Reinventing real estate collaboration for Nova Scotia
Industry
Real Estate
Service
Software Development
Team
4 Members
Project Started
Jun 2024
What project was
EVNS is a first-of-its-kind real estate platform designed for the Nova Scotia market, combining real-time VOW/IDX data, accurate property boundary polygons, and modern real estate UX features. It introduced collaborative Pinterest-style boards for sharing and discussing listings, enabling users to plan their next move together.
Who the project was for
Built for Engel & Völkers Nova Scotia, one of the province's most successful brokerages, EVNS serves seven shop locations and over 80 real estate advisors.
Problem:
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Their old website had low traction and poor UX
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MLS data wasn't updating properly in real time
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Needed a modern lead funnel that could scale with their operations
Goals
Build a Complete VOW Platform
Create a powerful search experience with real-time MLS data, rich property information, and enhanced filters across Nova Scotia.
Enable Collaborative Home Search
Allow users to save properties into boards, comment, and invite friends or agents to participate in their search process.
Deliver Performance at Scale
Ensure seamless performance and fast loading times while managing over 700,000 property records and property overlays.
Improve SEO and Searchability
Use server-side rendering and structured metadata to improve rankings and organic growth.
Unify Data for Agent Handoff
Integrate data systems so advisors can manage their own listings, profiles, and leads via CMS with CRM connectivity.
Solution
Novabyte rebuilt the entire EVNS platform from scratch, introducing a new architecture that could support the scale, speed, and usability required for a best-in-class real estate experience.
Collaborative boards
Neighborhood scoring
Commute planner
Historical cutsheets for every NS property
Integrated Google Street View
Currency conversion for international buyers
The entire platform was optimized to render complex map layers and over 700,000 property records in real-time, without sacrificing speed.
Tech Stack
Built for speed, flexibility, and SSR optimization to deliver exceptional performance across devices
Next.js
React
Tailwind CSS
ShadCN
Development Process
We followed an agile development process with biweekly sprints, regular demos, and rapid iteration based on feedback from both the EVNS team and selected advisors. Our design process began with user flow mapping and wireframing in Figma, followed by high-fidelity designs tested on desktop, tablet, and mobile.
The initial build took 5 months, with EVNS 2.0 launching a month later, followed by a complete rebuild for EVNS 3.0 three months after that. Updates like EVNS 3.1 and 3.2 followed in short iteration cycles.
Key development milestones:
Engineered a custom pairing system between PIDs, Polygon IDs, MLS IDs, and AANs
Normalized and cross-referenced government GeoJSON and tax data
Overcame massive data render and sync challenges while maintaining map performance
Built CMS and real-time advisor dashboards with integrated CRM sync
Ensured full browser-based functionality across mobile, tablet, and desktop
Josef and the Novabyte Solutions team have completely redefined what we expect from a digital partner. Their dedication, technical expertise, and creative problem-solving have made this experience not just successful, but genuinely enjoyable. We are beyond grateful for their work and would recommend them without hesitation.
Donna Harding
Broker/Licenced Partner - Engel & Völkers
