A Flexmls map search allows you to create customized searches for properties in specific geographic areas. If you’ve already been doing map searches, you’re probably familiar with the three different shapes that are available on your map toolbar: circle, rectangle and polygon.
Within, Not Within and Intersection
Once you’ve selected and drawn your shape, you’ll see it listed above the status field of your search template. Clicking the gray area above the name of the shape will give you the options within, not within or intersection. You can draw more than one shape per search and even mix and match the shapes.
The most common reason to create a search using shapes is to find properties within a specific area. Maybe your buyer wants to live near a highway or in a certain neighborhood within a subdivision. Since within is the default setting, you won’t need to do anything except draw the shape and enter in any other parameters that match your search needs.
Choosing not within when drawing a shape will limit results to listings that are outside of the specified area. This can be helpful if a buyer wants to be a certain distance from something, such as an airport.
By drawing more than one shape and choosing intersection, you can find listings that fall within the boundaries of all desired areas.
You can save these customized map searches the same way you would any other search. If you need to brush up on the basics of using the Flexmls map, check out our Map Search Cheat Sheet.
