Download Directly To Your GPS

A new feature recently added to Google maps will allow you to download individual open house listings direclty to your GPS device.  Here is a brief description of how to use the feature with OpenHomz.com

When you are viewing a single listing (listing view) in OpenHomez.com, click on the "Map and Driving Directions" link under the property address.  This will take you to Google maps with a pin for the address.  In the upper right corner of the page, on the blue bar, click on the Send link.  Yes it looks like it's going to send an email, but wait!!!  

On the left hand side the SEND dialog you can select GPS (or email or car).  The BRAND drop down lets you select your GPS brand including Garmin, Insignia, Pioneer, and TomTom.  If your GPS device is on the brand list and is attached to the computer (or phone ?) you are using you should be able to click the SEND button at the bottom of the dialog and the address will be sent directly to your GPS.

That's it.  If anyone has real world experience with this and would like to share, let us know. We've only tested this in a lab environment, but it seems to work.

Google Base Syndication

Finally!  After a lot of back and forth with Google open houses posted on OpenHomez.com will automatically be published in Google Base.  The feed will be read by Google once per day at about 4AM Pacific time.  Open houses will be posted as Events and Activities in Google Base.  You can find all posting for OpenHomez.com on Google Base here.  

Items posted in Google Base will expire either after the open house or after 14 days, whichever is less.

We know a lot of you have been waiting for this syndication.  Thank you for your patience while we worked through our issues with Google.