Property listings on a Map is much more convenient than showing a list of homes. On a map, you know exactly where a property is and also get to view the nearby listings around any property. When you know the exact neighborhood or community you are looking for, there is no better way than viewing it on a Map. We have had many requests from our users for a Map showing homes for sale in a city, zip code or a specific neighborhood.

So here is our response: A powerful Map search functionality on HouseLoctaor.com for any area you search, plotting homes listed for sale with little icons. The map is powered by Microsoft Virtual Earth (now Bing Maps). Listings are displayed as you pan and zoom the map. It is fast and responsive. If you are familiar with some of the other Map search implementations available today, we think you will be pleased at the speed at which HouseLocator's Map operates.

Enjoy the Map search while we work hard on the next big funtctionalty on HouseLocator.com.

Did you check out the new Mortgage Center on HouseLocator.com?

The Mortgage Center brings you Top Mortgage News, Latest Interest Rates, Tips and  Articles on Mortgage related Topics, Mortgage Calculator and more.

If you are looking to purchase a home, or refinance, compare Mortgage Quotes from muliple lenders by requesting a Mortgage Quote.

Some of the information (like the news and interest rate) are presented from various leading sources (e.g. BankRate.com), giving you one stop access to up-to-date information about Mortgage.

Visit the Mortgage Center on HouseLocator.com

Watch for www.realestatesale.com

It is going to be a new real estate resource website dedicated to real estates of all types. 

We intend to incorporate residential and commercial real estate listings on this Website, since the domain is not specific to homes or houses.

When www.realestatesale.com is launched, homes you list on House Locator will automatically appear on www.realestatesale.com.

List home for sale on houselocator.com today, and put your property on the spotlight of Internet. Unlimited photos with your listing and home page exposer is included with every home listing options.

The real estate market is pretty bad and people are taking unconventional approach to try and sell their home. This Beach house in Yachats, Oregon is being put on as the first prize of an essay contest! The house is appraised at $575,000 and located right on the beach. The entry fee for this contest is $200, and all you have to do is write an essay in the theme of 'I/We want to win this home in home in Yachats because...' in 100 words or less.

The contest started on January 2nd 2008, and last day of entry is April 30th 2008. They require at least 3000 entries otherwise it may be cancelled due to insufficient entries. About 2000 entries have been received so far. You can see updates on the entries on their Website.

The success of a contest like this would depend on its publicity. As more people find out about the contest, more entries are likely to come. The owners are going through various marketing activities including posting the house and contest everywhere they can on the Internet, advertising in local radio, tv, and news papers. The house is open for a visit every weekend. Although most entries are coming from the neighborhood cities, entries from 29 states have been received so far. There are even entries from Americans living in the middle east!

Why a contest, but not a lottery?

You may think that depending on the decisions of some independent judge is not very reliable for a contest like this, and it would be better to just have a lottery with a $200/ticket. However, making it a lottery will have legal implications pertaining to various state law. Making it a contest opens it up to all the states without much legal complications.

You can apply online or personally at the house during the open house every weekend. 

They have 3 more weeks and a 1000 more entries to go and it will be interesting to see how the contest ends up.

Have you tried the smart homes for sale features on HouseLocator.com lately?

There are several new features that makes it fun and easy to locate homes for sale in your desired location. For example, if you are looking for homes for sale in Miami FL, all you have to do is type in Miami in the home search box. HouseLocator.com brings up homes for sale in Miami. But wait, did you know that there are more cities in the USA with the name Miami? There is one in Oklahoma, one in New Mexico and one in Ohio! But since Miami in Florida has the most number of homes for sale, it will show you this one first. But HouseLocator.com will also show you the list of other possible matches just in case you were not looking for homes in Miami Florida:

If you entered 'Miami FL' in the search box to begin with, then HouseLocator.com would not bother to show you the other possible matches.

What happens if you type in Florida or just FL?

Each state has their own section on HouseLocator.com, and wheter you type the complete name or abbreviation, you will be taken to the page dedicated to Florida. This page is shows homes recently listed for sale in Florida, and a list of all the cities in Florida that currently has homes for sale listed in them.

Check out the latest addition to houselocator.com!  Our team at houselocator.com has put together a fast and efficient tool to locate any property in the nation and pull up information traditionally accesible to real estate professionals. Fitting into a realtors schedule can be very inconvenient, time consuming and costly.  No more phone calls!!  No more appointments!  Save thousands of dollars in commissions and access property information on your own schedule!!  With just a street address, zip code and a click of a button the Property Locator can provide you with

• Property specifications
• Year built
• History of sales
• Recent sales of comparables similar to a CMA
• Tax assessment
• Estimated value of the home
• Map
• Satellite imagery

One of the most important assessment the Property locator offers to you are the comparable sales history.  When any property is placed for sale it is important to establish a reasonable listing price.  To find the most accurate market value , the property itself is compared to currently listed similar properties.  This assessment is known as a Comparative Markeyt Analysis.  This analysis is usually obtained by real estate professional who have easy access to sales records.  Not only will you be able to access the same information, you also save countless time and money not having to visit the county courthouse and hire an real estate agent .

 Just remember any property of interest you drive by or come accross just write down the street address and enter it into the Property Locator.

Everyone here at HouseLocator.com would like to wish you a very happy new year. Whether you are in Real Estate or not, may  2008 bring you happiness and success.

We have a lot of exciting new features and functionalities planned for HouseLocator.com in 2008. Here is a short list:

• Ability to save your favorite home listings so you can come back to them later.
• Ability to build a list of home listings that you may be interested in that you can email to yourself or a friend, or save for later.
• View neighborhood sales activity of comparable homes for any listing. This feature is already available for the Property Locator, and we are implementing it for every home for sale listing.
• Market trend that will show you change in activities in any given zip, city or state.
• A comprehensive FAQ and Help section. Its long due, we know!
• A map view for search results, showing the listings on an interactive map.
• Instant home value estimate.

Please let us know if you have any suggestions or ideas.

The Real Estate Blog is your source of up to date information on Real Estate and related topics. You will also find upcoming features and functionalities of HouseLocator.com, and help and information for home buyers and home sellers.

This blog is maintained by HouseLocator.com, the premium online resource for Home Buyers, Home Sellers and Real Estate professionals.