Besides real estate I still do some web site design and programming on the side. I design my own site (RealtorBillDunn.com) and am still adding features to it. I even download the raw data from the MLS, parse it and put in the database. Then I write web pages to display that info.
While writing a new page for email alerts, I ran across this issue again that I wasn't sure how to handle. The issue being the number of baths. The MLS's raw data provides the number of half baths and full baths. The issue is when you display the number of "baths". How do you report that some are half and some are full. I was going to use this formular but I realized it was wrong - baths = full baths + (half baths x .5) This formula is wrong when the number of half baths is greater than 2.
Example: 2 full baths + ( 2 half baths x .5) = 3 (wrong!)
I found an example in the MLS and checked Realtor.com to see how they addressed this. To my surprise it was wrong! The example I checked was 802 Jefferson in Paducah, KY. This home has 2 full baths and 2 half baths. Realtor.com says this home has 3 baths - wrong!
I checked another home at 845 Palisades Drive in Eddyville, KY. It also has 2 full baths and 2 half baths. Realtor.com says it has 3 baths.
I think I'll change my formula to just add the half baths and full baths and not differntiate between the size of the bath.
Two half baths shouldn't count as a single bath.
Way back, I used to do my own database work and data parsing like you are doing. I found it was just as easy to display both fields as it was to combine the two. If you have them separated in the raw data you get, why not just display it like this...
Baths: # Full # Half
On some pages I differentiate betwen half baths and full baths. Some pages I don't.
My point was that Realtor.com doesn't differentiate. The number of baths is incorrect IMO.
I got a reply from Realtor.com about this. They are aware of it and believe it's the correct way of doing it. I don't but I guess that's just me. I don't believe 2 full baths plus 2 half baths should equal 3 baths. It should be 4 baths.
Bill - it should be 2 baths + 2 half baths. Although 4 baths is probably a little closer to describing for different WC's.