SC Map

Legend

House	Condo/Townhouse
Manufactured Home	Vacant Lot
New Listing	New Price

To maximize performance, only those properties located in an area around the centre of the map (delineated by a red box) are shown even if more of the map may be visible. To view adjacent properties, pan the map so that the area of interest is inside the box. There is one exception: if you do a keyword search, all properties found are shown on the map even if they appear outside the box.

To use the map in full-screen mode on an Apple iOS device (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad), tap

(depending on the iOS version) in the browser toolbar, then tap Add to Home Screen. On the next screen that appears, tap Add to add the icon for the map to your home screen. After you have done this, you can tap the icon to run the map in full-screen mode.

Creating an Account

Registration is not required in order to use the map. However, if you do register, the account you create can be used to gain access to advanced features and additional property information. To register, click the Log In button that appears in the bar above the map, then click the Go to Registration page link on the Map Log In dialog box that appears.

To create an account, you must provide your name, email address, telephone number, and the password you want to use to log in to the map. For security reasons, once you create an account you will receive an email with instructions on how to confirm your password. Once you confirm, you can log in by clicking the Log In button and providing your email address and password. Mark the Remember Me checkbox if you want to automatically log in every time you visit the map page from the same browser. Your account and password is valid for 30 days but can be renewed.

When you are logged in to the map, a variety of map data are saved automatically when you leave the map page and restored when you return and log in (even if you return on a different computer). Here is what is saved:

The list of properties marked as favourites.
The map position, zoom level, and display mode.

More property information is also shown when you are logged in:

Room sizes
Bathroom information (number of pieces, ensuite status)
Number of finished levels in the home
Basement information
Finished floor area for each level in the home
Unfinished floor area
Renovations information
Flooring type
Suite information
Strata fees
Pad fees
Strata rules
Roofing material
Foundation type
Construction type
Exterior finish
Outdoor features
Parking (garage information, total number of parking spaces, number of covered parking spaces)
Parking access
Rear yard exposure
Fireplace information (number and type of fuel)
Heating information
Water supply information
Zoning information

When you are logged in the Log In button changes name to LOG OUT. Click LOG OUT to save the current state of the map to your account and prevent further changes from being saved. (You are automatically logged out when you close the map unless you marked the Remember Me checkbox when you logged in.)

If you forget your log in password, click the Log In button to show the Map Log In page, click the Go to Change Password page link on this page, then provide your email address and a new password. To change your password, log out first, then follow the same steps. Instructions on how to confirm the new password will then be sent to your email address. The new password is activated as soon as you confirm.

Basic Map Navigation

Zooming. Use the + and - controls in the top left corner of the map to zoom the map in and out. You can also zoom in by double-clicking a point on the map not covered by a marker; this also causes the map to pan so that the point where you double-click is centered on the screen. If you are using an iOS or Android device, you can also zoom in and out using standard pinching gestures.
Centering. Centre the map around a point by double-clicking the desired point (this also zooms the map in by one level).
Panning. View neighbouring areas by dragging the map. You can also go directly to an area by choosing its name from the Go to Neighbourhood pop-up menu below the map; this may also change the zoom level.

To keep the map centered around your actual location as you move around, click the location control below the map. The first time you do this you will be asked to confirm that it is OK to use your current location. Your location is indicated by a blue marker at the centre of a blue circle. The size of the circle reflects the precision of the determined location. If you click the location control again, or if you drag the map, the position of the location marker continues to be updated but is no longer centered.
Changing View. Select a standard Map view or a Satellite view by selecting the corresponding button in the top right corner of the map. To show satellite imagery overlaid with street names, click the Satellite button then mark the Labels box that appears below it. To show a terrain view, click Map then mark the Terrain box. If the Terrain box is grayed out, you will have to zoom out until it can be marked.

Searching

Criteria Search. There are several search criteria you can specify to limit the group of properties shown on the map, click the Search button above the map to change them:
- The property type: All Properties, Houses, Condos/Townhouses, Manufactured Homes, Vacant Lots
- When the property was first offered for sale at the current price
- The minimum price
- The maximum price
- The minimum number of bedrooms
- The minimum number of bathrooms
- The desired features: Waterfront, View, Fireplace, Hot Tub, Pool, Security System, Workshop
After changing the criteria as desired, click the Search button to update the map so that only properties matching the specified criteria are shown.
Click the Set Defaults button to return all the search criteria to their default values so that all properties will appear on the map when you click the Search button.
Click the Cancel button to cancel any changes made to the search criteria and return to the map.
Keyword Search. If you know the MLS® number for a property, or its street address, or you're looking for a property in a specific postal code area or with a particular keyword in its description, you can quickly show the property (or properties) on the map by entering the MLS® number, address, postal code, or keyword, in the box provided, then clicking the Search button.

Note that if you are searching for an address it is sufficient to type in just the street number and street name, or either one of the two. It's best not to include the street type (e.g., RD, AV, ST, etc.) since sometimes properties on the same street have been entered inadvertently by the Real Estate Board with different street types (RD instead of AV, and vice versa, for example).

After properties are found, the map moves to the geographic centre of the properties and only these properties are shown on the map. In addition, a yellow status line appears near the top right corner of the map reminding you of the keywords entered. Click on the status line to show once again all properties on the map.
A keyword you specify can actually be a sequence of words separated from each other by a space character; in this situation, a property is found only if every word specified is in the property's description (in any order). This is called an AND search. For example, to look for properties with the words barn and pond in their descriptions, specify barn pond.
To find a property with any of several specified words in the description, enclose the alternative words in parentheses and separate them from each other with a comma character. This is called an OR search. For example, to look for properties which have the words fixer-upper or TLC in their descriptions, specify (fixer-upper, TLC).
If the order of the words is important, put them inside quotation marks in the desired order. For example, "priced to sell" (with quotation marks) would match the description "property is priced to sell" but not "priced at assessed value, can also sell furniture to buyer". A search for priced to sell (no quotation marks) would match both descriptions.
Note that a search normally looks for an exact word match (or for the plural or singular of the word). To match any word that begins with the characters in the keyword, add a * (called the wildcard character) to the end of the keyword. For example, pano* matches the words panorama or panoramic. Put a - (called the not character) in front of a keyword if you're looking for a property that does not contain the word. For example, court -tennis matches all properties containing the word court except those that also include the word tennis.

Property Information

Quick Summary. To quickly see the price, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the house size, the lot size, the house age, the street address, and the number of days on market, click the property's marker on the map and the information will appear in a yellow summary box below the marker. To hide the summary box, click the close box in the top right corner of the box or click any area of the map not covered by the summary box.
Note that when the map is zoomed out, groups of properties for sale in the same general area are represented by a single "cluster marker" with a number in the centre indicating how many properties have been combined. This is done to make it easier to see map detail when there is a large number of properties for sale in an area. As you zoom in the map (by clicking the cluster marker itself, for example), fewer properties are included in clusters until, at higher zoom levels, individual property markers begin to appear. At this point you can click the property marker to see the quick summary box for the property as described above.
Property Detail. To see detailed information about a property, click (or the property's picture) in the property's summary box. The information that appears replaces the map on the screen; click the Map button at the top of the page, or the Map It button in the body of the property description, to show the map once again.
Click the Email button in the body of the property description to send a brochure for the property to any email address.
Click the Show Street View button, if it's not grayed out, to activate Street View panoramic photos (see below). If the button is grayed out, Street View photos are not available in the immediate vicinity of the property.

Assessed values are shown for most properties. They are determined annually by BC Assessment, a provincial Crown corporation, and are intended to be an estimate of the value of a property (for taxation purposes only) on July 1 of the previous year (the "valuation date"). For example, the valuation date for 2011 assessments is July 1, 2010. Most municipal taxes levied on a property are based on a percentage of the assessed value with the specific rate depending on the tax category.
An assessed value does not necessarily reflect current market value for several reasons: (1) market conditions affecting the value of a property can change quickly whereas the assessed value always relates to the valuation date, (2) assessors do not often visit individual properties so are unlikely to be familiar with the unique characteristics and general condition of a property that can affect value, and (3) although all assessors follow the same general valuation guidelines, one assessor may apply these guidelines differently than another, resulting in inconsistent valuations even within the same jurisdiction.
Property List. To view a list of the properties shown on the map, click the List button above the map. Click the Map button at the top of the list page to show the map once again.
Mark the Favourites only checkbox at the top of the list page to show only those properties which you have identified as favourites. All favourites are shown in the list, even those that are not in the current viewing area or that do not satisfy the current search criteria.
Click the address of a property in the list to display detailed information about the property.
Property Boundaries. Approximate boundaries — often offset slightly from their actual locations because of the low precision of the available data — are shown for most properties included on the map. In cases where multiple lots are being sold together, the boundaries for only one of the lots in the group is shown. In some cases, where a subdivision is in progress or where the property is a strata lot, the boundaries shown may be of the entire subdivision or strata complex, not of the specific lot being sold. No guarantees or warrantees of accuracy or precision with respect to these boundaries are made. You should consult original plans, or conduct new surveys, to determine exact boundary positions.
When using wide-screen devices, boundaries can also be shown for all properties, not just those for sale. You can turn the display of these boundaries on and off using the Lot Lines checkbox in the top right corner of the map. If you click inside the boundary of a property, the address of the property, assessment information, and lot size will appear in a yellow box near the property.
Favourites. You can mark properties of interest as favourites to make them easy to spot when viewing the map. The marker for a favourite is .
There are several ways to toggle the favourite status of a property:
1. Use the Favourite checkbox in the property's summary box.
2. Use the Favourite checkbox in the property's detail page.
3. Use the Favourite checkbox in the property's row on the list page.
Mark the Favourites only checkbox at the top of the property list to include only those properties which you have identified as favourites.
Your list of favourites is automatically saved when you leave the map and restored when you return.
Fresh Inventory. A marker with a green outline identifies a property that is new to the market in the past two weeks. A marker with green vertical borders identifies a property whose price has changed in the past two weeks.
Price Trends. An arrow following a price indicates whether the price has decreased (↓) or increased (↑) in the past two weeks.

Google Street View

Street View Panoramas. Street View is a Google service that lets you explore street-level 360-degree panoramic imagery of an area. You can easily change the direction of view — left and right, up and down — using Street View controls.
You can activate Street View in front of a property by clicking either the Show Street View button in the property's summary box or a similar button near the top of the detail page for the property. If the button is grayed out, Street View is not available in the immediate vicinity of the property.
When Street View is activated, a Street View window appears, covering the map. Click the Return to Map button in the top-right corner of the Street View window to exit Street View and show the map once again.
You will see lines with directional arrows on them along streets in Street View. Click the arrows to move along the street. When you reach an intersection, you can move onto a cross street by clicking its arrows. On a touch screen device, you can use swiping gestures to change the direction of view.