BC Real Estate Map
User Guide
To create an account, you must provide your name, email address, telephone number, and the password you want to use to log 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 log in by clicking the Register or LOG IN button and providing your email address and password. Mark the Remember Me checkbox if you want to automatically log 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 logged in to the map, a variety of map data is saved automatically when you leave the map page and restored when you return and log in (even if you return on a different computer). Here is what is saved:
When you are logged in, your name appears in a button on the right side of the bar above the map and the Register or LOG IN button changes name to (Click to LOG OUT). To log out, click the button to save the current state of the map to your account and prevent further changes from being saved. (You are automatically logged out when you close the map page unless you marked the Remember Me checkbox when you logged in.)
If you forget your log in password, click the Register or LOG IN button to show the Map Log In dialog box, click the Go to Change Password page link in this box, then provide your email address and a new password. To change your password, log out first, then follow the same steps. 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.
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 (75% of width or height); for Windows, use the Home, End, Pg Up, and Pg Dn keys instead. This panning method works when the map has focus; if it doesn't already have focus (because a pop-up menu, a text entry box, or the sidebar is active), click once inside the map frame first.
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.
To define a custom search region, first click the region definition tool on the right side of the map. (Alternatively, you can select the Draw a custom region… item in the Geographic Region pop-up menu in the Search Filters dialog box.) 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 region name to the bottom of the Geographic Region pop-up menu.
To rename or delete previously-defined custom search regions, select the Manage custom regions… item in the Geographic Region pop-up menu. A dialog box appears which shows the names of the current custom search regions and provides buttons for renaming and deleting the regions.
To save the search defined by the group of filters you have set up in the Search Filters dialog box,
To run a saved search, choose its name from the Saved searches pop-up menu above the Search Results list in the sidebar to the right of the map.
To change the properties of a previously-saved search (i.e., its name or frequency), or to delete a search, select the Manage saved searches… item in the Saved searches pop-up menu. A dialog box appears which shows the names of the custom searches, the frequency of email alerts, and the search filters. If you change the name or frequency of a custom search, click the Save Changes button to confirm the change. Click the Delete button to delete the search entirely.
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.
By default, the Search Results list shows properties in a gallery view which includes a large property photo for each property; the photo is overlaid with information about the property. You can switch the list style to a compact table view by clicking the view symbol to the right of the Sort pop-up menu. Click it again to return to the gallery view. Note that when table view is active, you can click a column title to sort by values in that column (or use the Sort pop-up menu to see the full set of sorting options).
The list shows all those properties in view which satisfy the search filters. If you mark the Must be on Favourites list checkbox at the top of the list (or the one in the search filters dialog), a Compare Favourites button appears above the results list. Click this button to show a side-by-side summary of the favourite properties in the list in a new window.
Note that when you move the mouse over a property's entry in the list an animated red circle appears on the map to highlight the location of the property. This circle disappears when you move the mouse away from the entry.
When gallery view is active, in the information section for a property in the list you can perform the following actions:
Every couple of seconds the photo shown in the summary box automatically changes to another one available for the property.
If there is more than one property for sale at the same location (this happens, for example, when there are multiple units for sale in an apartment complex), the summary box shows information for only one property but switches to another available property every couple of seconds.
The information panel which appears covers the Search Results list normally found in the sidebar; click in the panel's title bar to hide the panel and reveal the list once again. This also returns the map to the same centre and zoom level in effect before the information panel was shown.
For properties listed in the Vancouver, Fraser Valley, or Chilliwack regions: If the property shown in the information panel is part of a strata, you will see the building name (or strata plan number) on the line below the street address. This name is followed by an apartment symbol ; if you are logged in, you can click the symbol to open a new window containing information on the strata building including lists of active and recently sold units. Click a property's box in either list to show a detailed information sheet for the corresponding property.
If there are multiple properties for sale at the same location, a panel appears that 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 information panel.
There are several tasks you can perform inside the information panel:
A similar property is one located within a 10 km radius of the subject property and which has a price within 25%, a home size within 25%, and the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms, plus or minus one; for vacant lots, the price and the land size must be within 25%.
Click the Show Similar Properties on Map button below the list to show only the similar properties on the map. In addition, a circle with a 10 km radius appears on the map along with a yellow box in the top left corner of the map reminding you that only similar properties are being shown. Click the box to show all properties on the map once again.
Assessed values are shown for properties in the City of Vancouver, City of Victoria, City of Surrey, City of Abbotsford, and Township of Langley. Click the Show Assessment History button to see a list of assessments for the past several years as well as an assessment history chart. These histories are generally available for all areas of the province even if the current year's assessment is not yet available.
Assessed values are determined annually by BC Assessment, a provincial Crown corporation, and are intended to be an estimate of the value of a property (for taxation purposes only) on July 1 of the previous year (the "valuation date"). For example, the valuation date for 2022 assessments is July 1, 2021. Most municipal taxes levied on a property are based on a percentage of the assessed value with the specific rate depending on the tax category.
An assessed value does not necessarily reflect current market value for several reasons: (1) market conditions affecting the value of a property can change quickly whereas the assessed value always relates to the valuation date, (2) assessors do not often visit individual properties so are unlikely to be familiar with the unique characteristics and general condition of a property which can affect value, and (3) although all assessors follow the same general valuation guidelines, one assessor may apply these guidelines differently than another, resulting in inconsistent valuations even within the same jurisdiction.
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 and District Real Estate Board.) Click 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 in the sidebar: the address, assessment, PID, estimated bedroom count, estimated bathroom count, estimated house size, estimated year built, and land size. If multiple properties are located inside the selected boundary (because it surrounds a strata building, for example), an address pop-up menu appears at the top of the sidebar which allows you to choose a specific unit and show its assessment (where available). The land 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 and 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 property information panel which appears covers the Search Results list normally found in the sidebar; click in the panel's title bar to close the panel and reveal the list once again.
The help tip dialog normally appears when the map first starts up. If you are logged in to the map, a Show tips at startup checkbox appears in the dialog; use it to indicate whether you want to see the help tip dialog at startup time.
There are two ways to activate Street View. The first method is to automatically place Pegman on the street facing a particular property of interest. Do this by clicking the Pegman which appears below the photo in the property's information panel. If the cursor becomes a prohibition sign when you attempt to click this Pegman, a Street View photo is not available in the immediate vicinity of the property. In this situation, use the second method to place Pegman on a nearby street instead.
The second method 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.
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.
In the Street View window there are controls in the lower right corner for changing the orientation of the panorama. Click the arrows in the compass, or use the left and right arrow keys on the keyboard, to spin the photo to the left or right. (If the keyboard doesn't seem to work, click in the Street View window first to make it active.) You can also change the orientation by dragging the image in the Street View window.
Click the + and - controls to zoom in and out of the panoramic photo.
When you move the mouse inside the Street View window, you will see lines with directional arrows on them along streets. Click the arrows to move along the street or use the up and down arrow keys on the keyboard instead. When you reach an intersection, you can move onto a cross street by clicking its arrows.
