In real estate, the three most critical words are - in order -
Location, Location, Location.On the WEB, the three most critical words are -
Content, Content, Content.
The Information Broker
On the WEB your role must shift from a property broker to an information broker.
Remember, people who use the WEB expect to find information there. Asking
your visitors to contact you via phone or e-mail for information negates your presence
on the WEB.If they don't find it at your site, they'll look elsewhere - and they won't come back.
In all cases, the information contained on your site will be judged by its quality - not by the number of pages of raw data.
Words to the Wise:Listings are NOT content
Most people know what a house/apartment looks like.They want to see a
sample of what constitutes a "typical" and "luxury" residence in your area,
and the price range for that property.
The general public does not care how large your "inventory" is.They
don't, and won't, look at each of your 3000+ listings.They do care about
your knowledge ofyour market area, your attention to the properties you
do choose to display on your site, and yourlevel professionalism as
demonstrated at your WEB site.
Let your local MLS handle your inventory while you concentrate on
providing potentialclients with as much information as you can, in a
way that is easy to read and comprehend.
Forget Listings
Avoid The 3br, 3.5ba, ffrm, wbf, cwg, att-gar, htp, gfah, Trap
When describing their listings, most US and Canadian sites use the
proprietary abbreviations and terms that are common to their local Multiple
Listing Service (MLS).
Cryptic terminology that means absolutely nothing
to the general public - and even less to those who live outside of the
immediate market area.Don't insult visitors (potential clients) to your
site.
Never use abbreviations or cryptic terms, or evenreferences to
neighborhoods, without putting a glossary or other reference material on
your site, explaining those terms..
Do Showcase Properties
The WEB is a the perfect medium for real estate.Use it to its full advantage. The WEB is not a place to plaster inventory listings. It is a place to showcase properties.
Do a virtual walk through of the properties you choose to display on your WEB site - Highlight the unusual features -Give the history of the house
(where appropriate) - Give each property the brochure treatment.
Content, Content, Content
On the WEB, your market is global, not local - but what you are selling is
local.Your site should provide most, if not all, of the following
information,or provide links to those sites that do provide such
information:
- Tax information:Property, Income, Sales, VAT?
- Type of Ownership available:Freehold, Leasehold?
- Are there any restrictions on foreign nationals purchasing/leasing
property?
- Legal/Real Estate terms and their meaning
- Local Financing and Interest Rates
- Currency Converters, Exchange Rates, Mortgage Calculators
(many are available as shareware or freeware and can be added to your
site)
- Local Construction Methods (Where I live in the US, a brick house with a
full, usable basement is preferred, and produces a higher resale value.In
other parts of the country, this type of construction is less than
desirable)
- Climate
- School Systems - Shopping - Available Public Transportation
- Utilities: gas, electric, oil?
- Historic places / Tourist attractions?
- What makes your country/region/state/city/town special.
- What is it that makes people want to live there?
- Why might I want to live there?
Don't assume that the world already knows what you take for granted. The visitor to your WEB site is most likely from out of town.Your WEB site should be the place they find the informaiton they need and want.
Concerns of Large Metropolitan Brokers
Obviously, if there are many real estate companies in the same physical area - it would be a waste of time to replicate what everyone else has already done.So don't.Link to the sites that did it best -and you provide information on your particular neighborhood, specialty, or topic that wasn't covered by someone else (or wasn't done well).
As mentioned earlier,the information on your site will be judged by its quality - not by the number of pages of raw data.Make the information meaningful to your visitor.
