MyHome.ie - home sweet homepage?

— Published May 11th, 2003  |  by David Moore

A recent survey showed a marked increase in the use of property websites in the US, so this month, we look at Ireland's largest property site, MyHome.ie [http://www.myhome.ie].

The site's best feature is its extensive access to a range of auctioneer's lists. Excellent mapping and aerial photography are genuinely useful, as well as being pretty cool (look, I can see my house from here!).

But why isn't the property search on the homepage, if that's the main draw? It can also throw up some odd results. Looking for a house in Stoneybatter and Arbour Hill, I was shown properties in Swords, a place not easily confused with D7.

The content surrounding the main functionality is a little weak. The slightly threadbare feature articles are not written in a web-friendly fashion, and the large number of commercial 'featured partners' detracts from the credibility of the advice on offer.

There's no content search and very little information on who's behind the website, or even a readily accessible full list of all the auctioneers involved.

The privacy policy is buried deep within a frightening set of terms and conditions, and when you find it, it's less than satisfactory: 'MYHOME will use your personal data for its internal business and marketing purposes and also may disclose the information to third parties not related to MYHOME'. There is an unsubscribe option, but an opt-in policy would be better than this partly hidden opt-out one.

The design is passable, and the text can be resized and the images have Alt tags, so the site makes moves towards being accessible.

The main feature on the site - its property search - is comprehensive and well-executed. You'll come for the search, but you wouldn't stay for the content.

The score

Criteria	(Full marks)	Score
Content	(90)	40
Functionality	(50)	29
Site Design	(30)	18
Total	(170)	87

Related Links:

• MyHome.ie - [http://www.myhome.ie]