We are getting a lot closer to our 2.0 launch, and in the process we are finishing up the new versions of the functionality required to fully replace all features on the 1.0 system. And we are also porting some of these features back to the 1.0 websites. One important feature for Realtors is the widget to search Properties from the local MLS. Our new widget is much improved and has been working wonderfully for the past 8 months on the websites of the private beta clients using our 2.0 platform (see Geoffrey Nelson's Hillsborough Blog or Steve Lessard). This new widget has major improvements over the old system, it has a modern layout with a beautiful large map (and many layout options), better search filters, and is much, much faster.

The new widget is being activated on 1.0 websites in phases. Starting January 19, all BAREIS and SFARMLS feeds will receive the new widget. This is mandatory because they are phasing out their data feeds used by the old system (and only the new widget is compatible). However, while the new widget will introduce slight design changes to these pages, overall the user experience will be much better. And if you do need to customize the look of these pages, a small custom design project is always an option.

NOTE: Any Realtor using Email Property Alerts will need to find another solution in the short term. While this new widget has major improvements over the old system, we have not yet implemented Email Listing Alerts (there are only a few legacy clients who actually use this feature on our 1.0 system since most agents use their own internal broker systems). While we definitely plan to implement property alerts on the new system, it will take a few more months to finish that on our 2.0 widget.