Posted by Macronomicus on August 16, 2009 at 7:41pm
I am building a site for our Real Estate Firm and have not really found anything I like yet for virtual tours.
What do you all use for building virtual tours? Were going to have video and photos so it needs to be flexible.
I am thinking of creating a Drupal Module or Feature instead of buying an outside service, I just dont see any of them (that ive reviewed) that do anything magical that a drupal/flash app couldn't do. I dont want to start this only to find someone else is already half way there and in need of time/money investment, so anyone else built/building a drupal based virtual tour app? Or any other interesting drupal flavored real estate stuff going on around here?
Comments
Virtual Tours
I'm working on a project right now where the primary focus is a virtual tour. It won't be anything super fancy, just a nicely formatted listing that includes a link for a full screen slideshow that pulls images that have been uploaded via imagefield and resized using imagecache.
We're trying to find a good developer to field some custom modules we need, and take care of some other details
For example, I know we should be able to take the XML specifications for real estate search sites like Trulia, Oodle, Google Base, Yahoo Real estate etc and create appropriately formatted feeds using Views. This seems to be a particularly valuable service these days considering so many leads are coming from these aggregate sites.
Also trying to make a custom uploader that will replace the normal file dialog box, so that realtors can queue images from multiple folders, rotate the images before upload, and then send them all to the flash uploader for mass upload. We may also include a way for realtors to then edit their source images directly using an open source ajax image editor - only tricky part there is we'll need to include some kind of hook to flush imagecache when a source file is modified.
Sounds interesting especially
Sounds interesting especially the uploader widget. Make any progress on that? Im currently working with the Pirates module folks to integrate the MLS into our site .. hadnt thought about the aggregator possibilities since we only focus on our local market, or do those feeds include properties not in the MLS? ...if that's so that could be quite interesting!
My Drupla real estate site
I had a custom MLS module built for my site 3.5 years ago. I describe the site in detail below. The site is Drupal 4.7 and I'm looking to upgrade it to 6 and collaborate on the effort with other realtors. I had this site built so I could do more for my clients as well as use it as a tool for better search engine rankings. I have studied search engine optimization and hired a number of consultants to ensure I know it well. The site ranks #1 on Google for "Lake Tahoe Real Estate".
The site downloads the MLS data each day from two different MLS boards (North Tahoe and South Tahoe) via a Python script and converts the data into nodes(pages). It then notifies clients who have subscribed for updates. Notifications include; new listings that match their criteria, price changes, and when photos have been added/changed. It also has a weekly statistical email subscription that crunches some basic stats and includes link to new listings, price changes, and new/updated photos. On the property pages we display the following; listing date, property details (including HOA fees), listing agent's comments, a history of original price and dates of each price reduction, a slide show (via Google's Picasa) of additional photos we've taken, comments from us after we've previewed, Google Street view that has the ability to see the neighboring properties, Google map, a slide show (via Google's Picasa) of the HOA amenities, a table of recent sales in the community (uploaded via node import module), a table of recent price reductions in the community (automatically done via the MLS module), a table of properties in the community that we've recently previewed and added photos. In the side bar of each property page we include an area called Quick Links that includes; Search the MLS, Weekly market report, Lake Tahoe lakefront homes, Recent sales by area, Recent price reductions by area, Bank owned properties, Short sales, and another link to contact us. Below this the MLS module automatically crunches the following stats;
All Active Listings
As of Jan 20 2010 there are 54 properties for sale in Tahoe Donner.
Price range: $110,000 - $2,000,000
Price (avg): $695,143
Price per sq. foot (avg): $289
Days on Market (avg): 270
Bank owned properties: 2
Properties with price reductions: 51
Average price reduction percent: 11.29%
Year built 2000 or newer
As of Jan 20 2010 there are 25 properties for sale in Tahoe Donner built in year 2000 or later.
Price range: $224,500 - $2,000,000
Price (avg): $857,012
Price per sq. foot (avg): $299
Days on Market (avg): 313
Bank owned properties: 1
Properties with price reductions: 22
Average price reduction percent: 12.56%
Sales year-to-date (YTD) vs. last year
In Tahoe Donner
0 properties sold YTD 2010
4 properties sold YTD 2009
N/A in sales.
Under $500,000
0 properties sold YTD 2010
4 properties sold YTD 2009
N/A in sales.
$500,000 - $1,000,000
0 properties sold YTD 2010
0 properties sold YTD 2009
N/A in sales.
Over $1,000,000
0 properties sold YTD 2010
0 properties sold YTD 2009
N/A in sales.
Sales Volume
2010 - $0
2009 - $1,618,000
N/A in volume.
Sales vs. Asking Prices
2010 - 0.00%
2009 - 99.03%
N/A in difference.
Avg. Price per Sq. Foot
2010 - $0
2009 - $302
N/A in price.
Average Days on Market
2010 -
2009 - 185
N/A in duration.
Below this we display featured properties. We currently have this configured to display properties within the same community that are priced similar to the property the client is viewing. This can also be set to display any properties....those we see as exceptional, those we've previewed, or our listings.
I get comments from new clients often saying they are contacting me because my site provides more information than any other site in my market. 99% of the sites are a framed IDX solution from a local developer. But there's more I want to do with the site. More stats, mapping search and results displays, better search engine optimization of the properties, multiple community sites that feed from the main site, integration with a CRM like salesforce.com, automation of the addition of the sold stats... I'm reaching out to other realtors in an attempt to see if we can get a few of us to collaborate on the details of the build as well as the cost of the build.
Take a look at the site and let me know what you think.
http://www.cblaketahoe.com/realestate/listing/2704096
Tristan Roberts
800.356.6152