Overview of Searching

CONTENTS

Click on any topic below to go directly to that section in this tutorial.

Touchscreen Note. Where instructions are to select or click, touchscreen device users would touch, press or tap as appropriate for your device.

Overview

This tutorial provides an overview of how to Search Listings and view search results in CTI Navigator Web II.

The process of searching is similar whether you are searching Listings or Rentals (or Tax rolls where they are available). You can start a Search by selecting (see Touchscreen note) the “Search Listings” shortcut in the LINKS section of the Home Page, or by clicking Search in the main menu-bar at the top of all the main screens in CTI Navigator. 

When the Search Listings screen opens, the Search Menu-bar (with blue background) and the Search Toolbar (with white background) display directly below Navigator’s main Menu- bar (which appears at the top of all screens) as shown below.

The Search Listing shortcut on Navigator's Home Page automatically sets Form Type as Residential, and Status as Active. If instead you click Search in the top menu-bar, you can select any Search Type, including "All Listing Types."

Note. When searching "All Listing Types" only criteria that are common across all types can be searched. For example, since Lots and Land do not have bedrooms or baths, these criteria cannot be included in a search across all listing types.

You can easily change the Search Type by clicking (or tapping) on the down button () beside the current Search Type on the search toolbar and selecting a different type. The Form Type will automatically change to be compatible with the Search Type.

Alternatively, you can either select a Search Template; select one of your Saved Searches (under “My Searches”); or select a Client and then select a search you have saved for that client. (When a Client is selected, “My Searches” changes to “Searches for: [ClientName]”.)

Click on the Map button in the search toolbar to either display on a Map those properties that match currently entered criteria, or to add search criteria based on geographical location. (Click here for details.) Click the Criteria button to switch back from the Map view to the text view in Search. The same button toggles to display Map or Criteria depending on the current view. 

The most frequently used search criteria for the selected Search Type are listed down the left side of the screen. At least one of the criteria items displayed in red must be specified.
  (Click on this image to enlarge an example of a Residential search criteria screen.)

To specify a search criterion item and how it is to be used in your search:

• Click on the item Name, such as Property Type or Price. This will highlight that item and open it to display its modifier settings. Click on the name again to hide the modifiers.

• Accept the default “Match Type” or change it by clicking inside the box and clicking on a different modifier. Typical modifier options are
  • Equal, Begins With, Anywhere, Ends With, or Not Equal/BeginsWith/Anywhere/EndsWith;

  • Equals Any, Equals All, Not Equal; - see note below

    "Equals All" Note. Do not select "Equals All" for criteria that are mutually exclusive. Equals All is not the same as selecting all. When Match Type is set to "Equals All", only listings each of which match all those criteria will match.  For example, any listing has only one current Status (Active or Contingent or Expired or Sold et cetera). If you set the Match Type for Status to "Equals All", there are zero listings that would each match all statuses. If you set Area or Zone to Equals All, none of the listings will individually be located in all Areas or all Zones, so the match count would be zero regardless of any other criteria selected.

    To select all items for a criterion, set Match Type to "Equals Any" and use the multi-select procedure appropriate for your device (see "select more than one item" below).

  • Equal, Minimum, Maximum, Between.
     
• Click on an item in a “Select Items” list to select it, or enter a value by typing in an empty box, or click on the spin button beside the box (if available).
  • To select more than one item in a List, hold down the Control in Windows, or Command key on a Mac when clicking on each item, or use the equivalent gesture on a touchscreen

  • To select a block of items (such as the entire list), hold down the Shift key (in Windows or on Mac) when you click on the first and last item in the block, or use the equivalent gesture on a touchscreen.
  • To apply a Match Type to multiple Text entry items, separate the item names with a comma (which creates an "Or" relationship).

• Click on a highlighted item in a “Select Items” list to un-select it.

• To un-select more than one highlighted item in a list, hold down the Ctrl/Command key or equivalent, and click on the items.

• To un-select all items of a search criterion (so that none are used in the search), click the Clear button below the item name.

As soon as you enter or change search criteria and click on another search item (to complete your entry), the number of listings that match all the search criteria you have specified so far will automatically display in the “Match Count” section of the Search Menu-bar. You also can click on "Match Count" (or "Update Match Count") in the search toolbar to manually run the search and display the number of listings that match all the search criteria currently specified. This count can be useful to know as a starting point when you first open a saved search. 

To see an example for entering search criteria, click here.

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On the "Save Search" screen, enter or modify any features associated with this search (such as Name and Description).  You can associate the search with a custom table format (if you have created one), and if desired, you also can associate it with a client and set it to automatically search and notify yourself and/or your client. After entering or confirming the search features, then click "Save" at the top of this screen. Note that the search and/or changes to the search will not be saved until the Save button is clicked on the Save Search screen.

When you save a search, Saved Searches can be easily reopened by clicking their name in the My Searches box on the Search Menu-bar.   

Select Save Template or Save as New Template to save your customized search criteria and their layout but to include only some preset values (as a starting point), and leave the value of other criteria in your list to be specified when you open the template to start a new search.  Select "Save Template" if you opened an existing Template and want to save changes to it. Select "Save as New Template" to save your current search criteria with a name and description. A Saved Template can be easily reopened by clicking in the Search Templates box on the Search Menu-bar and selecting its name under "Personal Templates."   

Summary Statistics Report

To create a “Summary Statistics Report” for the listings that match all of the search criteria that have been specified, click the Options button and select Summary Statistics.

Summary statistics for Non-Sold listings include the:

• Total Number of Non-sold listings that match the search criteria;
• Average, median, lowest and highest list price; and
• Total Dollar volume of these non-sold listings.

Summary statistics for Sold listings include the:

• Total number of Sold listings that match the search criteria;
• Average, median, lowest, highest price, and total price Volume for both List and Sold Price;
• Price differential of Sold to List Price as a percent price differential of Sold to Original Price as a percent;  and
• Average Days on Market (where permitted by your local MLS office). 

Click Preview to see a Summary Statistics Report in your browser without printing it.

To save or email a Summary Statistics Report, click the PDF button. Then use the save or email features in your PDF Viewer.

Market Conditions Report

To create a “Market Conditions Report” for the listings that match all the search criteria that have been specified, click the Options button and select Market Conditions. Enter a period ending date for the report. Statistics will be based on the 12 months immediately preceding the period ending date.

To include a one-line summary for each individual property in each time period covered by the Market Conditions Report, if desired, check “Show supporting detail.”

Note that Listing Status and Dates should not be included in the search criteria on which a “Market Conditions Report” is based.

Click Preview to see a Market Conditions Report in your browser without printing it.

To save or email a Market Conditions Report, click the PDF button. Then use the save or email features in your PDF Viewer.

For further details on creating Summary Statistics Reports and Market Conditions Reports, click here.

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Example Entering Search Criteria

Follow the steps below as an example for entering search criteria for a fairly simple Residential search. In this example, you will set the criteria for Active or Contingent, Residential properties, priced between 175 & 200 thousand dollars, with at least 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a minimum of 1800 square feet living space, built on or after 2000, and with VA/FHA or Owner Financing. 

The quickest way to open a Residential Search from the Home Page is by clicking on the Search Listing shortcut in Links. You also can click the Search button in Navigator’s menu at the top of any page and then select Residential.

The default values for Form Type and for Status should display when the Search Residential screen opens. To open a search criterion field so you can select or enter the appropriate modifiers, click anywhere on the row displaying the field name. To hide a criterion's modifiers, giving you more screen space to display other criteria, click anywhere on the row displaying the field name. (Clicking on the search criterion name toggles the display on and off.)

Form Type: To begin specifying search criteria, confirm that Form Type has its Match Type set to “Equals Any” and Residential is highlighted in the "Select Items" list. If desired, you can click anywhere on the Form Type row to hide its settings.

Skip Listing Number and go to Status. 

Status: under Status, confirm that Match Type is set to “Equals Any” and verify that "Active" is selected (highlighted) in the drop-down list. If "Continent" is not already highlighted, use the multi-select command or gesture appropriate for your device (e.g., hold down Windows Control key or Mac Command key) to also select Contingent. Both Active and Contingent should be highlighted when both are selected.

Price: click anywhere on Price to open its modifier settings. Leave Match Type set to Between; click in the Minimum box and type 175. Then either press the Tab key on your keyboard or click in the Maximum box and enter 200.

Thousands note. Prices are in thousands by default, so leave the “In Thousands” box checked, and do not enter 3 zeros for thousands. For example, enter 175 for $175,000.

Skip to Bedrooms: click anywhere on Bedrooms to open its modifier settings. Leave Match Type set to Minimum; and enter 3 in the text box. You can either type the number 3 or click on the up-down spin button to select 3.

Full Baths: click anywhere on Baths (Full Baths or Baths/Full) to open its modifier settings. Leave Match Type set to Minimum; then click and enter 2 in the box.

SqFt: Click on the appropriate Square Feet item for your MLS (Heated, Living, Above Grade, or Approximate) if displayed. (If not displayed, see the Arrange Fields note below.) Leave Match Type set to Minimum, then click in the box and enter 1800 (do not enter a comma).

Arrange Fields note. If a search field for Square Feet is not displayed by default, click Search Options in the Search Menu-bar, select "Arrange Fields" (or "Add Field to end") and add the appropriate field (as described here). Also add the field for "Financing Terms" since it is not normally displayed on the system default search residential screen.

Actual Year Built: click on  "Actual Year Built" to open its modifier settings. Leave Match Type set to Minimum; then click and enter 2000 in the box.

Financing Terms: Click on Financing Terms to open its modifier settings. (If not displayed, see the Arrange Fields note above.) Leave Match Type set to “Equals Any” and select VA/FHA. Then scroll down (if needed) and use the multi-select command or gesture appropriate for your device (e.g., hold down Windows Control key or Mac Command key) to also select “Owner Finance.” Both VA/FHA and Owner Finance should be highlighted. 

(Click on this image to see the criteria settings and display sequence used in this example)

To see the number of listings that match all the search criteria that have been specified so far, view (or click on) the “Match Count” or “Update Count – Matches” button in the Search Menu-bar, just above the search toolbar. 

Click the Summary button in the Search Menu-bar to open the one-line per listing "Summary" Search Results screen in its default table layout;  -- or --

Click the Details button in the Search Menu-bar to open the Details screen for the first listing in the current default layout for search results.

Note that the Summary, Details, and Criteria buttons toggle to display the appropriate option for the current screen. For example:

• If you click the Summary button on the Criteria screen, the button toggles to display Criteria on the Summary screen.
• If you click the Summary button on the Details screen, the button toggles to display Details on the Summary screen.

▲ Return to Table of Contents ▲ 

Search Results Screens

Summary Screen

Click the Summary button on either a Search Criteria screen or on a Search Details screen to display a one line summary for each listing that matches the search criteria.

If the listings are sorted, the sort column will be indicated by a triangle icon ( ascending or descending) in the column heading (such as Price in the above image). Click on a column heading in the summary table to sort by that column, to change the direction (ascending or descending) in which displayed listings are sorted by that column, or to remove the sorting (the triangle icon disappears) so that a different column can be used to sort. More than one click may be required to sort in your desired direction. For more information on sorting, including multiple column sorting, see the Introduction and Usage Guide tutorial.

Sort Conflict Note: If clicking on a column heading does not affect the sorting, either click on the Options button and select “Clear All Sorts”; or find and click on any other column displaying the sort icon to remove its sorting setting.

To change the sequential order in which the columns display in a results table, click-and-hold on a column heading, then drag-and-drop it in the desired location.

To change the width of a column in a results table, click-and-hold on the right-side of the column boundary line, and drag the boundary line to the desired width.

To change which columns are displayed in the Summary Results table, click on the Options button on the Search Toolbar,
       

and either

• select Add Column or Delete Column as desired; - or -
• select Save/Manage Tables, and then select an existing table that you previously created and saved (i.e., one of your “Personal Result Tables”).

You also can change the columns by clicking in the box beside Tables in the Summary Results screen toolbar and selecting a System Result Table or a Personal Result Table that you previously created and saved.

To select a listing for further action (such as printing or emailing), click on the check-box beside the listing in the first column of the summary table. To Select All properties, check the box in the first column heading, or click Options, click Select  , and click "Check All."