The only problem with Advanced Access is that their templates use frames. Frames are no good.

The suggestion on finding a local designer is a good one. The one I like is only a few miles away from me, and would probably be able to work with long distance clients should the client be comfortable with it:

http://www.iimsnet.com/index.html

They designed one of the nicest real estate websites I've ever seen:

http://www.calcagni.com

Another possible option is contracting out for designers from literally all around the world to bid on your website/project. Elance is a place where you can allow designers to bid:

http://elance.com/

Hope this helps.

I happen to be with a design firm that focuses on Real Estate but I think these points could be of interest to anyone looking for a website.

1. I would agree that it is beneficial to use a design firm that specializes in real estate. Building websites and build real estate specific websites are 2 different things. We have a software solution that we add into agent websites that we did not build and can always tell if the designer has not worked in the real estate web design industry before. Knowledge of what Realtors need, what is most important on the site, etc are important things to know when building a site.

2. If you do pick a firm that does not make a lot of real estate sites but you do like their design, just ensure that you tell them all of the elements that you need in the site. (ie. listings page, sold page, area info, mls integration, etc) - We have added our software into great looking sites, but the designer did not create a page to showcase the agents solds, etc.

3. I think that the design of the site should be built with the search engines in mind, but if your serious about getting leads from the engines, hire a person/company that is good at dealing with the search engines. A great designer is not necessarily a great search engine optimizer - and vise versa.

I hope that helps.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thanks

Steve

Here's another good firm based in Alabama that I forgot to include in my previous post. They've produced some great real estate sites:

http://denningesolutions.com

This post was hijacked part way thru by what is really blatant self promotion and since there is no moderator for this forum it was misssed and not deleted. Rather than deleteing the whole thread I have edited it and am closing it. Lets move on please