Building Your Own Real Estate Website
Posted on March 8, 2011 in the General Real Estate News category
A website is an important part of a business now days. Most businesses have a website online that increases their business to 50% or more because a number of people search for the right product or service online before they actually go out to buy. It is very convenient for them to look up the information and decide what they want before stepping out.
If you are not familiar with making your own website the best thing to do is to join a software development company who has ready made real estate template and real estate script especially designed for your real estate business. This type of website is hosted by that company and there isn’t much you have to do to maintain your website except for setting it up in the beginning. Step by step instructions are provided. After that you can focus on your real work and watch your business grow through your website. This way of creating a real estate website is easy on the budget and also time. Creating a website on your own will take weeks or even months sometimes. So the simple way is to find a professional company that not only has real estate software for you but also hosts your website for you.
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Thanks to you that’s great share for me
With so many buyers starting their search online, a robust website is a must. Good post.
Today I would go with an IDX a blog using Word Press. Template sites will save you time that’s for sure but do not do well getting indexed in Google. Blog sites do well and as the agent you can add fresh content on a daily bases.
Real estate website is great. You could just let your clients visit the site and have them pick up what they want.
A good real estate website is in demand nowadays. This way, people could search houses online without spending much time to reach that place just to see the property. Also, It saves time and effort to increase your business’ popularity. Good post!
I agree with David. Start with a blog.Then you will have a better idea of how you want your website. I cant really believe any real estate broker has got to 2011 without some web presence already?
I would say real estate websites need to focus a lot on user experience. Our clients are not going to be the persons who are 24 * 7 on the net and so its better to present a crisp idea on what your site is about and how the user should go about it.To tell it in a single sentence you got to make him/her feel that they are in live conversation with you and easily traverse your website
Hmm interesting article. I agree with Steve when he says it must focus mainly on user experience. A site bloated with rubbish isn’t going to go down well.
I think it depends on WHY you want a real estate website.
If you want something to show that you exist and will drive traffic to it yourself, then a template site will do. We call those “brochure sites”.
If you want a site that is out there working for you, you must spend a lot of time (and money!) making it work.
It is like owning a racehorse. You can have a fine looking animal with a superb pedigree, but if you don’t train it properly and have a good jockey, it will never win anyhting!
Looking for a Real Estate Website template, thanks for the link.
I have seen many websites that shows real estate property through RSS.I think those real estate sites are good.
I would also recommend any of the wordpress templates. WordPress has some great plugins that make the templates look very custom. Super easy to get a simple site rolling.
Dont think moving images, music or introduction make your website look more professional. Think about what you value in a website;ease of use, with links which actually go to where they suggest they might take you.
Online search is the most convenient place for everyone these days. And for real estate agents, it is the best way to interact with people searching for there dream home. With the help of websites estate agents are providing home searches even with zip codes.
Yes, you can build your own website – but it reminds me of that old saying about doing your own legal work:
“A man who acts as his own attorney has a fool for a client”
Save yourself a lot of time and trouble – hire a professional. Stick to doing what you do best and let the pros do what THEY do best.
All of these things are important. User experience, certainly, but the best experience in the world will go to waste if searchers never see it!
Yes, you need a website. If you don’t want to build it yourself, certainly get a template site. If you DO want to be more involved in your site, be prepared to study, learn, and be involved up to your eyeballs if you expect any meaningful results.
I agree a website can be so helpful in real estate. It can be costly to hire a firm to create it for you, and its important to keep fresh content on your site so you continue to grow it. But if done properly it is a very effective way to grow your business.
Definetly agree a company site is important, our law firm company boosted in enquiries once our site went live. Took a few months right enough.
This blog gives an idea of how to make an attractive websites for ours business(Real Estate)Which give idea for the people what they are looking for…….thanks for ours views.
Almost 80 percent of the potential home buyers, first search for homes for sale online before they decide to visit it. That’s why having a personal real estate website is so significant for real estate agents for them to compete with others.
Indeed it is now a necessity to have a website, is an integral part of business and no matter what the product or service being promoted.
Real Estate websites are for buyers to do home searches first & foremost secondary to learn about communities they may want to buy in. It’s not about the agent anymore.
While I would agree with commenters above concerning WordPress use, I’ve found Joomla to be much more flexible to getting exactly what I want out of a real estate site. Takes some extra effort and money though…
Some agents use to see a website as an online business card and nothing more. Today, it’s difficult to be successful without incorporating online tools into your overall business model. Very important aspect and great post. Thanks!
i could see this really helping with my property flipping side business.
Web presence is extremely important in today’s culture. Let people set their own searches, and even give them video tips on how to do it. Use technology to your advantage to reach people from all over the country and all over the world!
Great advice. I actually looked it up and used wordpress, and it’s actually been really easy. Anyone who reads this should forget about paying someone to build your website. This advice is perfect. and building a website will build your business exponentially.
Well said! For me having a website is the most important thing to promote your business. It is also the best tool to connect with your current and prospect clients.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful post.
Building your own real estate website can be really interesting…but though as it requires more intelligence now from the internet users and search engine point of views..
And this software is really easy.
Thanks for sharing!
Informative article, WP is probably the best way to promote any proudcts nowdays.
There are line up of people who willing to offer templates, scripts, plugins and every thing you need for free.
Starting a blog is a good place to start. WordPress is a good place to start, because it is more than just a blog- but it’s quite similar. So it is simple, but looks great. Might want to check into it. It’s nice.
You will be surprised!!! but i must agree with David. Start with a blog and then you will see!!!
World wide web has really helped a lot of businesses to grow and that’s the reason we should invest in creating a good website, even if it will cost you several hundred dollars. Having a good website will help you promote your services and products.
You are right about the website being very important. About 99% of our business comes from our website. People are no longer looking through the newspaper or driving around to seek “For Sale” signs. They start online and once the search is narrowed down they will then begin viewing homes in person. Websites can be a lot of work if you maintain them yourself but it is worth it.
I agree – pretty much any business now days needs to have an online presence. When I’m looking at real estate I go to the web first. That way I can see what options are available without any pressure or external input.
I also think “With so many buyers starting their search online, a robust website is a must.” to agree with Scott Realty Team. Guess I got beat to the punch!
Yea, anybody who doesn’t have some sort of website for their business these days is missing out big time. Whether it be a little blog or a profesionally designed site, as long as you get yourself out there thats all that matters.
You will not make it in any business these days without web presence.
Nice post,real estate websites are now a days more popular as compare to other websites.along with the customer relation the real estate company’s give them good offer as well as at affordable price.
Very Good Point!
People are getting more and more interested in searching online not for casual purpose but for very important decision like buying a house is one of them…
so when so many people are buying and searching the properties online the website really need to be user friendly and robust
this is great we are creating a real esstate business and this post was really useful.
I would look for a website provider that offers, a index able MLS. It will do wonders for your SERPS and long tail key words.
I recently read that nearly 90% of buyers start online. To me any agent that doesn’t have a real estate website is crazy. You have to have one otherwise you are just letting money walk out the door.
Great article! Keep up the good content.
Nice post, thanks for sharing the wonderful post.
Nice post,i totally agreed with you, having a good website of your website is necessary for all of us.and it is beneficial for us.and it provide huge difference for those who haven’t there website of their business.
Good content. In this day in age- not only in RE – but any industry, if one plans to make money, a website is a must! They are easier than ever to build and get support.
Yes, David has the right idea. WordPress blogs have great content management systems built into them and are built with the most up to date search engine content and coding. Great article.
It is so nice hearing that there is somebody out there willing to help with the technicalities on making a real estate website. Creating a website is not easy. You have to undergo a lot of maintenance and updating. But knowing that there is a company that would these tasks on your behalf eases every real estate owner.
I would add that if you’re so inclined to start and develop your own website that you invest in Adobe Dreamweaver. It’s a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) browser editor with real time updating so you can make a change to either the design side or the code itself, and those changes will reflect immediately as to how it will look live. This is a must if you are a do-it-yourself’er.
We build our Real estate website on weebly drag and drop editor. It took a while, but ended out looking really nice. I think websites need great features to keep users engaged in the conversation.
It’s imperative now that you have a real estate website if you’re a realtor. I’m surprised at this point if a local area real estate agent doesn’t have a good site, especially considering how easy it is to put one together.
Good article. Doing a website is difficult and best left to professionals – kind of like real estate!
The hardest thing I had to learn was what is important and what is not. That is enough work in itself!
It would be shocking for any experienced realtor to not have their own website in this day and age. But new Realtors have no idea about how crucial it is to have an excellent website and blog.
In a world that almost everybody is using internet, it’s a great idea to have a website for real estate companies. This will add advertising their business and customers can easily check homes for sale.
I would generally agree. I’ve helped a few agents build sites and teach them how to use them. 90% of agents can’t do this on their own and will need help. The majority of these people that tried to build something on their own would have saved time, money and frustration by just hiring someone to build a site with WordPress and IDX. It just gets too complex…
Word press with IDX is great IF the IDX is done correctly. There is tremendous value from a properly set up IDX or RETS solution that will be indexed by the search engines….
I will definitely make one when I’m on the roll already. I’m still on researching before entering real estate business. Thanks for the post, almost forgot this on my to do list.
Having a web site for a real estate agency is indispensable !
It certainly is a must to have a website, and if your business depends on getting new customers from the web, you shouldn’t cut any corners with your site. You generally get what you pay for, so you should really consider how important your site is and if you need a professional designer or just a cookie-cutter site.
Great post… I’ve created my own real estate websites and also have used some templates and had them hosted with real estate website companies. The upside of the real estate website companies is they usually offer some features like listing syndication of special IDX solutions that can get VERY expensive when creating them yourself…
its nice info …
I started my real estate website in over 10 years ago. I had a professional designer create something for me that I really liked. Then I moved to to an IDX website and love it. It’s saved me so much time with uploading images etc. Now I focus on content and blogging. Worth every penny!
Although my franchise offers those canned website builder services, I hired a webdesigner. Most of the website builders are fairly straightforward, there are templates, you add next and photos, but most will be limited on what you can do.
Great post. I would recommend spending $30 and purchasing a wordpress template. They are really easy to use and make a great site.
Real estate website is great. This way, people could search houses online without spending much time to reach that place just to see the property. Thanks to you that’s great share for me
I think what kind of real estate website you build also depends on your target market. If you’re selling residential properties to consumers, your site will need a different, more interactive feel, whereas, if you’re selling commercial properties, I’d go with a much more matter of fact, business-like site.
I completely agree with David. If you really want to rank well on the search engines, and have a site that’s easy to use, edit, blog, add properties, videos, etc, use WordPress for real estate websites. There are free options to cheap to moderate to way expensive.
Some of the benefits are that you can have everything centralized, so you don’t have to visit multiple websites just to handle your blog, your site, your listings, your Social Networking posts, etc. This all can be done through your WordPress admin area, if set up properly. Even posting your properties, automatically, to your Facebook account.
Also, if you’re a broker and your WordPress site is set up for Multisite, you can launch agent sites from your own site, with a few clicks. No programming. Even if you have hundreds or thousands of agents. Yep. The agents could have the same look as your site, thus keeping the branding consistent, but with their own logo, photos, listings, etc. Or, you can provide them multiple “themes” they can choose from. It’s bad ass!
This site is built with WordPress!
Thanks for letting me rant. Heh heh.
Awesome man I really like such an interesting article really too good keep it up
There are also some really great real estate and travel related themes for wordpress sites… it’s the presence of an “open house” gallery that is hard to manufacture without a developer.
I don’t know if I’d go with a templated site now adays. I had one that ranked well, registered high in the search engines for many keywords but once google started changing their algorithms I lost a ton of momentum. I dumped my template site for a wordpress platform and am seeing much better results… it’s a bit more work but it’s worth it.
Website is very helpful when you have your real estate visitors can view the photos of the houses and the info. So it’s easy to them to take a look for a house in your real estate.
I think online reviews are a must nowadays. There are a ton of real estate websites but how do you differentiate one from the other. Content is king but online reviews by customers is even better!
I actually built my own website for my Auckland real estate business here in New Zealand using wordpress.
I picked an appropriate theme, and just created a few articles about the suburbs in my City are around where I work. I submitted these articles to ezine directories, and then once approved got them set up as useful articles on my site, and then did a few backlinks by social bookmarking these articles and also listing my website in local directory sites.
Seems to be working well so far, and I’m climbing up the ranks for my site for my main keyword. All in all, it was very cost effective, I think it costs me $15/mth for hosting, and $10 a year for the domain, and all I intend doing is updating it with monthly newsletters, and new property listings (that once sold get put into the sold category)
Oh, and I also have an opt in form (a free WordPress plugin) that I have connected to my aweber auto responder account ($19/mth cost)
It can be lot of work, but I found it to be fun, challenging and worthwhile. Nice post.
Just came cross your blog. Useful and informative content.
I also believe that putting up a real estate website can be very helpful. Almost all people now rely on the internet for a more convenient search of any thing. It would just be a small investment on your part but can give you greater ROI in the long run.
very cool and nice
I often use open source. available interfaces, I just need to customize it to their attention. the rent or design is essential if you do not understand it.
I found that the easiest way to start a website was through my blog. It develops a relationship with your readers who will then want to check out your website.
With 90% of people starting their search online, a good website is a must. But so is making sure the website is seen (i.e., SEO).
For any business, a website detailing about the business is very important as it will help in many ways to improve your business..
It is very easy to build a website and there are lot of websites over the internet providing free template for any particular kind of business. You can just download the template and start using it for your business website..
Besides having a real estate website, I recommend having a single property site for every house you’re selling, for example 123Main.com. I’ve found this a great way to market and sell houses fast.
This content management system seems to be very good because it allows you to have numerous themes and colors, which is good b/c you don’t want to look like every other real estate website.
Better than a template site is a wordpress site with a template made for real estate, very easy to do.
Being a real estate agent, having a web presence is a must. There’s no better way to reach potential clients.
Yes! I agree with you, almost every business these days got a website. It’s already a part of them and definitely a must have if you want to be successful knowing that everyone seems to be buying and searching online.
Idea for making a real estate website is awesome but unless we respond to query of customers on time we can’t make a good deal
I totally agree. Social media marketing is a powerful and useful tool when handled properly. It allows you to communicate with customers on a personal level and to keep in touch with them throughout the day, that is why it is very important to build an owned website.
One wonderful thing about real estate is that you can choose how many clients you want to work with. If you work a lot, you can make a good living. Or you can do it part time while you continue to go to school and your real estate income will help you get through college.
Creating a website is the Simple thing that turns Every Web Page Into A Huge Discussion Board, Open Forum, Chat, and Social Network..
so creating a website is like coming out of the darkness and exposing ourself to the outside world..thats great!!!
Of course, building a great website is only the first step. It’s been said that if you build a better mousetrap the world will beat a path to your door. No they won’t–unless they know where you live. SEO Search Engine Optimization is essential. One of the ways to do this is to get inbound links from blog like this one.
If you are having difficulties with the codes using on your static websites, you can try WordPress. It has a user friendly environment and WP websites are very friendly to SEO.
Its always wise to seek professional help when it comes down to business. DYI generally works on a more personal note.
You definitely need something that is going to be user friendly and not overly complicated. Put yourself in the shoes of the user. It doesn’t (and shouldn’t) be all about the agent, it should be about giving good, useful information to the potential client.
Thanks Its good to have this information to build real estate website, thanks for this valuable information I will sure implement this techniques to build my sites
Yes, I am agree
Yea, website is a company’s face.
On the internet a lot of template available, from where you can download and simply customize and upload your own site.
It is better to develop real estet website. because it is need for more and more people to find every thing instant and online. They have no time to go outside and search their happy home. So, it is better to have good real estet website to save our clients…
I agree, its way easier to search for potential properties online rather then the traditional news letters. One strategy that a realtor I know used was she showed a thumbnail of the property and to view the pictures she made the visitors subscribe to their website.
Mark’s a smart kid, one thing that was left out in the movie was he invented a program that would recommend music based on what you liked back in high school. The smartest move yet was to make facebook a free service and didn’t start selling advertisements right away. It got everybody sucked! great movie btw.
I think you’re right. We don’t need to waste so much time when we can find a professional company to help us. Thank you for your great information.
in a site information for A house ….
Most businesses have a website online that increases their business to 50% or more because a number of people
thanks
TOTALLY AGREE with this article!
We have seen our business growing a lot after we created our website.
For some that are a bit more savvy, there is always WordPress! It’s not super fast setting it up the first time, but it is tremendously flexible and customizable.
Open source solutions are the way to go. Custom IDX websites can be built using Joomla, WordPress, and Drupal. They are all great with SEO. The biggest stumbling block is getting an open source idx service that is supported.
Very informative, I am strongly surprised, there is all very simply and surprisingly
I too agree with David.Begin with a blog by placing the keywords you want to place in your site.Just check is your keyword is really getting you the visitor.If you succeed then go for the site with the same keywords and for sure you will be succeed.
now days the internet is very necessary
it’s good article
nice info for buying a good house thanks to it
present a crisp idea on what your site is about and how the user should go about it.To tell it in a single sentence you got to make him/her feel that they are in live conversation with you and easily traverse your website
Its really nice information. Real estate website is really important now a days to have online marketing also.
Every real estate agent should have a website! It’s an opportunity to get ahead in your own market. The sky is the limit!
Start with a blog.Then you will have a better idea of how you want your website. I cant really believe any real estate broker has got to 2011 without some web presence already?
Most businesses have a website online that increases their business to 50% or more because a number of people search for the right product or service online before they actually go out to buy.
If you are in to real estate business then it is always better have your own website with all availability.
Get a good domain, and of course a nice template counts. As much as possible add new contents to your site.
really interested in a subject, thank you for the information
Think you have to have IDX on your site as only way people will have a reason to stay on your site.
I have been working on my website non-stop. I do think buyers look for property first online and anonymously. Getting them to raise their hand and ask for service is the trick. Great Post.
your right, all the business converts its sales through the internet or at least the great part of the sales..
You could just let your clients visit the site and have them pick up what they want.Then you will have a better idea of how you want your website.
A good website that offers good information, local listings and an opt in for something free is the way to go.
it’s a very great work for finding
a nice house..
thanks to share it..
To tell it in a single sentence you got to make him/her feel that they are in live conversation with you and easily traverse your website.I would say real estate websites need to focus a lot on user experience.
Buyers look for property first online. Getting them to raise their hand and ask for service is the trick. Thanks for sharing.
Buyers look for property first online. Getting them to raise their hand and ask for service is the trick. Thanks for sharing what a great post!
your right, all the business converts its sales through the internet or at least the great part of the sales..
Yes its right if we want to increase our real state business so web will play a important role and the tip you have given is more effective for a person which don’t know of making its own real website.
because it is need for more and more people to find every thing instant and online. They have no time to go outside and search their happy home. So, it is better to have good real estet website to save our clients…I agree, its way easier to search for potential properties online rather then the traditional news letters.
A website is important, but if it’s not made professionally it’s worth nothing. A bad site kills more reputation, than a good one can make.
Nice Blog…So many useful points…thanks..
Now a days, mostly home buyers searches house online then visit to it. I think that this is very good idea.
A great website is crucial in real estate. Probably even more important is a great IDX service!!
I would have to agree that a website is crucial. Our philosophy is that a website allows a person to get more information about your products and services in their own home without all the distractions. With this philosophy in mind, we tried to put all the information including forms and documents on our website.
Websites are how people are shopping for everything now, even houses. Keep real estate sites up to date with listings for best results. Use Word Press as well.
Think about what you value in a website;ease of use, with links which actually go to where they suggest they might take you
It’s really a fantastic information for the Real estate.Demand of Real estate website is increasing day by day because of easiness of online marketing.
Hurrah! Finally I got a weblog from where I be capable of actually take valuable data regarding my study and knowledge.
I would recommend using WordPress and and either the agentpress theme or a IDX plugin to handle listings
There is indeed a lot of opportunities online. Many companies have grown bigger after creating their own websites. But it is very important to partner with the right people who know how to make a website standout amidst the millions of other competitor sites around.
With the help of website we can doing online bussiness in real estate
Presentation, and content of course, is everything on a blog and websites in general. If you don’t like the look of a blog, you’re going to be disinclined to read and respond to the articles posted on it.
I say that hiring a professional is worth every penny. Blogging for yourself is a great idea, but leave the web design to the professionals. Just my own experience in this industry…
for any business to have a global reach it has become really necessary to have the online presence. So one can say website is the need of the hour for any business.
This is a very interesting blog….I have learned a lot of useful information from your article….. Thanks for the insight into this subject….I’ll keep reading
My website is directed to Realtors because they are a great source of business for me-with both sellers and buyers. I blog on Active Rain and have a WordPress blog which are content rich and positioned to educate my readers.
Thanks a lot for sharing such a wonderful post, it is a very nice site i really enjoyed to visit this site, i want to share my views to you about this site that it is awesome & very well built, please keep us updated. Thanks for Sharing. Great Websites!
Thanks for the link to 2estates.com. Their pricing seems reasonable but i am afraid about their future services, can you tell me about their service quality.
From your words I realized how important website is,but I think better service is more important.
A well designed real estate website is essential for our business. Most of our home shoppers like the convenience, ease of use, and high availability. Thanks!