What is OpenEstate and who stands behind it?
This project was founded by Walter Wagner & Andreas Rudolph in May 2009. Since 2005 we’ve been working for several online-projects, that are closely connected with the real estate industry. At the moment we’re involved in the following german-speaking projects: immo.openindex.de, immobiliendiskussion.de, etc.
While we’ve been working on these different projects, we’ve reached the limits of realizability in many situations. Of course it’s possible to implement new ideas & features into our real estate projects (website, software or whatever). But as soon as we have to interact with external software-solutions, we’re faced to the problem of data-transfer. Without a commonly accepted specification, this can become a ‘hell of work’ pretty soon.
In case of a real estate portal, many ideas can’t be realized, if most of the customers are restricted to the capabilities of their real estate software. In Germany there are several real estate standard’s available, mostly based on XML. This improves the bad situation indeed, but all of these standards are not free (in sense of Open Source) and / or not actively maintained anymore.
In times of Web 2.0
there is still no betterment within sight – so we decided to start the
OpenEstate project and define a free specification based on our present experience.
Under the label of OpenEstate we’ve defined our real estate data types into a XML schema. Based on these schema, a data-transfer between our users / customers can be done more efficiently – compared to other solutions.
We’re actively developing the specification together with our projects. Up to now, there are no further information available for public. But it is planned to release the specifications as soon as all preparations have been finished.
The specifications (including reference implementations) will presumably be licensed as Open Source.
- Everybody may implement the specifications into his project.
- Everybody may modify / extend the specifications.
- It is absolutely free to use the specifications.
A real estate standard is only valuable, of it is accepted and used by many users. To establish the
OpenEstate-specification on a wide user range, we’ve decided to create a real estate software called
OpenEstate-ImmoTool
.
Our primary goal was to create a software, that illustrates the functionality of the OpenEstate standard. As time goes by, this little program shall be developed to a complete software solution for small and medium sized real estate agencies.
OpenEstate-ImmoTool is licensed as Freeware.
- Everybody may download and use the program for free.
- Everybody is invited to join the development. We’re open for any kind of ideas.
- A self-written add-on may be released under any type of license.
- Everybody will become free technical support.
We’ve decided to share and discuss our work with the community. For the first time in real estate business there is a choice between Open Source and Closed Source. Both worlds indeed have their right to exist. The only important fact is, that you have this choice.
It is up to you, to join the OpenEstate project. We’re happy about any kind of support: