Setup Options
- Internet Explorer is highly recommended. The site has not been tested on other browsers although users of Firefox and Safari have reported accessing the site successfully.
- Need to allow cookies. For instructions on how to do this in Internet Explorer 7, see the topic “Customize your privacy settings for an individual website” in the Help Index
- Need to allow popups for RealtyMarketUpdate.com. Popups are used for Help and Zoom functions. When prompted by the browser, select the option to allow popups from this website.
- Set zoom level to 100%. If not, some charts do not display properly
Using the Site
- Data on Hover – If you hover the mouse cursor over a bar, line, or pie chart slice, the number represented will display as a tooltip.
- Context Menus – Clicking the right mouse button over any chart will display a menu with the following items:
- Copy Chart – copies the chart image to the Windows clipboard.
From there, you may paste it into a Word document or Powerpoint
presentation … or any other document type
- Print – Brings up a Print dialog
- Zoom – Opens a popup window with a larger version of the chart image
- Help – Opens a popup window that contains an explanation of the chart
and it’s potential uses
- Show Toolbars – There is a button named ‘Show Toolbars’ on the right side
of the upper navigation bar. This will display a toolbar below each chart.
The toolbars contain the same elements as the Context Menu plus 3 more
(for subscribers to the ‘Advanced’ version only). They only display
after a user has logged in:
- Select Chart Type allows the user to select from several types of display.
The data may be displayed as bars, lines, or points
- Select Color Palette provides selection of several alternative color schemes
- Toggle 3D View toggles the chart back and forth between 2D and 3D views.
Chart Notation
Notation for the most part should be self explanatory. Please note the following:
- Read the subtitles on the charts carefully. They will include the town/city name,
property type, and price range of the data included on the chart.
If property type and price range are not included, then the chart
covers all property types and all prices
Scale Breaks
Jagged horizontal lines near the top of the chart are called
scale breaks. Scale breaks are used when most of the data falls into range,
but there are 1 or a few points that are very much higher or lower.
In the example below, most properties in Westport are between $500K and $4,500K.
But there was a sale at around $25M. The scale break just takes away what would
have been a lot of empty space on the chart.
Missing Data
Funny looking x’s represent missing data. There were no multi-family
properties on the market in Brookfield between February and May of 2005.
When there’s no inventory, Months of Supply cannot be calculated. This is indicated
by the symbols on the chart.
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