Among the more common questions new sales associates often ask is whether or not it makes sense to build their own web sites. Thanks to the incredible proliferation of web technologies in recent years, it’s safe to say that you definitely need to be “online” in some form or another, but whether this just means using e-mail more effectively, or building a full-fledged ecommerce-enabled site complete with virtual tours of homes, is really a matter of the kind of business you do, your level of technical expertise and how much time and energy you want to devote to your online efforts. In this three part series, we will be looking at several ways to build an internet presence and discussing some of the major benefits and drawbacks of each.
Too often, people who are new to web technologies are tempted to just jump right in and build a web site with no idea of why they are really doing it or what it will really contribute to their underlying business. So before you embark on your first web site, you should carefully consider what you really want your web site to do. Do you want to show listings online? If so, do you think it’s important to have virtual tours of homes or just photos? Will you want to subscribe to an online MLS service and do you want your clients to have open access to such a service? Do you want your web site to be a core part of your business or would you rather focus on face-to-face time with your clients and just have a simple “brochure-ware” web site that you can simply point people to if they ask for your web site address? If you find that you do not know the answers to these questions, then you might want to take a step back and look at what other people are doing on the web so that you know what is possible. Check out your competition and see what they are doing. Talk to colleagues and friends who may already have web sites and see what works for them. And of course, finish reading this article, because you’ll find tips here gleaned from over a decade of personal experience I’ve acquired while building sites for literally hundreds of clients and Fortune 500 companies.
Often, the larger agencies and brokers will offer a basic web page or even a full-blown web site to their sales associates and brokers, branded with the company logo, and tied to the company’s main web site. If you work for a broker who offers such a service, this is often a great way to get started with no expense, but if not, don’t fret — there are plenty of other affordable ways to get your own web site up and running with a minimum of hassle. Even if you have little technical experience, as long as you are comfortable using a web browser and common word processor-style programs, you should have little trouble using most of the services out there. If you’re not already comfortable with common computing tasks such as cutting and pasting text, then you should probably consider taking some kind of basic computer literacy course (one popular way is offered by http://www.videoprofessor.com/) to help you become familiar with the concepts that will help you use computers more effectively before you try to build and maintain a web site.
Assuming you do not have access to a free web site through your employer, there are several options you will want to consider carefully before embarking on your web development project. The easiest option is to use a service that specializes in building web sites specifically for real estate professionals. For those who are unfamiliar with web design technology, these services take much of the guesswork out of putting together your site and offer guidance and tools to help you promote your site once it’s up and running (which is a topic that could fill several books on its own). Such services offer pre-fabricated real estate web sites, with a choice of customizable templates and ready-made content that can be edited directly in your web browser and generally require no additional software to get started. These types of services range in price from free to several hundred dollars per month depending on the service level you choose and whether or not you choose to subscribe to MLS which often carries additional fees. A few examples of such services are companies such as Agent Image (http://www.agentimage.com/), Myers Internet (http://www.myers.com/), RapidListings (http://www.rapidlistings.com/), and Point2Agent (http://agent.point2.com/). A Google search for the phrase ”real estate web sites” will turn up literally hundreds of other similar services, all competing for your business, so shop around and find a service that’s right for you.
For the more technically savvy real estate professionals, a custom-made web site offers greater flexibility, but with a greater investment of time and money. We will be covering some of the more important aspects of building a custom real estate web site in the next installment or our newsletter, so keep your eyes peeled for next month’s issue.
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