Is your real estate businesses making a great first impression on the web?
I’m a creative problem-solver driven by the desire to see small businesses improve their image and succeed. I’ve got over 20 years experience and have worked with clients as large as Nike and as small as a local sole-proprietor. I’ve been an advocate for education, a member of prestigious design organizations, won awards, and been invited to judge design competitions. Over the years, I have also written blogs and articles for a number of online sites and print publications. I have a heavy background in art, photography, graphic design and thinking outside the box. When not working, you’ll find me getting outdoors, practicing Qi Gong, snowboarding, camping, collecting rocks, and driving around in a sweet 1970 Camaro.
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The world of real estate is a place where excellent first impressions can lead to very nice commissions. Over the years we’ve worked with a number of Realtors on general projects such as designing business cards or mailers as marketing pieces for either promoting themselves or specific properties. While it’s certainly advantageous to have these types of marketing materials, we’ve found most of the larger real estate companies have pre-made templates that are used for this purpose, and most Realtors simply use those because it’s easy and it works. So we gradually moved away from designing the print pieces but as that happened another avenue opened up that we’re actually surprised more Realtors don’t take advantage of, especially in a tough property/housing market: custom single property websites.
Unique sells.
Having bought real estate myself I know how daunting it can be to endlessly search Realtor’s websites and only pull up a few details and a few poorly done photos to try to judge whether I want to know more about a property. Now I wasn’t in the market for a million dollar house or a unique piece of land, but over the months of searching I noticed that even on the higher-end property listings there was nothing to make them stand out. There were maybe a few more photos or details, but if it weren’t for the price, they would have looked like any other listing. While any property could benefit from having it’s own web presence, I’d say it would almost be a requirement for the higher-end listings. Companies like Sotheby’s were ahead of the curve on this one. They knew that their clients were expecting them to present their property in the best way possible and that included paying a professional to create an informative and stunning web presence – one that showcased the property and its unique features. There were virtual tours, professional photography and every possible detail. In turn, prospective buyers were really able to judge if the property might be right for them simply by visiting the website. This also led to more serious buyers and less time invested by the Realtor on people who were, “just looking”.
Not selling million dollar properties? A custom web site still has benefits.
You don’t have to work for Sotheby’s or to have million dollar listings to use a custom website as a marketing tool. A professional web designer can make it easy for even the average property to have a website that can show a lot more info than the standard MLS listing. Here’s just a few of the benefits:
- Showcase a particular property with a unique web address you can give to prospective buyers, place on printed materials, etc.
- Conduct “virtual” showings of properties 24/7 with photos, virtual tours, full details and even details on the area, local amenities and attractions.
- A one time investment that won’t put a “dent” in your commission.
Community and commercial properties benefit to.
Landlords and property management companies can also benefit from having a custom website created. Apartments, condos, town homes, communities and home owner’s associations create sites for not only prospective buyers but also current residents. The websites become informational tools and online community networks. Websites can do double duty with an informational section that anyone visiting the site can see and a private, resident’s only section. Some can even have ecommerce capabilities for residents to pay their HOA fees easily online. If the site is built on a content management system, the only reoccurring fees may be hosting (usually under $100 for a full 12 months) or maintenance to the system itself. The bottom line – the benefits far out weigh the one time cost for the custom website. If you’re a Realtor, landlord or property manager and would like your listings to stand out, contact us today for a free estimate.
I’m a creative problem-solver driven by the desire to see small businesses improve their image and succeed. I’ve got over 20 years experience and have worked with clients as large as Nike and as small as a local sole-proprietor. I’ve been an advocate for education, a member of prestigious design organizations, won awards, and been invited to judge design competitions. Over the years, I have also written blogs and articles for a number of online sites and print publications. I have a heavy background in art, photography, graphic design and thinking outside the box. When not working, you’ll find me getting outdoors, practicing Qi Gong, snowboarding, camping, collecting rocks, and driving around in a sweet 1970 Camaro.
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