A real estate roundtrip routing tool
By Glenn Roberts Jr., Tuesday, April 8, 2008.Bookmarking Sites
The Virginia Association of Realtors has launched IdealRoute.com, an online tool that allows users to identify the most efficient travel route for a group of selected addresses anywhere in the United States. Sounds like a good way for real estate agents to potentially cut down their fuel costs while taking clients to see several properties. Or maybe just a useful tool to plan business or personal errands.
Users can click on the interactive map to select travel points, and can also type in addresses. Once all of the addresses are entered, the tool calculates the most efficient route to visit all of the selected addresses and provides driving directions.
The routing tool was developed by Daniel R. Odio, the founder of Alexandria, Va.-based DROdio Real Estate Inc., and licensed to the association. A regional version of the tool is available at DROdio's TheBestHomeSearchEver.com and TBHSE.com Web sites (see previous blog post).
Read more about the tool at the VARBuzz.com site.
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Submitted by Candis Hidalgo - Online Real Estate Marketing on April 8, 2008 - 11:17am.
Wow, just tested it, and it's very easy to use. Works best when you have a street address to input. I can see this being a great feature on a real estate agent's website, listing flyer (online), or blog page.
Submitted by Scott McAdoo on April 8, 2008 - 11:57am.
I'll admit up front that I haven't tested it yet... but how is it better than just using Google Maps with multiple locations? If you start with one address in google maps, then click 'add destination' you can add the second home on tour, then you can add as many others as you want. I use it all the time for tours. Once you see the route between homes, you can just drag and drop the addresses into a different order to rearrange the route. Its a pretty handy little tool.
Submitted by Scott McAdoo on April 8, 2008 - 12:09pm.
After having played with it, it's the same thing-a simpler interface for google maps-the real difference is that on the gmap version you can just drag and drop the address to change the route, while with this interface, It's not so clear on how to change the order of viewings. But still... it's a great start at simplifying the google map interface.
Submitted by Matt Carter on April 8, 2008 - 12:38pm.
I believe Google Maps limits you to five destinations, and although they put a lot of work into finding the best route between any two points, I don't know how much analysis they do when you need to go to multiple destinations.
This is a problem that airlines, package delivery companies, and computer network designers spend a lot of time worrying about.
Say you need to go to seven different destinations. There are more than 5,000 different ways you could order those destinations (7x6x5x4x3x2x1=5,040). Each of those itineraries would have many different possible routes (depending on whether you take freeways or sidestreets, etc). Let's not even get into what traffic conditions might be on those routes when you want to travel on them.
If you're interested in learning more, see discussion on the challenges of finding a route between two points on Google blog, and on finding the best route between multiple destinations using Dijkstra's algorithm on Wikipedia.
Definitely a problem worth tackling with gas approaching $4 a gallon.
Submitted by Ben Martin, Va Assn of REALTORS on April 9, 2008 - 6:25pm.
The major difference is that IdealRoute computes the optimal route without your having to guess on what it might be. No dragging and dropping. That should save you a few mouse strokes. Also, the process of adding addresses through IdealRoute is simpler than adding addresses into Google Maps, IMHO. You have to keep scrolling down to add a new destination in Google Maps. Scott, you're right, you can't change the order of the destinations. IdealRoute computes the shortest route between multiple properties, it doesn't take into account other factors like: 1) This home is only open between 12-2, or 2) I'd like to take my clients to that nice restaurant after the third showing, etc.
Submitted by Jay Thompson on April 10, 2008 - 6:12pm.
It's a great tool, but I just punch the addresses into the GPS and it calculates the best route.
And it talks to me. :)
Jay Thompson
Broker / Owner
Thompson's Realty
Blog: www.PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com
.
Submitted by Isshica Sharma on April 29, 2008 - 9:20pm.
Nice to calculate the address and go through shortest possible route even it is very good for me as i am working as real estate advisor and also as real estate developer.
Submitted by Anum Hafeez on April 30, 2008 - 1:35am.
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Submitted by Susan Zanzonico on August 18, 2008 - 7:11pm.
I just plug them into my GPS too, however, my GPS doesn't always take me there the most efficient way. Now, if the two could team up, that might be the IdealRoute!
Sue Zanzonico
Short Hills Real Estate
Morristown NJ Real Estate
Madison NJ Real Estate