BC Real Estate Map

User Guide

Map Legend

For Sale

Open House

Sold (Pending / Closed)

Expired

New Listing
< 1 week ago

Favourite

Price Decrease
< 1 week ago

Price Increase
< 1 week ago

House

Apartment

Townhouse

Manufactured Home on Pad

Vacant Lot

Multi-Family

Commercial

Creating an Account

To create an account, you must provide your name, email address, telephone number, and the password you want to use to sign in to the map. For security reasons, once you create an account you will receive an email with instructions on how to confirm your password. Once you confirm, you can sign in by clicking the Sign In button and providing your email address and password. Mark the Remember Me checkbox if you want to automatically sign in every time you visit the map page from the same browser. Your account and password is valid for 30 days but can be renewed.

When you are signed in to the map, a variety of map data is saved automatically when you leave the map page and restored when you return and sign in (even if you return on a different computer). Here is what is saved:

• The map position, zoom level, and view type.
• The property types you have selected for display on the map.
• The list of properties you have marked as favourites.
• The list of saved search queries.
• Custom search regions you have created.
• The setting of the Solds button and how many days of sold data to show.
• The setting of the Expireds button and how many days of expired data to show.
• The setting of the Schools button.
• The setting of the Agricultural Land Reserve button.

• Days on market
• Room information (name, dimensions, level)
• Bathroom information (number of pieces, ensuite status)
• Number of finished storeys in the home
• Basement information
• Finished floor area for each level in the home
• Unfinished floor area
• Renovations information
• Flooring type
• Suite information
• Pad fees
• Strata rules
• Roofing material
• Foundation type
• Construction type
• Exterior finish
• Outdoor features
• Parking (garage information and total number of parking spaces)
• Parking access
• Rear yard exposure
• Fireplace information (number, type of fuel)
• Heating information
• Water supply information
• Sanitary sewer information
• Zoning information
  
  And for the Vancouver, Fraser Valley, and Chilliwack regions only:
  
  
• Sold properties
• Expired properties

If you forget your sign in password, click the Forgot password? link on the Sign In page, then follow the instructions shown. Instructions on how to confirm the new password will then be sent to your email address. The new password is activated as soon as you confirm.

Basic Map Navigation

• Zooming. There are several ways to zoom the map in and out:
  1. If you are using a touchscreen device, use standard pinching gestures.
  2. If you are using a desktop computer, use the scroll wheel on your mouse.
  3. Use a trackpad scrolling gesture. (Move two fingers up and down.)
  4. Use the zoom tool on the right side of the map.
  5. Click a cluster marker — this is a marker with a number on it which indicates how many properties are represented. As you zoom in, individual property markers will begin to appear.
  6. Double-click at a location where you want the map centered. This also zooms the map in by one level.
  7. When using devices with a physical keyboard, you can use the Shift-drag technique to zoom in to a specific area of the map currently in view. To do this, hold down a Shift key while clicking and dragging the mouse from one corner of the area to the opposite corner, then release the mouse button. To cancel the operation, release the Shift key before releasing the mouse button.
  8. Press the + key on the keyboard to zoom in one level and the - key to zoom out one level. This works when the map has focus; if it doesn't already have focus (because a pop-up menu or a text entry box is active), click once inside the map frame first.

• Centering. Centre the map around a point by double-clicking the desired point. This also zooms the map in by one level.

• Panning. View neighbouring regions by clicking in the map and dragging the mouse to move the map. You can also move the map directly to a region of interest by clicking the Move… button in the bottom right corner of the map and then clicking the desired region name in the list which appears. (This may also change the zoom level.) To cancel a move, click the close box in the top right corner of the list.
  
  Click the location tool on the right side of the map to centre the map around your current location. Your location is indicated by a blue marker at the centre of a blue circle. The size of the circle reflects the precision of the determined location.

  Use the left-, right-, up-, and down-arrow keys on the keyboard to pan the map a small distance to the west, east, north, and south, respectively. When using macOS, hold down the fn key while pressing an arrow key to pan the map a greater distance; for Windows, use the Home, End, Pg Up, and Pg Dn keys. This works when the map has focus; if it doesn't already have focus (because a pop-up menu or a text entry box is active), click once inside the map frame first.

• Changing View. Select a standard Street view, a Terrain view, or a Satellite view by clicking the Layers button in the top left corner of the map then clicking the corresponding view button in the dialog which appears.

• 
  Measuring. You can measure distances on the map using the Measurement tool which appears on the left side of the map. To use this tool, first click it, then click the start of the line you wish to measure. Next, click the end of the line — the distance from the starting point (called the segment distance) will be shown in a yellow distance box near the middle of the line segment. Keep clicking to measure additional line segments which begin at the previous end point. To stop measuring, double-click the map.

  When you stop measuring, the line segments remain on the map with a Done button in a yellow box near the top edge of the map. This box also shows the total distance of all line segments and the area of the object being measured (to calculate the area, a line segment is assumed to run from the end of the last segment to the start of the first). To remove the segments from the screen, click the Done button.

  You can modify the positions of the line segments after you have stopped measuring. Simply drag the solid squares shown at the end points of the segments. To add more segments, drag the dimmed squares shown mid way along a line segment. After you make a change, an "undo" button appears; click it to cancel the change.

  Click a solid square at either end of a line segment to remove the point; the line segments will be redrawn automatically.
  While you are measuring you can cancel at any time by clicking the Cancel button in the yellow box near the top edge of the map.

Searching

1. Defining Custom Search Regions. You can find properties for sale in any specific geographic region you like by defining a custom search region then selecting the name of the region in the Geographic Region pop-up menu on the Search page. After you perform a search including a custom search region, the region is centered on the map and only properties located inside the custom search region are shown.
   
   To define a custom search region, first click the region definition tool on the left side of the map. Then draw an outline around the desired region by clicking each corner point and finish by double-clicking the last corner. (You can cancel defining a region by clicking the Close button in the yellow instructions box near the top of the map.) When drawing is completed, a dialog box appears asking you to provide a name for the custom search region. Type in any name you like and click the OK button to add the custom search region name to the bottom of the Geographic Region pop-up menu.
   To delete a custom search region, choose its name in the Geographic Region pop-up menu on the Search page, then click the Delete this Custom Region button that appears below the name.
   You can modify the shape of a custom search region after it has been created and is visible on the map. Simply drag the solid squares shown at the corner points of the region. To add more corners, drag the dimmed squares shown mid way along the line segment connecting two corners. After you make a change, an "undo" button appears; click it to cancel the change.

   Click a corner point to remove the point; the region will be redrawn immediately.
   If you are signed in to the map, your list of custom search regions will be saved when you quit the map and automatically restored the next time you sign in.

2. Saving Custom Searches. If you have created an account and are signed in to the map you can save the current search filters so that the search can be repeated quickly and easily at any time. You can also request that email alerts be sent to you when new properties satisfying the search filters come on the market or when the prices of properties change.

   To save the current search, go to the Search page, click the Search manager pop-up menu, then choose the Save current search… item; in the next dialog enter a name for the saved search, choose a Send me updates by email option (choose Daily if you want to receive email alerts whenever new properties satisfying the search filters come on the market), then click the Save Search button.

   When you request updates by email for a saved search, the email message normally includes only matching properties located within the portion of the map that was visible when the search was saved. Before saving the search, you can change the visible portion to the region of interest by panning and zooming the map. For more control over the region to be searched, define and select a custom search region instead.

   To run a saved search, choose its name from the Search manager pop-up menu. Note: Several standard searches appear near the top of this menu; their names are enclosed by brackets, [ Like This ].

   To delete a saved search, choose the Delete a Saved Search… item from the Search manager pop-up menu; in the dialog which appears, select the saved search to be deleted, then click the Delete Search button.

Property Information

• Quick Summary. To quickly see the price, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the house size, the lot size, the street address, the number of days on the market, and a photo of the property, click the property's marker
  on the map and this information will appear in a small summary box near the marker. Notice that an animated circle briefly appears around a marker after you click it.

  Click the MLS® Number button in the summary box to see a detailed information page for the property.

  If there are multiple properties for sale at the same location, a dialog appears which includes a list of the properties sorted initially by number of bedrooms. Click a column title to sort by the values in that column (and click again to sort in reverse order). Click the line for the property of interest to show its detailed information page. Click the close icon in the top right corner to hide the dialog.

  To hide the summary box, click the close icon in the corner of the box or click any area of the map not covered by the box.

  

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  When the map is zoomed out, groups of properties for sale in the same general area are represented by a single "cluster marker" with a number in the centre indicating how many properties have been combined. This is done to make it easier to see map detail when there is a large number of properties for sale in an area. As you zoom in the map (by clicking the cluster marker itself, for example), fewer properties are included in clusters until, at higher zoom levels, individual property markers begin to appear. At this point you can click a property marker to see the summary box for the property as described above.

  Click the Heart symbol to toggle the favourite status of the property on and off.

  Click the Pegman symbol to activate Street View panoramic photos (see below). If nothing happens, Street View photos are not available in the immediate vicinity of the property.

• Property Detail. To see detailed information about a property, click the MLS® Number button in the property's summary box.

  The detailed property information appears in a new window; close it to return to the interactive map.

  Property Boundaries are shown for most properties included on the map in most regions. In cases where multiple lots are being sold together, the boundaries for only one of the lots in the group is shown. In some cases, where a subdivision is in progress or where the property is a strata lot, the boundaries shown may be of the entire subdivision or strata complex, not of the specific lot being sold.

  Boundaries will also be shown for all properties, not just those for sale, at higher map zoom levels. A small dot inside the boundary of a vacant lot or detached property indicates that the property has sold in 2003 or later. Below the dot is the price and year of the most recent MLS® sale. (Dots appear only for properties whose sales were recorded on the MLS® System of Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, or Chilliwack & District Real Estate Board.) Tap the dot to see a detailed information sheet for the property in a separate window.

  If you click inside the boundary of a property, the following information, if available, will appear: the address, assessment, PID, estimated bedroom count, estimated bathroom count, estimated year built, and lot size. If multiple properties are located inside the selected boundary (because it surrounds a strata building, for example), an address pop-up menu appears which allows you to choose a specific unit and show its assessment (where available). The lot area will also be highlighted on the map.

  For properties located in the City of Vancouver and City of Victoria, a list of recent building permits (back to 2017 for Vancouver and back 365 days for Victoria) will appear. Click a row in the list to see more detailed information about the permit.

  Also shown is a list of any transactions relating to the property which were recorded on the MLS® System of Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, or Chilliwack & District Real Estate Board. Sales transactions since 2003 (but not private sales) are shown as well as listing, expiration, termination, and cancellation transactions since 2018.

  The list of MLS® sales transactions is based on the current PID of the property. If the PID of the property has changed in the past (perhaps it had a temporary PID when it was first subdivided), transactions associated with the old PID will not show up in the list. Transactions may also not show up if the property is associated with more than one PID.

  No guarantees or warrantees of accuracy or precision with respect to these boundaries are made. You should consult original plans, or conduct new surveys, to determine exact boundary positions.

• Property List. To view a list of the properties shown on the map, click the List icon above the map. Click the Map icon at the top of the list page to show the map once again.

  Click the MLS® Number button in the list to display detailed information about the property. Click the Map symbol to show the property centered on the map.

  Properties are initially listed in price order from lowest to highest. To change the order, use the Sort pop-up menu which appears above the list. Click the triangle icon next to the menu to reverse the order of the sort.

• 
  Favourites. You can mark properties of interest as favourites to make them easy to spot when viewing the map. If you create favourites while signed in to the map, you will automatically receive updates by email when the price of a favourite property changes, when it sells, or when it goes off the market.

  There are two ways to toggle the favourite status of a property:

  1. Click the Heart symbol in the property's summary box.
  2. Click the Heart symbol in the property's tile on the list page.

  If you are signed in to the map, your list of favourite properties is automatically saved when you leave the map and restored when you return.

• Fresh Inventory. A map marker with a star next to it identifies a property that is new to the market in the past week. The marker for a property where the price has decreased in the past week includes a green arrow pointing downward; if the price has increased, the green arrow points upward.

• Schools. Use the Layers button in the top left corner of the map to turn on and off the display of elementary and high schools (public and independent) on the map. Schools are represented by graduation cap symbols; click a cap to learn more about the school and see an outline of the school's catchment area, if available. The Schools button is highlighted in green when it is on.

• Agricultural Land Reserve. Tracts of land in British Columbia that have been set aside by the government for agricultural use are part of the Agricultural Land Reserve. Use the Layers button in the top left corner of the map to turn on and off the display of the boundaries of ALR tracts. For more information on the ALR, go to the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission website at www.alc.gov.bc.ca.

• Active Properties. Use the For Sale button at the top of the map to turn on and off the display of properties which are currently for sale. When the button is turned on, you will see a panel that allows you to choose the period during which the properties to be shown were listed. If you mark the Or $ changed checkbox you will also see properties that changed price during this period.

• Sold Properties. Use the Solds button at the top of the map to turn on and off the display of sold properties. (This includes Pending deals which are unconditional and awaiting only registration at the Land Title Office as well as Closed deals which have already been registered.) When you tap the button to turn it on, you will see a panel that allows you to choose choose the period during which the properties to be shown were sold. Detailed information on sold properties — including the sold price — is shown only when you are signed in to the map.
  Sold information is available only for properties that were listed on the MLS® System of Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, or Chilliwack & District Real Estate Board.

• Expired Properties. Use the Expireds button at the top of the map to turn on and off the display of expired properties. (This includes property listings that have expired, terminated, or have been cancelled.) When you click the button to turn it on, you will see a panel that allows you to choose the period during which the properties to be shown expired. Detailed information on expired properties is shown only when you are signed in to the map.
  Expired information is available only for properties that were listed on the MLS® System of Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, or Chilliwack & District Real Estate Board.

Google Street View

• Street View Panoramas. Street View is a Google service which lets you explore street-level 360-degree panoramic imagery of an area. You can easily change the direction of view — left and right, up and down — using Street View controls.

  There are two ways to activate Street View. The first method is to automatically place Pegman on the street facing a particular property by clicking the Pegman symbol which appears in the summary box for the property. If the symbol does nothing when clicked, Street View is not available in the immediate vicinity of the property. In this situation, you can use the second method (if available) to place Pegman on a nearby street instead.

  The second method — available on larger-screen devices only — is to drag the Pegman symbol which appears on the right side of the map. When you begin to drag it, those streets that have a panorama available are outlined in blue; drop Pegman on any of these streets that you wish to explore.

  If Pegman is grayed out and cannot be dragged, no panoramas are available for any location currently in view.

  When Street View is activated, a Street View window appears, covering the map. Click the Exit Street View button in the top right corner of the Street View window to show the map once again.

  You will see lines with directional arrows on them along streets in Street View. Click the arrows to move along the street. When you reach an intersection, you can move onto a cross street by clicking its arrows. On a touch screen device, you can use swiping gestures to change the direction of view.