Here's the cut and dry version - 3 points:

1. Driving traffic (visitors) to your real estate website through developing a web presence (SEO/SEM, inbound links play a huge part)
   
2. Keeping the visitor at your websiteand compelling the visitors to take a specific action and thus converting the visitor into a registration or customer (actions would be: call you, email you, register in your VOW/IDX online database)
   
3. Converting the registered customer in an actual client and sale - CRM - how you manage your internet leads can cause you to convert from .05% of leads to up to over 20% of internet leads
   

This is what real estate on the internet is all about - you get your arms around all three, then you got it licked and you will make a ton of money through the internet as a marketing medium.  Anyone who wants to talk about this - I am open to it as this is exactly what First SEO Consultants does for our real estate services clients.