To search our listings database, start with the property search box at the top of any Real Estate page. Select an option to indicate whether you want to search properties for sale or for rent. You can then search for properties in a variety of ways, including the following:

- By city, state or neighborhood (For more information, see How are neighborhoods defined?)
- By property address (For more information, see How do I search for a specific address?)
- By valid ZIP code (For more information, see How do I search by ZIP code?)
- By property ID (For more information, see How do I search by a listing’s ID?)

You can narrow your search results by selecting a property type, property price and number of bedrooms. From the search bar, property searches can also be filtered in the following ways:

- "For sale" properties can be filtered to include only those with open house information, or only new homes (new construction). Select the appropriate check box in the search bar.
- "For rent" properties can be filtered by these options: No Fee, Open House or Vacation Homes. Select the appropriate check box in the search bar.

You'll have the ability to add multiple cities, states or neighborhoods on any search results page (or by clicking "Advanced Search" in the property search box), and you'll be able to continue to refine your search criteria to ensure that you're getting the results that best match your property needs.

When you type characters in the search box, matching locations and ZIP codes appear as suggestions to help you quickly complete your search. If multiple locations match the characters you've entered, they will be sorted as follows:

- New York state, Connecticut and New Jersey (neighborhoods will appear before cities, and cities before states)

- All other locations, sorted alphabetically (neighborhoods will appear before cities, and cities before states)

Click "Advanced Search" in the property search box at the top of any Real Estate page. Or, once you reach a search results page that lists properties, you can easily expand your search, change your search, or search in multiple cities or neighborhoods. Options for refining your search appear on the left side of the page:

- Selecting Multiple Cities: Click the "Select Cities" link at the top of the search refinement area on the left side of the page. Select additional cities by marking check boxes in the pop-up that appears. Click the "Search Selected" button when you are satisfied with your selections.

- Selecting Multiple Neighborhoods: Click the "Select Neighborhoods" link below the appropriate location in the search refinement area on the left side of the page. Select additional neighborhoods by marking check boxes in the pop-up that appears. Click the "Search Selected" button when you are satisfied with your selections.

Note: We display cities or neighborhoods (if we have listings in those areas) within a 30-mile radius from the original location searched.

Yes! Click "Advanced Search" in the property search box at the top of any Real Estate page. Or, once you reach a search results page that lists properties, you can search by keyword for specific words (e.g., mansion, pool, sunny, etc.) in the body of the matching listings. Simply enter a word in the keyword field at the bottom of the search refinement area on the left side of the page. You can also search for an exact phrase (e.g., "heated pool" or "open space") by surrounding the phrase with quotation marks.

Once you reach a search results page that lists properties, you can refine your initial search in a variety of ways. Select any of the following parameters located on the left side of the page in the search refinement area:

- Price Range: Set your minimum and maximum price range by dragging each price slider to the left or right
- Number of Bedrooms
- Number of Bathrooms
- Square Feet
- Property Type (Condo, Co-op, single family house, etc.)
- Listing Type (New Construction, Open House, etc.)
- Popular Features (Elevator, Doorman, Pool, Fireplace, Fitness Center, etc.)
- Location Amenities (Retirement Community, Metro Area, etc.)
- Pet Policy
- Parking
- Date Listed
- Heating/Cooling (Electric, Gas, etc.)
- Basement (Finished, Unfinished, etc.)
- Lot Acreage
- Style (Victorian, Colonial, etc.)
- Construction Type (Stone, Stucco, etc.)
- School (District, Elementary School, etc.)

Note: These parameters are dynamic: they are displayed only if a listing in our database is available based on your selected search criteria. Some listings do not include these parameters -- it is up to the listing agent to add these fields. Any of these parameters can be removed from your search criteria at any time; simply clear or reset them on the left side of the search results page.

In an effort to provide our readers with high-quality and geographically precise listings, we encourage all brokers and agents to provide us with the listing address so the property can appear on maps. In the case of New York City, the address is also considered in the sort order: listings that include an address will appear above listings without addresses.

Property listings on NYTimes.com are sorted in the following manner:

- In New York City properties for sale, we return results that have an exact and validated street address first. Then we sort by price (descending). We validate street addresses through a program that compares listings to the City of New York's records.

- Outside of New York City and for all rental properties, we return results sorted by price (descending).

Note: You can change the sort order at any time by using the "Sort By" drop-down menu on the top right side of the search results page.

To make it possible for you to search for properties in neighborhoods throughout Manhattan and its five boroughs, we have defined specific geographic areas and linked them to commonly used neighborhood names (e.g., Upper West Side, Flatiron, Hell's Kitchen, Clinton Hill, Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, etc.). Our definitions of these neighborhoods may not match a broker's definition or the definitions on another Web site. Neighborhoods are difficult to define because they change over time and are subjective in many ways.

That said, we have tried to take an unbiased, user-friendly approach to neighborhood assignments. Additionally, the boundaries used for property searches reflect the same neighborhood definitions used by the Times editorial staff for articles about those areas. This correlation will make it possible for us to integrate NYTimes.com editorial content with property search results (coming soon). For advertisers, this neighborhood boundary consistency improves the accuracy of your listings and will more closely align listings with relevant editorial content.

Please also keep in mind that neighborhood definitions only affect readers who choose to search by a specific neighborhood. Neighborhood assignments do not have any impact on property searches conducted by ZIP code, city, town, and so on. We are continuing to evaluate new ways of communicating neighborhood boundaries to our readers. Our goal is to create the best possible property search experience; accordingly, we may periodically redefine New York City neighborhoods in order to provide the most accurate and comprehensive search results.

Note: When we are provided with the exact address for a property, we assign a neighborhood based on our geographic definitions. When we do not have an exact address, we assign a neighborhood (if one exists) based on the geographic center point of the listing's ZIP code.

In the property search box (available at the top of every Real Estate Page), type a street name or street number and name (e.g., 68th Street). Click Go or press Enter. All matching properties will be returned. Click a listing for details.

Note: Some brokers do not supply us with addresses. If you search by address, only listings that include addresses will be returned.

In the property search box (available at the top of every Real Estate Page), type a valid ZIP code (United States and Canada only). All matching properties will be returned. Click a listing for details.

If you know the ID used by brokers for a particular listing, or if the listing has been assigned an ID by The Times (e.g., properties that are for sale by owner), type the ID in the search box (available at the top of every Real Estate Page) or in the keyword search box that appears on the Advanced Search page and on search result pages.

Not at this time, but this feature is coming soon.

Yes! Once you reach a search results page that lists properties, you can use the map to search for properties. Click the "Search by Map" option above the map, on the right side of the page. You can also click "Expand Map" to more easily view properties on the map.

Simply click and drag the map in the appropriate direction. As you move the map, the page will be populated with listings based on the current map location. The numeric pinpoints on the map correspond to the results listed on the page.

Note: Clicking a city or neighborhood icon on the map will automatically return you to a traditional list-based search.

Yes! Property sellers can include photos and floor plans. To view a larger version of a photo, click a thumbnail image. Click the right or left arrow next to the thumbnails to view additional photos. Click a large photo to zoom in further.

To view a floor plan or video tour, click the appropriate tab below the thumbnail images.

Note: Photos, floor plans and video tours will be displayed only if provided by the property seller.

Yes! Once you reach a listing detail page that lists information about a specific property, you will see the following recent sales data and nearby school information:

- Recent Sales: For searches in New York City, we return results from the Department of Finance. Results include the date of transaction, distance, property type (e.g., condo, co-op) and price range of recently sold properties, providing market insight. For searches outside of New York City, we base results on data collected by third parties. Usually, there is at least a three-month lag for recent sales data.

- Nearby Schools: We base these results on data collected by third parties.

Note: The total number of bedrooms is currently not available from the New York City Department of Finance and is therefore not displayed with recent sales data. Also, we will soon offer more detailed community information, such as neighborhood guides and price trends.

Once you reach a listing detail page that lists information about a specific property, you will see a list of nearby cities and neighborhoods. Click a city or neighborhood to add it to your search (you will be returned to the search results page).

Nearby cities and neighborhoods are defined as follows:

- Nearby Cities: This list shows the six closest cities, within a 10-mile radius.

- Nearby Neighborhoods: This list shows the six closest neighborhoods, within a 10-mile radius.

Many! We offer a number of tools on both search result pages and listing detail pages:

- Saved Listings: Save up to 50 listings. They will be saved in your account for future reference.
- Saved Searches: Save up to 10 searches. All search refinements will be saved for the next time you visit our site.
- E-Mail Alerts: Get notified by e-mail when a new listing matches your search criteria.
- RSS Feeds: Use an RSS reader to keep up with listings that match your search criteria.
- Send to Mobile: Send listings to your mobile device — take listings (including photos) with you on the go.
- Mortgage Calculator: Calculate an approximate monthly payment based on asking price, down payment, loan term and annual interest rate.
- E-Mail: Send listings to your friends.
- Print: View the page in a layout optimized for printing.
- E-Mail Agent: E-mail the listing broker directly.
- Broker site links: View the current listing on the broker's site or all listings on the broker site.

Note: You must create a real estate account in order to take advantage of saved listings, searches and e-mail alerts. Click "Sign Up" on a Real Estate Page to create an account.

Many of our location definitions have been changed to improve search accuracy. These changes may make your saved searches and alerts inaccessible. Please save your searches and create your alerts again; from now on, they will be retained. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Please contact our Customer Support team:

By phone: 866-698-3485 | 888-594-7173
By e-mail: onlinere@nytimes.com

We have created an FAQ page specifically for our advertisers, to help surface your listings with increased accuracy.

http://images.gabriels.net/NY/FeedSetup/advertiser-frequently-asked-questions.htm