Okay, so what do those of us using the free mapping API have to do to transition to the corporate level geocode? How much will it cost to change? What will be the monthly fee(s)?

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Calgary Real Estate
Sarasota MLS
Calgary Luxury Real Estate

Put me on the upgrade list as well.

Lots of people have questions so this is as good a place as any, I really should have sent a link to my previous blog post about this with the update, I do appologize.

Ok lets start with existing data, and geocodes - we do NOT have to re-geocode your existing IDX's so for all of the listings already on your systems that have geo-codes, those are already covered - they are saved in the database, and should be forever.

New geo-codes: These are the ones the fees apply to, this basically equates to new properties. From now on Google will be charging a fee for us to use their geo-coding services this fee will be passed onto the users of Google's service at a rate of $10.00 USD per thousand geo-codes

What does this realistically mean in terms of costs to the clients and the bottom line? If 1000 new properties are added to your MLS each month, you will be charged a $10.00 fee - This fee is to cover administration and Google fees only, this is not meant to be a profit center for REW, the fact of the matter is, we have to pay for our clients to use Google's geo-coding as such, they must pay for their usage.

Reducing fees: These fees only apply to new listings that you are actually using with your IDX, so if you have areas in your IDX that you do not want on your site, or there is data you do not use, there is no need for us to geo-code that data, and of course you will not be charged for geocoding properties that are not accessible on your website. If you have extra areas in your IDX that you do not need or want to display please contact Reed Botwright our IDX co-ordinator (reed at realestatewebmasters.com) and notify him of which areas are not being used, and he will arrange to have them removed from your feed and the geo-code list.

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Questions submitted via REW customers:

Q: A definition of a Geocoding Client is someone who has mapping on their site from MLS Listing data.
A: Any solution involving switching geocoding sources would involve a considerable about of programming time to implement, far outweighing the negligible costs of only geocoding new listings.

Q: Do you have any projection on an annual basis what my charges will be like. I assume that it only applies when they click on an address. But when the site exceeds a certain value, can we have a flat fee? How will that work?
A: Because we have not kept track of the number of new listings (and we can never anticipate how many new ones will crop up), we will have to wait and see on this. As we will be billing our clients, this will be a good indication of how much your fees will be. Just like getting your electric bill, you will probably see an ebb and flow to the number of geocodes per month. Only after a few months will we have an accurate picture of how much this will cost to each client per year.

Q. How do I keep the costs down, especially if my listings include towns and areas that I don't need?
A. Contact Reed at RealEstateWebmasters.com with exactly which areas you would like excluded from the geocoding and he will ensure all new listings from those areas will not be geocoded (at no cost to the client).

Reed...so what makes this new geocoding policy "exciting" as you refer to it in your email to me and since I just paid a good amount of money for my IDX solution, which includes towns that I don't need what is the suggestion to control costs?

A voice of concern. What if we don't want corporate level geocoding on our existing sites? I just see this as a very expensive alternative to something that can be used for free. Granted they can at anytime start including adverts, but only at that time a switch should be deemed necessary by the client. -IMO (on Google's site they say they will give 90 days notice if and when they decide to include advertising)
My MLS averages well over 150 new listings daily just for residential. I'm sure that is low compared to some people's MLS.
From Webmaster's Blog Based on the above quote from the Blog, I have 150 (new listings daily, low estimate) x 30 (days) = 4500 (new residential listings a month). That's $45 a month. That doesn't included the other types of properties added daily.
Now, I understand having the corporate level geocoding will enable your programmers to complete coding in a more speedy manner, but how does that benefit the existing IDX's? I believe the negatives far outweigh the positives for existing clients. Isn't it feasible for the client to sign up for the free API and implement it on their own IDX? Does REW purchasing the Google Enterprise account really benefit existing customers in any way or am I missing something here? http://www.google.com/enterprise/maps/faq.html

How do the rest of the existing customers feel about it?

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Brevard MLS Search
Satellite Beach Real Estate
Advanced Brevard MLS Search

Speaking only for myself, the quoted cost of geocoding is negligible and not an issue.

What is more of a problem are the results (or lack thereof). Over the past few months I've noticed fewer and fewer of the listings on my site are "mappable". I just went through the 1st page of my "New Listings" and not one of these listings in mappable (they return an empty map of Calgary)

Is this because the free mapping API is no longer valid, or is there a problem with my mapping function. Needless to say I'm not all that happy, given the $$'s I spent to have this feature added to my site.

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Calgary Real Estate
Sarasota MLS
Calgary Luxury Real Estate

Quick Note:

Some MLS boards IDX data come with the Geo Codes. I know of a few:

Space Coast Association of Realtors
Tucson Association of Realtors
Lincoln County MLS
MRIS
Manatee Association of Realtors
MLSPIN
Metrolist ( colorado )
NorthStar MLS
BAREIS ( RETS feed )

Clients that are using these feeds for their IDX data will not have to look up any geo codes.
One Solution would be to convince the MLS boards to start adding geocodes to their IDX feeds

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Aaron
Programming Support
Real Estate Webmasters

Am I to understand that we can elimate geocoding from nearby cities and towns that we don't want, yet they will still be searchable, just not able to be mapped?

I'm in that list, so does the fee apply to me and my feed?

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Brevard MLS Search
Satellite Beach Real Estate
Advanced Brevard MLS Search