The bond MS SQL Server 2005 and MS ASP.NET 2.0 was
chosen for the implementation of the demanded functionality.
Initially the decision on the portioning of all users
into 5 groups with regard to the role executed by the site user was taken. Thus,
we received the following 5 groups of users and vested them with the corresponding
authority:
- Seller – chooses his representative, i.e. Agent, presents information on the real
estate to the Agent, creates and edits the sales offers, views bids, makes deals,
hold negotiations with buyers;
- Buyer – chooses his representative, i.e. Agent, searches and views the existing sales
offers, places and edits bids, gets consultations from Agent, makes deals, holds
negotiations with sellers;
- Agent – can be either Buyer's or Seller's representative. Creates and edits sales
offers, views bids, searches sales offers, makes deals, holds negotiations with
Sellers and Buyers, renders consultant services, controls the process of making
deals;
- Lender – grants loans to Buyers;
- Administrator – controls the site settings and received comprehensive information
about the process of its operation.
For each role we designed a separate set of pages and
Wizards, and the look and the content of pages is automatically adjusted depending
on a certain logged user, who views this page. Thus, each site user received a set
of pages intended specially for him.
For a possible rendering of consultations to the users,
a technology on which an Agent can give advices to the Buyer during Bids creation
was designed.
For the automation of creating sales and bids offers
we used automatically filled in and automatically calculating fields, data entry
into the forms on the base of preliminarily entered information and different Wizards.
For example, all data from a preliminary agreement can be automatically entered
into Wizard of creation of sales offers, and Agent's advices to Buyer can be automatically
entered into the Wizard's entry field at the bid creation.
Besides, we implemented the import of information about
real estate from the external RETS servers, and a certain RETS server can be chosen
from the list of servers supported by the system and the site Administrator received
an opportunity to add and adjust settings of interaction with new RETS servers supported
by the system.
To make bids creation easier, we implemented the mechanism
of automatic creation of overlaying bids at the placing of a new bid by one of the
Buyers and called this mechanism "AutoBidding". The user at his own discretion can
adjust it and switch on for a guaranteed bid placing with the highest price.
In order to provide a possibility of direct negotiations
between the users we implemented the Wizard under the code name "Counter Offer".
Its essence is that Seller, Buyer and their Agents could make counter offers to
certain users on certain sales offers after the auction is closed, and both Seller
and Buyer may make a non-limited number of "Counter Offers" and in the result of
this process come up to the agreement, satisfying both sides.
In order for the users to be able to exchange different
data, we implemented a possibility of receipt and sending of faxes with the use
of "eFax" service.
In order for the users to be aware of all the events
taking place on the site and in the system, we implemented a sending of messages
about important events via Email, and the display of mostly important messages on
the user's personal pages.
We used AJAX technology at the site creation in order
to make is convenient for users, that is why pages are not completely refreshed,
they do not twitch and do not irritate users. We also used more stylish and convenient
for a user AJAX controls rather than standard ones.
To provide a possibility of determining a location
of the real estate we used GoogleMap, in particular, GoogleMap API and any user
can preset some location and see on the map how to reach the desired real estate
object.
In order to provide a set of functionality on control,
site adjustment and presenting of comprehensive information about the process of
its operation we implemented the Administrator Panel. The site Administrator received
wide abilities on the control over users, sales offers, bids, news and messages,
site parameters, rates for the services rendered, adding of support and adjust settings
of interaction with new RETS servers, getting of different reports on the site condition
and on the process of its operation.
To provide a possibility to pay the services rendered
by the site we implemented a support of PayPal paying system.