Duplicate content debate is a can of worms, as you probably know :)

I am on the non-penalty side of the fence; so is your local TV station, as well as anyone who belives in the mehcanics of syndication...


-AP

Not sure if its been mentioned before, but "Open Realty" is another FREE option.

This post got me interested in digging deeper into word press as I have been using Open Realty for years and always thought of word press as "blog only" wow has it evolved.

In fact most of the review sites I have found have this to say:

[quote]I’ve worked with Open-Realty, and — to say it bluntly — it’s a huge pain in the [censored]. When you scratch the surface of OR, you begin to realize how cobbled together it is. Customizing the code to work as it should requires a steep learning curve. The templates are relatively simple to work with, but the administration section is horrible. The Open Realty user experience is just awful[/quote]

Looks like its time to spend a weekend or two getting my website changed over and updated. :grin:

Sure, wordpress was known mostly as a blog platform, but their sites are phenomenal as well. I dont know how SEO-friendly they might be, but as far as appearance they are right on the money. My advice would be to perform due diligence prior to contracting a web develop, as I am still experiencing the aftershocks of a turbulent web design process.

Here are a few to look at.

realestatewebmasters.com
1parkplace.com
z57.com
linkurealty.com
advanceacess.com
diversesolutions.com
and wordpress.org

I recommend realestatewebmasters. If you want to go cheap, wordpress.

What business is our host in?

Is that: http://www.rncinternet.com/real_estate.html - seems like a good deal.

I like the sites at www.realestatewebmasters.com/ , I've seen several and have one I am yet to get built. Also seems like a good deal but pricey to jump in to compared to most template sites.

Advanced Access - once a good company that has been sold to Dominion - but I think it has hit bottom and is coming up a little at a time.

Disclosure - I like RNC - loyal to Doug - I like REW and I have one, I use to like AA, I have one, it ranks well but not without a lot of time and effort.


So many factors that if known may make us recommend one over another - back end is a lot of it - ease of adding pages and editing - how many pages can add - how do you add listings - gosh - so many things.

Any comments about Agentimage? Past or present clients of AI, give some input please.

I want to know too... I called them today... It was high. Man, This is so much work, trying to figure out who to go to URGG!!@

There are some great suggestions in here.

I always recommend that you get a website that you own, and in most cases that means going custom even if it a bit more expensive.
Look at it this way. I think realestatewebmasters probably has the best bang for the buck, with their CMS, good SEO site structure, and good support, but after you buy the site, say for 1k.
( I used to have a REW site and it was about that much after it was all said and done which is really a great price)

Then you have to pay your "hosting" fees which is going to be about 30-50 dollars per month, whether you go with REW, AA, or whomever. After having that site for 2 years at 30 dollars a month more for hosting you are paying 720$ dollars for that 2 years, AND YOU DO NOT OWN THAT SITE.

Where as if you get a custom site done for 750 one time, you own it. Then your actual hosting fees are maybe 7 dollars per month. If you are in the business for the long haul, you can see how getting a custom site is actually much cheaper.

On top of that, don't you want a custom site that your prospects don't see all over the internet, that is YOUR design? With the help of a great designer of course...

Make sure you get a good CMS, like Joomla, Drupal, or Wordpress.
Make sure it is built with SEO in mind.
Then make sure you own it. Most of the providers out there do not produce a site you own unfortunately.

Hope that helps. PM me if you would like more info.

Thanks

Did you get your site finished?

ExpertRealtorWeb, to whom are you directing your question?