More and more often, I am passing ‘for sale’ signs that have a rider with a vanity domain plastered on it and I think to myself, it’s finally catching on! Single-property sites are powerful, cost-effective tools to promote property listings both online and offline and for a long time I think they’ve been an overlooked resource that Realtors® haven’t fully taken advantage of. Back in February 2007, Joel Burslem wrote a post about single-property sites on the future of real estate marketing blog. Since then a number of providers have joined the single-property site arena - AgencyLogic, SPS, ListingDomains.com, VFlyer, and Postlets to name a few.
All the sites have the same general features allowing for you to create 123anywhere.com - adding photo tours, lengthy descriptions, branding information, links to more information and syndication capabilities to sites like Trulia, PropSmart, Google Base, Yahoo!. Agents can attract prospective buyers to the site with sign riders and by adding the URL to all their advertising. With prices ranging anywhere from $9.95 to $50 it’s a small investment in your overall marketing strategy.
Prudential Connecticut Realty has their own exclusive Home Suite technology allowing for agents to establish these same custom websites dedicated to their listings. Web browsers can easily navigate several pages of useful information targeted towards the specific property, including features like video, aerial photography, community profiles, custom descriptions, and links to additional information. Prudential Connecticut agents have taken advantage of this free tool and are not only creating a distinct web presence for their properties but some are enjoying the SEO benefits of linking back to their personal sites. Click here to view a Home Suite example.
Living in a web 2.0 world, consumers are demanding fresher and more descriptive information about homes for sale. While I do agree with Joel that agents should make their first priority getting their listings on their own site, I think single-property sites are exceptional ways to not only ‘seal the deal’ by wowing your sellers but are also a great marketing tool that allow you to center your marketing strategy around an easy to remember URL.
There’s been a lot going on at REALTOR.com® recently. Among a number of new features the site has released, the find a Home search path has been reconstructed to dramatically enhance consumers home search experience - making it faster and easier for them to access information and complete a search. According to the website, The REALTOR.com® home page, Search Results Page (SRP), and Listing Details Page (LDP) have all been completely redesigned as well.
Additional Details and New Features
A New Face On The Home Page
Warm color pallet, visually clean presentation, and streamlined design.
Rotating Photo Carousel presents engaging images of homes currently for sale rather than stock photos. The display learns from a consumer’s search behavior, changing from Extreme Homes – highest priced homes in America, to homes relevant to their search criteria.
Find a Home search box now allows searches by MLS ID, and address from the home page.
Increased visibility for Find a Neighborhood, and Find Home Values.
Better presentation of the tools and navigation links currently in the left rail on the Classic site.
My Listings & My Searches personalization features are integrated into the navigation bar.
Search Results Page (SRP)
Search results now match search criteria exactly, include all property types by default, and are sorted from high to low price.
Seamlessly navigate between three different views of SRP: List, Map, and Photo Gallery view to quickly visually scan listings.
Featured Homes receive enhanced visibility and exposure at the top of all three SRP views.
Removal of interim search and transitional ad pages allows immediate access to search results.
Refine Your Search widget moved to left rail, creating a persistently visible search experience.
Improved presentation of listings, displaying street address on the title line, an eye-catching additional photos badge, and high-impact yellow bar on showcase listings.
Listing Details Page (LDP)
Multi-page tabbed structure removed to display everything on a single page, with certain “Calls to Action” opening up in layers.
Map integrated into the page layout, this is a precursor to the addition of the school and neighborhood reports on every LDP.
Basic listings display four photos, and the photos are larger.
New Showcase Listing Enhancements:
Photo gallery, driving directions and email forms display as separate layers.
Agent & Office information displayed in new integrated business card format on the LDP.
Showcase listings are visually highlighted by a yellow background.
Photos of Agent’s/Broker’s other listings are displayed on the LDP.
The Benefits of the New Realtor.com
All listings can now display four photos, and will include neighborhood and school information prior to ‘General Audience’ release.
The search algorithm has been changed to addresses frequent consumer requests that all property types be included, and that search results match their search criteria exactly.
All in all, Realtor.com is certainly working hard to add a fresh new look and make searching for homes for sale easier than ever. I also like the fact that they will be updating information every fifteen minutes, which means listings will continuously be updated and will always remain accurate. Having added the minimum photo display to four is an added benefit as well, especially for agents that don’t subscribe to the added marketing features offered for the site.
Watch the video below to get more information regarding the new Realtor.com:
Prudential Connecticut Realty recently announced the launch of their exclusive new web feature, Home Suite. This cutting-edge technology will allow Prudential Connecticut agents to maximize online exposure for their listings, as well as to create a distinct web presence.
Single-property sites are powerful, cost-effective tools to promote property listings both online and offline. Prudential Connecticut Realty’s new Home Suite allows for agents to establish custom websites dedicated to the particular listing being marketed. Web browsers can easily navigate several pages of useful information targeted towards the specific property, including features like video, aerial photography, community profiles, custom descriptions, and links to additional information.
As an example, Cheryl Eldh of Prudential Connecticut Realty’s Westport office, Fine Homes International division used Home Suite technology to create a single-property site for a listing at 75 Beachside Avenue in Westport CT. The home is currently on the market and the price is available upon request. To view the Home Suite example, visit the website at http://www.75beachside.com/.
RISMedia released a recent survey showing that 88% of home buyers were using the Internet to find a home, and while buyers are able to go any number of broker’s sites for MLS data, they can just as easily go to an agent’s Home Suite (single-property site) and view everything about the listing in one convenient location.
Accordingly, for about the same cost as two lattes, agents can now purchase a personalized domain name allowing them to center all their marketing around one easy to remember URL. There are a number of online registrars available to do this, including: GoDaddy.com, and Network Solutions among others.
Living in a web 2.0 world, consumers are demanding fresher and more descriptive information about homes for sale. Prudential Connecticut Realty’s new Home Suite is certain to make buying a new home throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island an easier and more rewarding experience.
To search all homes for sale that feature a Home Suite, click here. For more information about Prudential Connecticut Realty, visit their website at www.PrudentialCT.com.
Amongst the many qualities of a successful real estate agent is their ability to have a rock solid and comprehensive listing strategy to present to their prospective sellers. In recent years, the push to follow the web 2.0 revolution and feed your listings to every real estate website has been the on forefront of brokerage’s agendas, and rightly so with an ever increasing share of buyers going online to search for real estate and a more diverse offering of real estate sites growing by the day.
But as large brokerages like Prudential, Coldwell Banker, Century 21, ERA and others sign on to feed to Zillow, Trulia and the other major players in online real estate search, smaller boutiques and individual agents are already ahead of the game and have syndicated their listings to all these sites using vehicles like Postlets, vFlyer (which just got upgraded), etc. So, as the playing field is “virtually” being leveled in regards to online exposure, agents and brokers must respond in offering an “added value” by beefing up their online media strategies and begin paying for featured ads to stay that one step above their competition.
It feels like only yesterday when the only outlet you could use in your online arsenal was a showcase listing or featured home on Realtor.com, then came their banner ads and eventually the web 2.0 players who broke the mold and answered to consumer’s demands of offering more valuable information on command are getting into the ring and offering up their own version of featured ads. Case in point, both Trulia.com and Zillow have recently launched similar featured ad placement programs as additional channels for agents to promote their listings. Zillow’s Showcase Ads are a great tool to use in the promotion of your listings while also incorporating your own personal branding — especially when according to the company, “Listed homes on Zillow get 240 times more page views than non-listed homes.”
As the market continues to dwindle, so will the number of real estate practitioners. This will not make waging the war against your competition any easier because what was once out of reach is becoming easily accessible to any broker or agent that’s got enough savvy to find it. Remaining innovative and not getting left behind are pivotal to an agent’s continued success. By consistently utilizing these new tools, you will ultimately continue to differentiate yourself from the rest of the herd.
