4 Excellent Features Buyers, Renters and Sellers are Looking for in a Real Estate Website
What keeps you from buying a home if these days, searching online is as easy as one, two, three? What holds you from investing on real estate property if investment guides from sites like Investopedia are available for free? And what stops you from selling your property if professional agents and brokers are there to assist you? Leave all your worries behind. Advanced real estate websites are here to make things simple for us.
The popular market research group eBizMBA Inc. recently published its Top 15 Most Popular Real Estate Websites report. The ranking methodology is based on the estimated unique monthly visitors. Realtors who have already seen this February 2015 report are more likely now refining their business strategies for the months to come. Buyers and renters who happened to take a glimpse are probably scouring those popular websites right now in preparation for their next investment move. Property owners whom were notified about the report are more or less calling their brokers and agents right now to solicit for advice on investments.
A recent blog post in About.com said that 83% of home buyers today are looking at real estate listings. This figure and the figures from eBizMBA ranking triggered me to visit a few of the real estate websites that made it on top of the popularity ranking. I conducted an in-depth analysis of these websites and I noticed four excellent features that validate the closeness-to-accuracy of the 83%.
Here are my observations on the real estate websites Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.
They are all good-looking websites.
Zillow, Trulia and Realtor have very impressive websites. The overall graphics is clean. The layout on almost every page offers easy navigation. The high resolution images invite user interaction. The search fields and buttons are very noticeable. These website features and properties could be one of the main reasons why buyers and renters like visiting these sites.
Adding to that, Zillow have this interactive map that offers quick find and easy view of available properties for rent or sale. Trulia’s call-to-action orange buttons on various areas of the site are engaging. Realtor’s automatic drop down menu on the search field is very assistive.
They have excellent listings presentation.
The very detailed listing of properties on every category at Zillow website gives visitors an insightful view of them. From photos and descriptions, to mortgage rates and popularity reports, the consistent look and feel helps visitors to easily get the information they mostly need. Trulia has a clever presentation of its listings. It is feeding the customers with updated statistics on affordability, price history and market trends. Realtor is giving all the information that it can on the property details section. From building and construction, to homeowners association and public records, they were all made available by Realtor to the visiting public.
They bring their services on mobile apps.
All three companies has a mobile app to offer to the customers. Whatever is that name they assigned to their apps, what’s more important is that they are already available for download on the three most popular app stores today – Google Play, iTunes, and Windows Store. And their apps seem to have good reviews and ratings.
Allowing customers to view properties even while on the go can bring in good returns to the company. Providing agents with equipment that can help them in easily connecting with property owners can boost their overall productivity.
They offer pro advices.
Yes, professional advices, whether they are offered paid or free, can do a significant impact in building the company’s reputation in the marketplace. Timely and smart advice on buying, selling, renting, financing and remodelling is what people are searching for these days. They want assurance, safety and confidence on their every investment move on real estate property.
Trulia has this page called Trulia Voices, an archive of how-to guides in the real estate business. In Zillow’s Advice page, they invite user to ask questions on a wide range of topics. Realtor’s Advice page is full of helpful blog articles for pros and non-pros.
What I had observed is only a small fraction of the entirety. A website’s popularity is triggered by various parameters – advertising and promotions, strong relationship with partners, SEO strategies, excellent management, etc.. Consumers today are more demanding. They’re looking for a business partner that can offer them smart solutions on their real estate concerns. With real estate websites developed this advanced, success can be closer to every real estate investor.
