Choosing The Right Web Designer

By
Real Estate Agent with Century 21

Hi. While I am sure there is a whole boatload of designers (perhaps even me) that would love to build a website for you, I recommend that you proceed with caution.

You website will be an extension of your image online. Therefore, it is imperative to find the right developer.

First, there are a few things that you should consider.

1.) Your budget. Know what it is before you begin to negotiate.

2.) What you want. make sure you have a concrete idea regarding what you are looking for. With that said, if you want the moon and the stars, be willing to pay for them. Building a website is a time consuming venture and a good designer will want to be paid a fair price.

3.) Content. What do you want your site to say. The more the better. It is up to you to write this. Do not make your designer do it. While they may be articulate and be able to write good copy, they are not you. After all, isn't it your online personna?

4.) If you have a shoestring budget, then consider a template. Template Monster is a good place to start. Their templates are priced fair and more importanly, they are retired after 10 downloads. This way you can be assured your site is relatively original. The have hundreds of real estate sites to choose from.

If you do go with a template, I still recommend having a professional customize it. With that said, the bar isn't so high and a good pro-am (professional/amatuer) designer should be able to pull it off.

*I should say I am an Monster Template affiliate.

5.) Time. The more time you can devote to upkeep and new content the better. You will only get as much out of your site as you are willing to put into it.

Comments (3)

Erik Hitzelberger
RE/MAX Alliance - Louisville REALTOR-Luxury Homes - Louisville, KY
Louisville - Middletown Real Estate

Joseph - This is good advice.  I jumped-in to a 6-month contract with a designer before I did my research.  I am not happy with what I have and can never get in touch with the designer.  Now, I just count the days until August.

Jun 07, 2008 03:10 PM
Joseph Goodman*ABR*GRI*SRES*
Century 21 - Mount Juliet, TN

Hey Erik you want a great website that markets you and your listings? www.possessthelands.com is done by www.ihouseweb.com as far as the hosting.But I designed it and bulit it from the ground up.It will build a basic form for you.Go ahead try it!!ITS FREE!!You will love it!!

Jun 07, 2008 03:15 PM
real estate web design
imoria.com - Orlando, FL

I would recommend using www.imoria.com they design on drupal and are using a content management system that changes every mls number into a page on your domain it's 2.0 and the best way to get found on search engines.

Oct 06, 2008 04:27 AM