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Introduction - Web Design 101 for Realtors

By GUY Trendz

Home Stager with GUYTrendz

January 23, 2007 11:37 AM

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GUY Trendz

GUYTrendz - Las Vegas, NV

Home Gifts and Products for Men

By the way, I am not a web developer any more so I am not seeking any business. I know a couple of great companies to refer to but I am just out to help out.

However, I can help you with your client referrals into Las Vegas.

Jan 23, 2007 12:14 PM

Mike Jaquish

Realty Arts - Cary, NC

919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

Darren,

I always feel like I am missing something in these conversations. Well, in LOTS of conversations, but that is a whole 'nother thread...

I know, or at least feel, I MUST have a website.

Other than the benefits of showing up in search results, the portal to share local information, to offer IDX searches, and to promote myself and my business to those who DO visit make me believe I need the content on line.

Web development is not a skill I have learned, and I am totally gun-shy to hire a developer. I have stuck my toe into Dreamweaver, and the water is COLD... :)

So, clue me, a budding Luddite apprentice, in your opinion, what is the role is for a web site to the general feller like myself.

Jan 27, 2007 08:12 AM

GUY Trendz

GUYTrendz - Las Vegas, NV

Home Gifts and Products for Men

Mike: I think you will find that your feelings towards web design are very common. I think if you determine why you are building a site you will quickly see what option will work for you. In fact, you inspired a new blog because of the numerous times I find conversations about this very thing...don't get scared off by the title...it is there just to draw traffic: http://activerain.com/blogsview/39044/Realtor-Web-Site-What

If the blog doesn't help because of a specific situation you are looking at please feel free to contact me and I'll suggest a direction and the resources you can use.

Posted by: Las Vegas Real Estate Agent, Darren Hildreth, Realtor®.

Jan 27, 2007 09:47 AM

Nathan Rogerson

Self Employed - Rogers, MN

If you are new to website design you may want to consider a few things before you jump in head first.

Do I have the time and energy to create a website from scratch? Would you time be better spent marketing and selling rather than building a website. In most cases the answer is yes. You can make more money selling than it would cost to have a website designed. If you are willing to pay someone and want a quality professional site I would suggest http://www.templatetuning.com/?aff=TM they offer custom sites or predesigned sites you can personalize. Obviously you pay more for the custom site.

If yes, Do you have the skills? Even most beginner web design tools can be difficult to use. Not to mention your site may look a little too homemade. I would suggest you focus on the graphics you will use for the site first. You will need a Graphics program such as Adobe Photoshop or Macromedia Fireworks. If you want to get a head start on the project you can you can get just a template to personalize from http://www.templatemonster.com/ these templates come in a variety of different formats that work with many different design softwares. However, If you want to be unique and do it yourself I would suggest you go to your local borders or barnes and noble and look at some books on how to navigate and code the Website software before you choose to buy it. You don't have to buy a book at these places they usually have a section where you can sit and read through the book before you buy it. It will help you to find out which program is going to be easiest for you. When you have found the software program that you feel is best for you, then you can start playing with it and getting familiar with it. I would suggest you get familiar with it before you jump in. It is a whole lot easier to do it right from the start than it is to try and fix mistakes you have made. Be prepared when you move forward it can take a long time to build a custom site.

Hopefully this helps someone.

Mar 16, 2007 10:54 AM

Lance Mayfield

The Credit Mall - Las Vegas, NV

I hope I don't sound jerk'ish when I write some words here.

It baffles me that there is actually a section on web design, SEO and someone actually suggesting Monster Template. In my opinion monster template is a good start to get graphics or icons, but certainly NOT to purchase a $60 template turn it over to the monster template dept: templatetuning and expect you have a professional image. What we should all really be focusing on is making sure we capture our own individualism when it comes to self branding, web presence otherwise all we show is how lazy, cheap, or simply not interested in actually being successful with the path we choose.

Keep in mind you only have 2-3 seconds when a person arrives at your site before deciding to either move on or stick at the site choosen. NOW, I am not saying use flash for the sake of "flash". I am talking about bringing your "self" image to the plate when you decide to showcase yourself to the world.

if your going to purchase a template from monstertemplate, why waste the funds? if your going to look like everyone else, you might as well stick with your companies individual agent site. I know the guys over at monsterrtemplate personally and I know the first year they made over 5 million, however, I just view them as a lazy and unprofessional route for any profession.

If you reallllly want to be a success in the real estate sector, concentrate on networking.

Example: Conventions, Hold a Seminar, Try and attach yourself to people in your company or office that are doing better and use them as your personal guide.

I spent over $70,000 on my college degree Information Systems, eCommerce and minored in economics. I must say, when I start a new company and get distracted by an area in which I simply do not know, I hire the best I can, not who is available. If you hire the best possible, it only makes you want to do better.

AND PLEASE whatever you do, always remember the most important aspect of sales. You are not selling real estate, you are selling YOU, and no one can should be able to do this better than YOU.

Apr 17, 2007 07:33 AM

GUY Trendz

GUYTrendz - Las Vegas, NV

Home Gifts and Products for Men

Lance: It is important to market yourself well and create a professional image. Template sites can create problems with developing individuality. If an agent uses a template site they need to be able to produce their own content and graphical appearance. Templates can work great for simplifying the addition of content. Here is another related posts: