Edit Search Results/Sites Summary Pages

There are certain pages in SharePoint where clicking "Edit Page" on the nav doesn't really give you any options. It doesn't allow you to remove or change properties of any webparts nor does it provide the Add Web Part menu. The main pages affected by this "unique feature" are the Search Results page and the Sites Summary Page. On any of these pages add

"?mode=edit&view=shared"

to the end of the web address and you should see the same edit page capabilities as in all other sections.