Discover why so many realtors are turning to single property websites to market and sell their listings.
Getting a listing to stand out and attract buyers online has always been difficult. Now that budgets are getting tighter because of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, more homeowners are putting their homes up for sale and real estate marketing is turning into a necessity instead of just a luxury. One of the best ways to make sure your listing stands out online is to create a single property website that showcases everything about a listing in one beautifully detailed web page.
What’s wrong with simply marketing a listing the way you’ve always done it in the past? Technology and the power of the internet have changed the game for good. The same old multiple listing sites tend to make everything look the same. Compare that to single property websites that make it far easier for realtors to create a beautiful and appealing website that attracts the kind of buyers that they’re looking for.
Single property websites are a win-win scenario for all involved.
Home buyers get additional details, images, and media related to the listing they are interested in.
Realtors and agents benefit from increased exposure, SEO, and online traffic to their listings,
You, the real estate photographer, will add a revenue-generating service to your business that brings in additional income AND provides value to your clients.
Let’s remind ourselves of the disadvantages of a multiple listing website and then go through some of the advantages of single property websites.
What are Single Property Websites
Let’s define exactly what we’re referring to when we talk about a single property website. Specifically, it’s a website with its own unique URL, that has one purpose: to showcase a property that is on the market and help to advance the sale.
How does a single property website help advance the sale of a home? Great question! By integrating lead capture tools directly into the site, realtors will be notified as soon as an interested buyer shows interest in the listing or downloads some content about the property including digital flyers, floor plans, pictures, and more!
Ready to Build your Own Single Property Website
Single property websites offer realtors the chance to take the buyer on a step-by-step journey through a property. Starting with the best features, an overview of the neighborhood, and finishing with a 3D tour and/or video of the property. Serious buyers love to get into the details of the listing. Allow them to find all of the information they need in one beautifully designed website.
Most single property websites are built using templates that are offered through a web building service such as Folio Websites. They make single property websites easy to create with smart integrations that let you quickly build a beautifully designed, mobile responsive website that helps you to reach as many people as possible.
Disadvantages of the MLS (Multiple Listing Service)
Let’s compare single property websites with a regular multiple listing service, or MLS. The MLS is where realtors pay a monthly fee to list their property alongside all the other properties in a certain area. While it’s true that you get steady, easy traffic by adding a property to the MLS – most MLS’s use old antiquated software that is unattractive and sometimes not mobile-friendly.
Furthermore, your listings are competing with everything else on the market when you post to an MLS. This makes it easy to browse a listing in seconds as opposed to taking the time to really understand the features, amenities, and additional details of a listing. There is also usually a restriction on the number of photos you can include on an MLS, which limits what you’re allowed to showcase, especially when it comes to larger, more luxury listings.
All that said, the MLS is still a great resource to use and you should definitely take advantage of this resource whenever possible. But there is no real advantage to using the MLS, just like everyone else. If you really want to have your listing stand out online in order to drive more leads and foot traffic to the property, creating a single property website is a great way to do just that.
When Should You Use a Single Property Website
If your clients want to put their properties in front of serious buyers, then they should really consider using a single property website for their listings. It’s another marketing channel and a chance to offer a far more comprehensive look at the property. It also sends a signal to the prospective buyer that this is an exclusive or luxury listing, that you’re serious about selling this property, and this home is worth the investment.
It’s also a great way for realtors themselves to gain a bit more visibility and show that they go above and beyond for their clients. All single property websites come with the ability to add information about the realtor or agent, including a picture, brief description, and a link back to their website and/or social media accounts. All of this is not only great exposure for the agent, but also great for their SEO!
Finally, you should be able to build up your database through a single property website. Get people to sign up to your newsletter or follow you on social media. This property may not be for them, but the next one could be and you need to make sure that they see it.
To find out more about how to build up a serious portfolio of single property websites, get in touch with us today.
