Real Estate Web Design: Are You Being Sold?
Abstract: Real Estate Web Design experts review the needs of
Realtors(R) and real estate brokers, and highlight the
advantages of dynamic real estate websites.
The most successful real estate agents and brokers realize the
value of their agency websites and are constantly working to
improve them. Unfortunately, many agencies throughout the United
States are still working with static websites that are difficult
and costly to maintain.
But how do I upgrade? you ask. Often this is not a simple
answer. You need to consider the needs of your business and your
agents. How will you manage listings? Are you using a Multiple
Listing Service (MLS)? Should your agents have access only to
certain parts of your administration panel, and not others? What
about logging agent and visitor actions on your website? Here is
what you should look for in any real estate management system
you contract for:
Dynamic, searchable listings. If your listings are not
currently in a database and searchable, they need to be. This
feature is the reason so many homes are sold online. It's the
"shopping in your underwear" principle: if a web surfer can
access information about your homes at 11pm, and in a bathrobe
while watching
ER, no less, a whole new window of
opportunity is opened, allowing you to showcase your listings
24/7. He immediately emails you and sets up a showing; you
arrive at your office the next day, get the email, call him, and
you're on your way to making another sale.
Easy contact methods. All the interactivity on the Net
won't help you if your potential client can't get in touch with
you. Make sure that your newly designed website has plenty of
opportunity for users to click to your contact forms: a link
from every listing, and multiple contact methods (phone, email,
etc.). Don't require too much information on the form, but make
sure you get enough: at least a name, an email address, and a
phone number. Also, don't rely on straight email links to get
the job done: many computer users do not have a default email
program installed, so when they click on your link all they will
find is a setup wizard--a confusing and annoying situation for
many users.
Lead management. The other end of the line of
communication must be tied in: your lead management system must
dovetail perfectly with your website. If you have an existing
lead management system, see if your web design company has
already built an interface for it, or would be willing to build
one for your website. If you do not have a lead management
system, find a website system that will provide one for you,
seamlessly integrated with the site itself, such as the
AWS Real Estate Manager.
System logs and user management. Real estate agencies,
unfortunately, are not immune to legal issues with personnel and
properties. System logs help you track down what was done on
your site, when, and by whom. Make sure that whatever real
estate website you choose includes a system log that shows you
key activity on your site. You'll thank yourself later when a
dispute arises.
Likewise, you'll need to specifically manage which sections of
your site certain agents are allowed to edit, and others they
are not. The administration panel of your website should have a
section for setting user permissions: whether a user can edit
all listings, or only those assigned to him; whether he can add
or delete other users on the system; how many listings he can
have and how many images attached to each; whether he can access
the system logs, etc. These features will help you properly
regulate the bandwidth and quota your site uses so you won't
incur extra charges each month, as well as avoiding duplicate
work and conflicts among agents.
Self-updating site pages. If you've outsourced updating
of your real estate website to a web design company, you know
how expensive it can get. Such updates need not reach so deep
into your agency's coffers. When researching your new site, see
if it provides a tool to allow you to create whole website pages
on your own.
But I can't write webpage code! you say. You shouldn't need to.
If the site is designed correctly, you'll have a form that walks
you through the process of adding page data and content,
complete with hyperlinks, images, font formatting, table
creation and all the HTML essentials--with nothing required
except a little aesthetic sense. With such a system, you could
easily save $2500 or more per year on outsourcing costs.
Whether you're starting a new real estate agency or are looking
for a new design for your real estate website, this information
should help you find an effective system that will suit your
business's needs. Other items to consider are search engine
friendliness of the website system, marketing skills the firm
can bring to the table, and support. Armed with these questions,
you can be sure you're getting your money's worth, and that
you'll encounter as few problems as possible with the
implementation and maintenance of you new website.
Tom Burke
http://www.awsinternet.com
About the author:
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