Real Estate investment calculator

**rancid** · 08-13-2008, 04:56 PM

A friend of mine is designing this calculator to analyze real estate investments. It is in the early prototype stages. Check it out and let me know your thoughts. http://www.realval.com/ Click the login tab on the left and sign in as a new user.

With all the debating on the forums about second homes and investment values of them, I thought this could be helpful.

**AAbsolute** · 08-13-2008, 05:48 PM

I didn't make it quite far enough in college (1 semester) to be able to fully take advantage of all the features of that system. I like to apply addition and subtraction to my simple trasactions, but someday.... Thanks

**rancid** · 08-14-2008, 05:42 PM

Nobody interested? Is the second home market that bad?

**30ashopper** · 08-14-2008, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by rancid

Nobody interested? Is the second home market that bad?

I haven't had a chance to play with it, but it looks pretty neat. I have a couple spreadsheets that do this stuff but before I found (and paid) for those I would have loved a free online version.

**dunefrog** · 08-14-2008, 09:22 PM

I tried it. Only got through a few screens before bailing out. I want to give honest feedback, so please don't take offense.

I think the user interface needs to be redesigned as a step by step wizard. As it is now, it's just not easy to use.

For example, I have to click a menu item to go to each step. Why not just take me step by step in logical order? With next and back buttons for each screen. Don't make me figure it out. And give me a sense of where I am in the whole process. Am I 10% finished? 50%? How long is this really going to take me to fill in all the blanks.

Then after I click the menu item I get a message that says something like "_____ Have Not Been Entered For This Property. Click Button Below To Add Data." Instead of taking me to this message, make the software smart enough to recognize if I have entered something already or not. Very easy to do this programmatically.

That's about as far as I got. Sorry. I would like to look at it more, but I was getting a little annoyed with it in its current form. I think it's a great idea. Helpful tool for the investor. Potentially great revenue from click-through ads for the software company. But if this is going to take off, IMO, it needs a usability overhaul.

Please let me know when you get closer to launch. I'd love to look at it again. And thanks for letting me know it's out there.

**rancid** · 08-15-2008, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by dunefrog

I tried it. Only got through a few screens before bailing out. I want to give honest feedback, so please don't take offense.

I think the user interface needs to be redesigned as a step by step wizard. As it is now, it's just not easy to use.

For example, I have to click a menu item to go to each step. Why not just take me step by step in logical order? With next and back buttons for each screen. Don't make me figure it out. And give me a sense of where I am in the whole process. Am I 10% finished? 50%? How long is this really going to take me to fill in all the blanks.

Then after I click the menu item I get a message that says something like "_____ Have Not Been Entered For This Property. Click Button Below To Add Data." Instead of taking me to this message, make the software smart enough to recognize if I have entered something already or not. Very easy to do this programmatically.

That's about as far as I got. Sorry. I would like to look at it more, but I was getting a little annoyed with it in its current form. I think it's a great idea. Helpful tool for the investor. Potentially great revenue from click-through ads for the software company. But if this is going to take off, IMO, it needs a usability overhaul.

Please let me know when you get closer to launch. I'd love to look at it again. And thanks for letting me know it's out there.

No offense taken. My friend is the designer of this program. I will forward your post . I had the same issues with user ease. He tells me that in the current stage , he is working on the analysis part of the program. I suggested that when ready, he should hire a web designer who could more easily design the site. Thank you for the input.

**Smiling JOe** · 08-15-2008, 08:25 AM

I'll add that many people greatly dislike, and avoid like the Plague, any site where they have to register and log in for "free" information. You wouldn't believe how many people look at SoWal.com, but never register. I'd suggest to make login optional for those who might want to save and archive the spreadsheets of their investments. Otherwise, allow users to access without registering or logging in.