Background
Building a real estate website is no child's play. You have so many options of designs to chose from and, with so much information available, it often becomes difficult for estate agents who want a new website for their agency(or revamp an existing one) to know how to go about it.
Like any corporate procurement strategy, the development project of a real estate website needs proper planning, dedication and resources to see it through successfully. I have worked with many estate agents and agencies and have over the years seen the frustration that many go through, especially if they don't have the tools to measure their progress and return on investment.
In this article, I will not discuss the financial aspect of building a successful real estate agency website but we will discuss the technical aspects that make for a successful website.
A successful real estate agency website needs to have
The Landing Page
Internal Search
Showcase Sold Properties
Testimonials
Proper Search Optimizations
Today we discuss Point number 3: Showcase Sold Properties
Display Sold Properties
Many agents despise this or are just simply ignorant to notice the importance of displaying their list of sold properties. When you display the list of sold properties, you are telling your buyers or sellers one or two of the following:
You are making progress as a company, and
If they were to list their property with you, you will get it sold, quickly.
This is an important point many estate agents are not aware of. Simply display your sold properties and let your visitors see that you're making progress. What I mean by progress in this case is results; you are getting results for the work that you are doing - getting your listed properties sold.
Remember this
and never forget it - a person who sells their house has a target just like you. They have the need for the money and are expecting that the sale will be through by such and such a date so that they can reach their personal goals sooner. Even if they are selling the property for investment purposes, chances are they still have goals and deadlines for when the property should be sold.
Therefore, displaying to them that your properties are sold, you are telling them that that can could be their property on that list. This has a mental image and an emotional effect on the seller because you will be taking their frustrations out concerning the sale. You are therefore appealing to their mind that the frustration of getting the property sold could be solved and you have the proof to back it up!
This is an important aspect and if you're a real estate agency or agent, you need to take it seriously.
Therefore, go ahead and display your list of sold properties on your website, your visitors and potential clients need to see it.
The coming week we will discuss the importance of Internal Search within your estate agency website.
Hope this was helpful. Please share your thoughts on the article and let me know what you think :)
-- Mongadi Lechesa