Pointers for Website with Extensive Search Functions

[Brand Nubian]

As you can see from the handle, I am a complete newbie. My company is looking to develop a website with both simple and advanced search functions. We are in real estate and the site would be to show off various properties we would advertise. We would require a simple, Town & City OR ZIP Code Search for the Simple Search, and a more detailed Advanced Search that would have approx. 10-15 parameters involved. There would be at least hundreds of properties listed on the site, each of which would need their own page, which would include a photo, location, and pertinent information.

My questions are basically what am I going to need to put this together? What is necessary to put together the search functions? I hear there are different programs PHP, MySQL, ASP that are used for these things, what are the benefits/drawbacks of each one?

Thanks in advance for any help. Sorry about the vagueness, but we are really starting from Square One on this and any guidance will be much appreciated.

[aprilcanadian]

I hate ASP but thats just ME. I never grew fond of it. PHP and MySQL are often used together and this is most probably the best option for you. The MySQL is for your database and the PHP for your sites pages. The good news if your not a professional designer you can find lots of scripts out there in PHP to help you do this, its not at all hard to set up....I'm not trying to discourage you anyone can learn...but if you want the site to be professional.....this is after your business...and not a hobby....I would hire a good designer, unless you have lots of time to learn.

I have been house hunting some here and nothing annoys me more then a poorly laid out real estate site...and loads of them are terribly poor. I click away fast suspecting they are not professional companies.

What you want is very simple to hook up for someone with a bit of experience and wouldnt cost you too much.

If you have time to learn yourself ...properly then by all means start with your HTML/XHTML then go get started on PHP and MySQL.....you would want to use them together.