Preparing Your Website

As we mentioned in the chapter on Prospecting, there are a number of components that you should consider for your site. You should have features that are important to both buyers and sellers. And again,you should have your site professionally designed.

Some pages that have become "standards" for real estate sites are:

• About Us - This page gives information about the company and the agents.
• Current Listings - These pages give detailed descriptions of your listings, including photos. It's a good idea to have a "search" feature that allows visitors to enter parameters for the kind of property they want - such as number of bedrooms, price, lot size, location, etc. Visitors should also be able to find a property using the MLS or property number. 
• Sold Listings - Many sites have pages that show the homes that have sold. This is a great showcase of your success.
• Information for Sellers - These pages have specific information of interest to sellers, such as the definition of a Competitive Market Analysis and how to get one.
• Information for Buyers - These pages give current information on loans and financing and your buyer-specific services.
• E-Mail Sign Up - This feature allows visitors to sign up to receive e-mails about new listings or other general real-estate related information your company can provide.
• Contact Us - This page has all of your information - address, phone numbers, and fax number - and a link for the visitor to send you an e-mail.