The Best New Features of the CDX

By Catherine Erney
Xceligent

The CDX -- Commercial Data Exchange -- the database that all COCIE members work on every day -- is a work in progress. It has been built almost exclusively by suggestions submitted by member users. For example, in Tenant ProspeX, you have the option of checking "Exclude Tenants from My Company's Listings when prospecting for tenants. You can thank Angie Schumacher of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker for that time saving feature -- she suggested several years ago.

As a result of Xceligent's strategic alliance with LoopNet, improvements to the CDX are coming more quickly than ever. These are some of the latest and greatest -- and a sneak peek at some of the new features in the works for future releases:

View My Listings and Update my listings has recently been combined into one simple click on your desk top -- View/Update My Listings.

Here, all of your data is easily accessible in our fully customizable triple stacked results grid. While we're at it -- did you know that you could customize those search results? To make your own selections -- click on "Customize Search Results" under My CDX in the Quick Links on the left hand side of your home page. Because of my data responsibilities, I always want to see the last data any record was updated. If your business is primarily Industrial, perhaps you want to see clear height, dock highs or drive-in doors. If your business is office, building class might be more important to you. It's up to you. Please call if you need help with this feature.

Adding Images
Within View/Update My Listings, adding photos and flyers is easier than ever. To update any of your properties, click on the or ( sale or lease) icon to the left of the "Hits tracker." That will bring up a screen that gives you access to every part of the property record for your listing. The tabs at the top indicate different parts of the record you might want to update. The "Listing" tab relates to all of the parts of your listing. Not surprisingly, the Property tab would be where you'd make changes to the property record. For example, if the available suite had four dock high doors, you'd make that change in the Listing record. If you the building has 3 phase power, you would make that update in the property record. But check out that Photos/Flyers tab.

This is where you can add any image: photos, maps, floorplans, aerials site plans, news stories and more to the property record and brochures and flyers to your listing -- all under one convenient tab. Remember -- the CDX -- Commercial Data Exchange -- is a database that we are all working together to create. Any images that you add to the building record will become a part of the CDX forever. Therefore, you want to be sure to add your flyers and brochures to your listing. When you successfully sell or lease the property -- your marketing materials will go away when you mark the listing sold or leased.

Adding images is still simple Windows browsing, just follow the big orange buttons. However, it's now much easier to attach your materials in the appropriate place. Once you've successfully uploaded the jpg or pdf -- all you have to do is check a simple check box to attach it appropriately adding the flyer to the listing and the other attachments to the permanent property record.

Archived CDX Mail
CDXMail Plus is one of our more popular recent upgrades. Did you know that you can search archived CDXMails by sender, topic, date, company -- or all of the above? So, when you have just taken a new listing -- you can pop into "Search Archived CDXMail" and check for recent client requirements that you might be able to fulfill. Or if you remember a particularly piquant message -- it's easy to check it out. Archived CDXMail records date back to June/July of 2006.

Everyone working in COCIE is aware of our new Verified Sales Comparables database by now. The VSC search screen was recently aligned in the same, simple five-step process that will be very familiar from The Search. We covered the new reports that are available in this new database in last month's article. Future plans for this service include allowing agents to create their own personal comps databases within the VSC database to store proprietary information about their own transaction -- and the melding of My Comps with the Verified Sales comparables. These features are far in the future -- but the future seems to get here more quickly than we ever imagined.

Your input encouraged
Do you want to be part of the process of creating this valuable tool? We regularly survey our Super Users, Board members and agent members for opinions and ideas. You can submit your suggestions at your homepage through "Contact Us" -- "Enhancement Requests." Finally, you can call Cat (202-7025) or Angie (537-0967) with your ideas.

COCIE Statistics

As a COCIE member, not only do you have access to the data for the Columbus area, but for Xceligent systems nationwide. Therefore, you have access to:

Columbus:                           Nationwide:
Buildings -- 13,209                 72,025
Square feet -- 434,342,725      5,076,428,489
Properties for lease -- 4,562    63,945
Properties for sale -- 2, 039     41,604
Members -- 615                      25,912
DECK Members -- 43

New firms
A Worthy Destination
CRLO Properties
Highland Real Estate
Sorrell & Company
USA-1 Real Estate
Watson Appraisal