Hello, I am wanting to get a website up and running, what are some of the better companies to deal with when doing this and why do you recommend them?

Basically a site to help get leads as well as showcase properties and introduce myself.

Thanks for any help

There are a few good options out there right now:

1. I personally use http://www.realestatepromoter.com because they build their websites as 2 websites in 1. One for online marketing and one for your local marketing. The website is free if you go through a partner (PM me if you need a link) and hosting is $19.95-29.95. The sites are easy to update, and support is very helpful when I have questions. No contracts, strictly month to month, you save money if you pay up front, but all fees are prorated if you cancel early.

I currently pay $300/month for pay per click on Yahoo and average between 30-40 leads a month. About 10% of my leads turn out to purchase property so I am very happy with my PPC results.

2. If you use Top Producer http://www.topproducer.com, they will set you up on a website for $99 that is pretty decent and only $24.95/month for the hosting. They are obviously integrated with their own software which gives an added bonus. Yearly contracts after first 30 days.

3. A new company I have stumbled on is http://www.section1realestate.com - they have very clean and pretty websites with lots of flash and cool tool integrations. The cost for the websites varies between $999-5,000. and I beleive hosting is about $39/month. They also have nice flash intros etc. but it depends if you like the longer load times and to have people wait to go see your website etc. Yearly contracts.

I think that Website design is two fold: First you want a site that will convey a professional image, is easy to use, and showcases listings. Next you want something that people can find easily, so be careful which type of site you choose. Some template sites, especially those operating in frames, are not Search Engine friendly. Also, with any new site, it will take some time to climb in the rankings, so utilizing a pay-per-click service is not a bad idea, initially.

The design and feel of your site should represent the area of the country that you do business in and your Agencies core values, as well as project a professional image to your prospects.

As far as listing software, and showcasing featured listing or hot properties, I feel that our company could help you with that and several other areas of design. Feel free to check out http://realestatecreate.com/ We have multiple design styles for Brokers, Agencies, and Agents. We utilize Featured Property listings with unlimited photos, unlimited property listing, and we work closely with each Agent in the design process to make sure that the Agent is satisfied with the final product.

We host on our own servers, and our design packages range from $500-$2500+ depending on how much custom programming you would like to use. Hosting services are $29 per month or $300 if you pay for the year in advance.

Feel free to check out our site, and contact our sales department for a free personal estimate.

Jamie Buchite
Sales Executive
Real Estate Create
http://www.realestatecreate.com
866-998-6589
jamie@realestatecreate.com

Please take a look at my service, http://agentfaces.com. It offers all the features of competitors plus lots more. You can create blogs, photo galleries, calendar, appointment scheduling, listings with google maps, integrated school information, different skins/templates plus it has NO CONTRACTS and MONTH to MONTH service. There's lots of different options available based on your budget.

We even offer a free version so you can take a test drive before you decide. The best part is how easy it is to update...which is KEY.. you don't need to know any HTML or require the usage of a technology personnel. It's all handled through the easy to use forms.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Tony,
http://agentfaces.com

Ohh one thing to note...you do not want a flash site. They're great to look at once in a while such a big hollywood premiere or rockstar site but it's not what consumers are looking for. The time it takes to load and navigation is usually cumbersome. For example, section1realestate, mentioned above took 30+ seconds to load past the intro screen. By that time, I just clicked and was on to another site...you don't want that to happen.

Hello Wyorealtor and All

I do not mean to toot REM Communications horn, but from what I've seen as a Real Estate Marketing Consultant these past few years, these guys designs and programming skills are A+. Not only that, Rich and Abe are great guys to work with. They do not just develop the website for you, but they coach you through the process of developing it, so there is an educational component to it. A majority of their clients are in the U.S. and Europe so they are good with working with organizations virtually. The great thing about their real estate marketing solutions (websites) is they are designed with search engine optimization, lead generation, and graphic design in mind. They have done primarily real estate broker sites, but real estate agent sites are not that much different.

Check out some of the sites they have done to date and you can see for yourself what I mean by they have really put thought into their designs:

http://www.altivero.com/beforeafter.htm

I'm sure they would have no problem with providing you with a reference.

Tony,
I tried your website yesterday and I have to say that for a brand new agent, your free program is more than adequate. Once I get a few sales under my belt I'll probably upgrade, but for now the free version rocks! I've already figured out how to incorporate my awesome new website into my plan of action. I never thought I would find a site like that at no cost! Glad you popped by and gave your info.

Kelly

I handle internet marketing for real estate agents. Here is a few pointers if you actually want to get people to your site:
1. Get something that you can edit yourself.
2. If you have a domain that already exists use that. Age is very important to Google.
3. Don't rely on flash.
4. Make sure you actually own the site and not the company you work with.
5. Try using PayPerClick and see if your site can generate good leads, if it can, spend money on search engine optimization.

Thats all you get for free, but you can find me at http://www.leadsearchsolutions.com if you have any more questions.

I have tried a few different web site options on behalf of clients and I keep coming back to Ubertor (www.ubertor.com)There is no sign-up fee and you have the choice of paying $37.00, $57.00 or $77.00 per month depending on the features and number of listings. The templates are slick and it provides you with complete control over your content.

Hello All, Real Estate sites need to be designed to capture leads first ... The vast majority of sites simply miss this entirely.

the days of creating a pretty billboard in the desert and sticking a single contact me form on it and expecting any results is long gone. After that comes automation of followup and integration with all your existing online and offline marketing efforts.