their ‘saved’ criteria. Seems important, maybe not…

With as much input as we have had on this topic, maybe the steering committee should get it down to the “top 2” and have a more detailed conversation about just the top two solutions.  With 5 (or 6 if you include my 1ParkPlace suggestion) there are so many things to consider….if we were looking very closely at just two, we could really dig in as far as specific pros & cons for each. Thoughts? 

Great Tool Suzanne!! That is further proof that having the search box up high and to the left will help with conversion 🙂 Also another great reason why not to waste real estate have a huge ass header.. Agents think it looks cool to have a big fancy header that self promotes, but users could care less. They want to search… so why make it hard for them?

@ericbramlett:twitter Should hop in here and @Ribeezie:twitter I’d want to comment on a public build of RE websites w IDX. Just saying…@geekestate:twitter 

My challenge with this solution is that when you are interacting with the map, you have to go back and forth between the “search criteria” tab and the “interactive map” tab.  This makes the map not so interactive.   

I read everything start to finish this evening.  My two cents is that the solution should have a fast simple list based search.  I am listening to people who have tested this and have had great success. This is a big take away for me and it will change my site designs going forward. However, technically this simple type of search should be very standard in most products and I doubt that one list based search will have a high level of difference in usability than another…maybe I’m wrong?  Thus, the most important factor for me is that the solution should have a map based search that is sticky, very easy to use and better than the competition. This is technically more challenging to do from a usability perspective.  A bad map based search is worse than none at all and will drive people away. Here is my argument for the quality of the map based search being of critical importance.  Today I took a client out for the first time who contact me 2 weeks ago.  We went and looked at 8 places and at the end he had 2 he liked.  He asked me how many trips out people typically take to pick a property.  I said I average less than two trips out with a client because they use my map base search tool.  I pointed out that he knew where he wanted to live, that he had seen everything that was for sale in the area online and that we had looked at the best ones.  He agreed 100% because he had interacted with the map tool and knew there were not any other better properties out there. We wrote an offer tonight.  I train my clients to use the map search and am able to close them extremely quickly because they don’t have any lingering doubts as to if their are other homes out there that would be better.  I had a walk in come through the front door of my office last week….I showed her how to use my map based IDX and scheduled an appointment to show her home 3 days later.  Same conversation, same result, she wrote after one trip out and having seen only 5 homes. The map based IDX let’s people become critical home shoppers online.  They can see if a home is on a busy street, if it is close to a school, if it has good access to the highway, etc.  With just a list, they will always wonder if they missed something and you will be taking them out in the car over and over.  The quality of the map based portion of the IDX dramatically impacts the site from not only a competitive standpoint, but also it allows the agent to work together with his/her clients in a collaborative manner that saves time and effort.  

I have used Diverse Solutions’ products for over two years now, both their dsIDXSearch and dsIDXPress Wordpress plugin. IDXSearch is their primary product and is a map-based search tool. IDXPress is an indexable list-based product designed for embedding property in Wordpress pages and posts.
I changed the way I use both products several times and am now using two strategies. For my city/area pages I use a a combination of of both products – the map search displays first, and below that I embed properties with IDXPress. The idea is to give users both the map and list choices, and take advantage of the embedding for SEO. I think this solution (which is of my own design and not documented) is clunky and inelegant. Here is an example (and I do realize I have a major “above the fold” problem which will be addressed in an upcoming redesign): http://www.baconrealtygroup.com/st-petersburg-real-estate/

For the fifteen luxury condo buildings we feature I use just IDXPress to embed a list, examples here:  http://www.baconrealtygroup.com/condos/ . The smaller amount of properties available means I don’t need a map search, so this works well. Combining the indexable listings with a history/background has allowed us to rank in the top ten in Google for 12 of the 15 developments (for the most-searched term, which we display at the top of each page).

Here is a partial list of pros and cons of the products:

Pros:
– Simple to use, setting up searches and maps is easy
– Can limit display of properties to just about anything you want
– Can limit criteria-controls to the left of the map simply by dragging and dropping in the control panel
– As Steve said, single display of properties is excellent
– Great technical support
– Simple control of signup options
– IDXPress is great for condos, smaller developments and embedding posts

Cons:
– Expensive, about $110/month for both products
– Initial map load (iframe) is slow and clunky
– Property display on maps can be slow
– Documentation on usage of the products is very limited, and you are pretty much on your own to figure out how to use them effectively
– The “modules” which are “customizeable drop-ins” have limited usefulness, and I quit using them altogether after a time. I learned by accident that after using “Featured Maps” on many of my city pages that they were only displaying 25 properties, and this was undocumented. Also, I don’t have a quick-search because I couldn’t come up with anything I thought looked good, even customizing with CSS
– Limited custom options for advanced users/coders
– No option to prompt for signup with IDXPress
Perhaps most importantly is that I feel our conversion it terrible for the number of visitors we have. This may be partially because people skirt the signup by just viewing the indexed properties. All of these reasons, and the fact that the primary search is purely a map-based solution, would lead me to use a different product, both for my new Clearwater site and for the eventual redesign of baconrealtygroup.com.

Not sure where to reply on this thread, so I’ll put it here.

We’ll take the arrows for the site design, since that’s something we designed in house – and we were well aware that we were “going our own way” with regards to the “the property search box must ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS be above the fold” crowd.  As with many things we do, we’re a bit rebellious and sometimes we have to pay the price for our rebelliousness.

 I do think the design as expressed is too “big”, and I have a 2nd revision to the CSS & layout that will hopefully address that.  Read the fine print on the google visualization tool – it isn’t actually how designs that are “centered” render, including ours.

Regarding the 1PP search – in our research we found a lot of searches that were lacking, and my assessment was that we would have to be involved with the development of search to get what we want.  Part of our criteria was finding a partner that was willing to make substantial changes to the functionality of their tools to fit the vision that we have for search – something that we are continuing our work on.  We’re a long way from being “done”.  

It is my belief that there is no “one search for all real estate practitioners” – and that there are 3 emerging themes in search that will become competitive domains that are beyond the UX/UI issues that most of these searches currently have (including ours).  

I’m glad to see serious discussion about these tools, since the search experience is one important part of the consumer’s interaction with a practitioner or firm; let’s keep the conversation going!

Jack M.
GoodLife Team

Daniel, I share your concerns with DS (see my comments at very bottom of post). IDXpress displays properties beautifully, but of course – users have no option to sign up, which I don’t like. I’m ok with the cost of an IDX solution ranging from 100-200, so I’m ok with the cost for both products. The DSsearch Iframe map does not do it for me or consumers I’ve talked to, and it differs so much from IDXpress, also something I don’t like. The modules are not very useful unless you have a designer customize the output of the information. I also agree that conversion is not that great based on our site traffic (should have more signups and contacts), but I know I have a lot of work to do on my site as a whole to help encourage this too. I really love the ability to set up a variety of custom links to properties in our market too.

I agree with most of your analysis, the only point I’d explore further is that their documentation on the products is limited. There is quite a bit of static content, as well as regular posts from the DS blog, and Ricardos blog about how to use and customize the product. The customer service and tech support is pretty good by chat, email, or phone too. 

Hi,

I am looking for an IDX solution and was wondering if you could give me some advice. I am looking for a solution with these requirements:

1- No frames.
2- In my domain (if possible not even in a subdomain) I am using idxbroker but it shows properties in a subdomain
3- Offers multiple languages (I am in an area with a large Spanish speaking population)
4- Ability to add more domains for a reduced price (For example if I want to have my main site in English and a secondary in Spanish)

 I see some of my competitors’ websites and the top ones have IDX systems installed with these characteristics.

I would appreciate any recommendations.

I’m a classified geek, so please remember that I can kill your computer from anywhere in the world. So please have respect for me.

Thanks for the rundown on IDX providers — I just integrated iHomefinder (Optima Express) on http://www.thecoronadorealestateteam.com/ and have been really happy with my experience. I was going to go with Diverse Solutions but I thought a lot of the CSS looked funky & I didn’t love their customer service when I did call. iHomeFinder has been great at getting me set up and answering any questions I have.