Real Estate & Technology 101

I hear it all the time from our customers and industry speakers.

“GET A WEBSITE! “

Yet, most real estate professionals out there are not listening. The world has turned to the internet for their primary source of information. If you are not there to give them that information they want. someone else certainly will. It’s part of the new world order.

I always tell real estate people:

“The internet is the greatest encyclopedia, library, radio station, tv station, journal, mall and news channel ever created, and it’s all in the same place, that little screen sitting on your desk.”

It’s really just that simple, the world now goes to the internet for just about anything that comes to mind, especially Real Estate.

An ever increasing stampede of interested buyer are going to the internet to see what and who is out there well before they even think about picking up the phone. When you think about it, this actually makes sense and ends up being far more efficient (Not all the time, but in many cases.) If a buyer is sitting in Tucson, Arizona and he/she wants to buy a spectacular mountain cabin Gatlinburg, Tennessee, do you honestly believe that person will call before looking online? Even if they did call, where would they have found your information?

Not only can they find a real estate professional that knows the market but will also have a good idea of what they are interested in before calling an agent or office. Which leads me to the whole point of it all…

A professionally developed, good looking and informative website is key. I hate to say it but most real estate pro’s out there take one step forward by making a website but then really skimp on every aspect of the site. Your website is your image, how do you want people to perceive you? As cheap or classy, as an amateur or an expert. One glance at a site and you can instatly tell if there was real thought and effort put into or not.

I have pulled some examples of bad websites from a site called “Web Pages That Suck”. I actually came across their book several years ago.

http://www.longscycle.com
http://www.freemap.com

Now lets looks at some good sites

http://www.eriksbikeshop.com
http://www.maps.com

It is very easy to tell the difference, don’t you think. If you had to pick one over the other, who would you rather go to?

To wrap things up here are some very simple rules and tips for getting a website:

1. Get a website, get a website, get a website!
2. Use an easy to remember domain name like MountainBuys.com or GatlinburgExperts.com. Don’t use address’ like i-sell-realty-4-u.com and buyfantasticmountainproperties.com. hyphens are not wise to use in a domain and the longer the domain name the more likely a user will type it wrong.
3. Do not rely on search engines to drive traffic. Print your web address on everything! It is just as important as your phone number. Everything you have printed must have your web address prominently displayed. If you don’t do this, you have effectively lost another opportunity to show a potential buyer your abilities.
4. Do not be cheap. A good website for an agent can run anywhere from $500 – $1,500 dollars depending on option, IDX, local fee’s etc. Do not pay more than $2,500 unless it’s custom with programming etc.
5. Ask for examples of a designers work, if your not happy they can represent you well, find someone else.
6. Smaller outfits that have been in business for several years and specialize in real estate will usually do a better job for you and have better customer service than large national conglomerates. The small guys needs your business more than the mega web providers
7. Site navigation should be simple, obvious, easy and short. If your navigation bar has more than 15-20 option it’s too complex and will take users to long to figure out where to go. Consolidate into categories and then subcategorizing. Example:
   1. Condo Buyers
   2. First Time Home Buyers
   3. Second Home Buyers
   4. Investment Buyers

   Should be scaled down to one option – BUYERS then broken into the various buying classifications.

8. Flash is fantastic and when done well can be incredible. If your going to use it, do it in moderation or to add some flare. Do note make a whole flash site. They tend to load slower than a traditional site and search engines can index their contents.
9. If it is available request IDX service. IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange. This method will enable you to add MLS listings to your site.
10. Once your up and running, keep your site up to day especially your portraits.

On a final note, I’ll add a plug for my company Markler: We do websites if you need one.

Cheers!

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