Need your opinion! Thanks!

I sell real-estate in Germany, and am in the process of changing my presentation on the web. I want a new refreshing look, and not the kind of homepage that is dry and cold like a bank or finance site.

What kind of real-estate site would you delve more into?

1.) Personal and caring: Like a good friend taking care of your needs and wishes.
Or
Short, straight to the point…professional

2.) Photography is very important. The more pictures the better, and of course the floor plan for each object is a must.
or
Short descriptions…not so much blah blah…price is the major thing

3.) Leisure music in the background, with a lovely slide show of the area and their highlights….just to get in the mood.
or
No music. Get straight to the point and don’t waste my time.

4.) Interested in the realtors background and how long they are in business
Or
The less irrelevant info the better.

5.) Value good links
Or
never look at links.

6.) Colour scheme lifts my mood.
Like
Blue and white, fresh and clean
Warm colours, orange, yellow and red
Black and white, classy and cool, with a dab of red

7.) What would you particularly look out for in a real-estate site to keep you from clicking off in a flash.

I know there are so many websites to just down load and rework…but I want an original one, nothing over the counter; so I appreciate any feedback.

Thank you so much.
Hannelore

Okay here are my personal thoughts and preferences....
1. I think personal and caring is good because you're exploring a huge decision
2. I think photography is a huge thing on this type of site. I recall thinking "there's never enough photos...only floor plans." It's nice to see as many angles as possible before deciding to take the time to travel to view it.
3. Why not have the music going? People have the option of turning off speakers.
4. It's nice to hear a realtors background in a concise and not too wordy way.
5. A links option is nice...you can look if you really want to but again, it's just a personal option.
6. Warm is homey....so that would be my choice.
7. A lot of photographic options....you can really shop better that way.

1.) Personal and caring: Like a good friend taking care of your needs and wishes. Or Short, straight to the point, professional

I LIKE BOTH. WHILE I WANT A SITE TO FEEL WARM AND PERSONAL, I WANT THE INFO AND I WANT IT FAST. SO MAKE IT VERY EASY FOR ME TO FIND WHAT I WANT. MAYBE INCLUDE A SEARCH BOX, OR A WAY TO SORT LISTINGS BY PRICE, # OF BEDROOMS, FIREPLACE, ETC. ALSO KEEP THE NAVIGATION SIMPLE.


2.) Photography is very important. The more pictures the better, and of course the floor plan for each object is a must or Short descriptions…not so much blah blah…price is the major thing

ON THE INITIAL LISTINGS PAGE, A PHOTO WITH THE PRICE AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION IS FINE. THEN IF I'M INTERESTED, I'D LIKE IT TO GO TO ANOTHER PAGE WITH FLOOR PLAN AND A LOT OF DETAIL. HANNELORE, ALWAYS HAVE YOUR CONTACT INFO ON EVERY PAGE; IF THEY ARE INTERESTED IN A HOME, THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SEARCH AROUND FOR YOUR CONTACT PAGE AND LOSE THE LISTING THEY ARE INTERESTED IN.

3.) Leisure music in the background, with a lovely slide show of the area and their highlights….just to get in the mood or No music. Get straight to the point and don’t waste my time.

I BROWSE WITH MY SPEAKERS OFF. MUSIC IS A TRICKY THING; IT MAY MAKE YOUR SITE SEEM MORE HIGH-TECH, BUT YOU'RE NOT SELLING HIGH-TECH THINGS, YOU'RE SELLING HOMES. I WOULD SKIP THE MUSIC; NO MATTER WHAT YOU CHOOSE, SOMEONE WON'T LIKE IT. IF IT'S NOT THERE, NO ONE WILL MISS IT.

REGARDING A SLIDE SHOW, THOSE ARE NICE IF THEY LOAD VERY FAST. I WOULD NEVER PUT ON THE VERY FIRST (SPLASH) PAGE OF YOUR SITE. IF PEOPLE HAVE A SLOW COMPUTER, THEY WILL NOT WAIT FOR IT TO PLAY OUT, THEY'LL JUST LEAVE YOUR SITE. I WOULD PROBABLY SKIP THE SLIDE SHOW EXCPET MAYBE FOR THE LISTINGS, IF YOU HAVE MULTIPLE IMAGES OF EACH HOME. THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO SEE A SLIDE SHOW OF THE HOUSE I'M INTERESTED IN.

4.) Interested in the realtors background and how long they are in businesS Or The less irrelevant info the better.

IF YOU'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS A LONG TIME, OR HAVE THE DESIGNATION OF TOP SELLER, ETC, THEN BY ALL MEANS SHARE IT WITH YOUR CLIENTS. IT WILL GIVE THEM CONFIDENCE. IF THERE'S NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY, THEN I WOULD STILL HAVE AN "ABOUT US" TYPE OF PAGE WITH YOUR PHOTO AND A BRIEF BIO AND THE TYPE OF SERVICE YOU CAN PROVIDE.

5.) Value good linkS Or never look at links.

I WOULD LOOK AT LINKS LIKE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, MORTGAGE RATES, ETC, BUT REMEMBER THAT LINKS CAN TAKE PEOPLE OFF YOUR SITE AND TO ANOTHER ONE. I WOULD GO LIGHT ON THE LINKS, AND IF POSSIBLE JUST TRY TO HAVE THE PERTINENT INFO ACTUALLY ON A PAGE ON YOUR SITE. IT'S GOOD TO GIVE THE VISITORS A REASON TO CALL YOU, SO DON'T GIVE THEM EVERY BIT OF INFO.

6.) Colour scheme lifts my mood. Like
Blue and white, fresh and clean Warm colours, orange, yellow and red Black and white, classy and cool, with a dab of red

IN THE US, IT SEEMS BLUE AND RED ARE VERY POPULAR COLORS FOR REAL ESTATE. WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE, MAKE IT EASY ON THE EYES. NO DARK BACKGROUNDS WITH LIGHT TYPE - TOO HARD TO READ. KEEP THE SITE WHITE OR CREAM WITH ONE MAIN COLOR, THEN ADD A DASH OF TWO OTHER HIGHLIGHT COLORS. RARELY SHOULD YOU GO MORE THAN THREE COLORS; IT BECOMES OVERWHELMING. REMEMBER, YOU ARE SELLING REAL ESTATE, NOT DESIGN SERVICES THAT MIGHT REQUIRE A BIT MORE COLOR.

Thank you for helping me out so fast. Kathy you sound like my computer guru, he said all the same things. I'm listening though,...and know I have to jump over my own personal preferences for the marketing strategy. I have a hard time doing that.

I just think that the homepages are all beginning to resemble one another too much. So I will try to get a bit of personality in it.

Thanks Jane and Kathy, and as soon as it's finished I'll post the link.

Yes, after I read Kathy's intelligent post, I wish I had just shut my mouth! She has it down to a science and I read with interest....and will take that same advice also!

Nah, ALL comments are welcome! I've been building websites for 11 years, so I have those kinds of conversations with my clients regularly...

Kathy

1.) I'd also say both, but if I had to choose one over the other, I'd go with professional. I've seen testimonials on sites to add a "caring" aspect, but those can be faked, so they are pretty much useless. You can add the "caring and personal" with/in your bio.

2.) Photography is very important. But, more pictures are not always better. Better is photo content. Each picture should have as much area in it as possible, without compromising the shot. The photos should be of the most important parts of the property – say front and back view, kitchen, living room, floor plan, special features etc. Photos should be crisp and clear. For each listing, have a way to open a picture gallery in another window. That way after they view the gallery, they can close it and return to the primary listing without loosing it if it happens to be a property of choice. (The photo gallery could be a page of pictures, any of which a potential buyer could click on to enlarge. Small photos infuriate me – so the enlarge feature is a must, in my opinion.) And, you could add a “virtual tour” feature. You’d have to add video and have it open in another window, like the photo gallery, but a tour is nice when you want to imagine yourself on a property.

3.) No music. When people are looking for something as serious as real estate, they need to be able to think clearly. The only exception I can think of is having a little music @ the intro, which can have a skip feature. I don’t think slide shows are necessary either. Again, because of your product, you don’t want to over complicate the presentation. (refer to #2)

4.) Everywhere you can have your thumbnail picture or your logo, your name, your business name, your phone number put it there – get it imprinted on their minds – make it seem as if you are the one to call, no matter if it’s your listing or not. A bio page is nice, but for your type of business, it’d probably be better kept at a professional level, as in not having a bunch of pictures of family, etc.. I think a person’s credentials are more important than things like where they’ve lived and hobbies/interests… include selling stats, business affiliations, honors, awards, recognitions, and so on. When buying real estate, a potential buyer needs to know you have experience, good references, good history (not a fly by night), good ethics, good contacts, and can walk and chew at the same time.

5.) Links are a must. I think a list of links should be on a separate page, though, maybe through a “consumer tools” tab… again, one that opens in a separate window. Links to school district, tax office, parks and recreation, shopping, colleges and hospitals, moving & storage companies (coupon offerings are good), and other service providers.

6.) Colors can create mood. Mood is important. Keep it crisp, smart, clean … good contrasts like navy and sunflower yellow, nothing that fights – might investigate psychology of color to determine what colors are conducive to favorable real estate shopping.

7.) Information, information, information – vagueness would make me think there was something to hide. One bit of information in particular is disclosures – don’t waste your time or the buyers by failing to disclose something unpleasant… for instance, if you don’t want to have “cracked slab” in the description, have a consideration comment.


*To SPEED and EASE, I’d add accuracy and up to date.
*And, to the search box and sort listing feature, I’d add a way to save my favorite finds.
*One of the most frustrating things I’ve run into is not being able to find the type of contact information I need right then. Sometimes sites have physical addresses, but no phone number, or an email address, but no physical. It seems the contact info I need is the kind that’s not provided.
*Map feature, opening in a separate window
*Mortgage calculator
*Buyer checklist – maybe created in adobe, something that a buyer can printout and use as a search guide and for note taking.

I love Kathy's feedback. It is valuable to any of our websites. Kathy thank you.

Gimster, great comments!

You could add a fun quiz for the homebuyer like "What kind of home buyer are you?" And make it fun, informative, and easy. Let them see the results right away.

Music is definitely OUT! Let's face it, everybody surfs at work, but who wants to get caught because just as your boss walks by, some music blares out. Music is distracting. Do you want to sing to them, or sell them a house?

Up-to-date rates for financing
Avenues of financing
The mortgage calculator that someone suggested is an excellent idea

People showing around RE agent's sites want to SEE you. They will judge you on your looks, too...that's been proven. So give it your best shot. Photo shot, that is.

Give a brief history of your experience but don't go overboard with it.

This are all just suggestions and things I would want to see if I visited your site. Take um or leave um....

All great suggestions, so I won't repeat same ones.

In any well-designed website, make sure it loads fast and have it tested across different generational computers. Not everyone has proper software loaded to execute slideshows, music...or even Adobe reader software to view .pdf files.

Photographs are helpful ..from several different angles. 1-2 photos where the house sits in relation to other homes is helpful plus the usual closeups.

As for a more personal/caring feel by the real estate agent..it maybe useful for the real estate agent to highlight in text if there are any parks, walking/multipurpose trails nearby..etc. such facilities. If you have such links from your page then add links for: municipal parks, community centres, walking /cycling trails routes, libraries and public transit. Many of the bigger (smarter)municipalties have whole route maps on their website but a person has to spend extra time to find it sometimes.

It is my understanding at least in some of the bigger cities here in Canada, this can be part of a selling point for a home..to add to the neighbourhood's livability.

My computer guru is coming today and we will be working on the new web look. I gathered all your information and advice to dump in his lap. Poor guy, I don't think it's easy to be creative with me. I tend to want to go by my gut feeling, which probably isn't always correct.
We'll see what comes out of all this.
Thank you everyone for your great advice!

One thing you might remember is that 80% of buyers are women....or at least they are the decision-makers and can make or break a deal. At least that is how it is here in the US....so ask yourself, does this appeal to ME?

Hannelore, we are in the process of helping our son look for a home. What I like about a couple of the sites I've browsed is the ability to see lots of photos (all on the same page) of the homes for sale. This knocks some of them out of the running without having to visit. It's a real time saver. I also like having all the information about the listing on one page; number of rooms and sizes, taxes, renovations done, etc.

I like personal & caring. I am also a realtor in the South Eastern US (Ocean Isle Beach, NC) near the ocean. When dealing with clients I find if you are sincere and caring, they want to work with you.

My home page is coming along, slowly but surely. It's great brain jogging. I'm trying to do this from scratch, with some help from my computer guro. I want to be eventually independent of having to get help every time I need to change the site, so I'm learning by doing. Actually it's really very creative work.

So far it has a personal touch. I want to make it fast and easy to use. I have one page for each house with all the inf. on it. That was an excellent suggestion Dotsie.

Have any of you bookmarked a homepage that you thought to be unusually well done, pleasing to the eye, or interesting to visit? I don’t really mean the content; I mean the set up. Would you share the address?

Well get out the champagne glasses! I’m finally finished with my homepage. It was a long hard process. Never thought it could be so complicated. Now that that is over, the REAL work begins.

If you would like to take a look, the web address is:

www.immobilien-schwarz.de

I don’t have too many homes to sell…but I hope that will change soon.

I lift my glass and toast to every working lady here!
I’m going to give my damdest to ignore the lousy economy, (it’s not so great here either)….Let’s pretend it’s not here…and give all we got!
We’ll show’em---We’ve seen and been through worse. Hey we’re Boomers! We can do it!!!!

That's a great looking site, Edelweiss! Very appealing to the eye, lots of interesting information (though I couldn't read it) and easy to navigate. Congratulations! That's a beautiful accomplishment to be proud of!

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL Edelweiss. Couldn't read a word but the pictures are beautiful and loved the song "You Go To My Head." Very impressive.

Edelweiss..congratchulationssssss!!!!! Your site is very appealing..with alot of flair and motion..I LIKE it!!! And yes, I would definitely give you call..What an accomplishment!

Now tell me..is that what you look like LIVE???? WOW lady..you keep well!!! How do you do it????

SKÅL to you, Edelweiss!!!

You did a wonderful job... It was hard to get off the home page, though, listening to the music and watching the slideshow ... makes me want to move there - your intent, right? Is there a translater that you can add for English readers?

I'll take the very first listing (EFH-E1773 - 5bdrm,2bth) in HÄUSER... I could get to love all the windows... How are the views from each of the rooms?

Also, on your art (Kunst) page, are all the paintings yours? I recognize the sea/boat painting as being yours, but are the rest created by your talented hands, also? If so, I wish I could purchase two of them ... the Mother and Daughter, along with the Boy in Sunlight (how cute is that one!?)... did he keep the worm (assuming it's a worm on his pinky) or let it go?

Congrats on getting the job done and on the quality of the product you produced! Have a glass of that champagne for me too!!!! Proud of you!!!!

I’m up here first thing in the morning to read your comments. I know it’s hard because of the German, and after selling my first house, I’ll see if I can get the English translation in. Good idea Gims.

I hope loading the slide shows didn’t take too long. The second time you visit it usually goes a lot faster. Chatty, you wouldn’t believe where I got the background music for the first page. Ladyjane sent me a link once to a travel site in Maine. They had that music. I loved it. It took ages for me to figure out where I could get it, since they didn’t know the name anymore.

Humlan that picture was taken at my son’s wedding in October. Notice the upturned collar…love those…they hide the double chin. Thank you for your sweet words.

Eagleheart, that was most important to me, “easy to navigate”. I have to figure that a lot of people check out the site who may be unfamiliar with computers.

And yes, Gims those paintings are all from me. I sign them with my maiden name. I’m offering people to display their paintings, (up to three different pictures for each one) for 8 Euros/year. If it catches on, I might have a nice little side income that could just cover some costs. Anyway I thought paintings and real-estate go together. So why not give it a try. You liked them? Oh yes, the “mother daughter” one is my favourite. Thanks Gims for checking them out.

I’m sitting here and grinning from ear to ear. Today I’m taking a day off from my homepage. Oh happy days.

Wunderbar! Wonderful! EW that is the most imaginative real estate site I've seen! And as a Realtor I should know! Fantastic! I've never seen anything like it here in Colorado. I LOVE the art, you are so talented. And adding the art to your real estate site is such a personal touch, and a great first impression, and an ice-breaker when you meet new people. It looks like you have a lot of territory to cover. Congratulations on a great work of art, the site!

Anaiya's in it as well!!! Love the main page photos of Augsburg and the background music is enjoyable. I think it's mighty clever to include the paintings as well. But, mein Deutsche is nicht very gut so, as it has been suggested, a button that says "click to translate to..." would perhaps help. It would open up as well to prospective purchasers outside of the local community. On that note, it might also be helpful to have a daily FOREX notice: Euro to £ and Euro to $.

Absolutely lovely, user-friendly site! Wonderful colors that enhance but don't take over. The photos are so professional - you don't see that on a lot of sites. And your link to webcams is great - I was going to suggest that.

Really great job!

Thank you so much Princess (what a compliment, and that from another realestate agent. I'm truly flattered.)

Lola, I'm delighted that you recognized Anaiya. Good idea about the daily Forex notice. I'll put that under the links. Yes the translation button is the next project. But first I got to sell something.

Mij, I created the background with Adobe all by meeeself. It took me ages to figure out the software. The possibilities are endless, but now I think I got it.

There are still some quirks that have to be worked on. Like the music gets all jumbled up when it repeats! But hey! I already got two seller contracts because of the page. Wow, I didn't expect that. They found me through the internet.

Edelweiss, for some reason I thought I had already commented! I know that I looked at your great website soon after you posted it....so I'm here to say "Congratulations!" It's absolutely stunning and so informative...great, great job done!

I recognized Anaiya right off the bat. I'm guessing that's your hunk of a son.

The photos are lovely. Is this your home town? Do you sail in those waters?

The music is so tender and sweet. How cool that you got it from another boomer girl here.

I wish I could read your language!

Have you sold all the houses on your refernece page? WOW!


My favorite part of the site is the page with your paintings. You are so humble. They are gorgeous!

I too could have sworn I commented on this lovely site. The music was so much fun and soothing, too. I loved the choice you made there. And I agree about your paintings. LOVELY! You are mucho talented.

Very well done, indeed!

Edelweiss, you really did a great job on your website! Congratulations

EW, can we talk about the clients that found you through the internet? What is the name of your site in English? Did you give a lot of thought to the name so that it would pop up when searched? What do you think?

Princess, My site's name isn't what brings the clients. It's the fact that I'm easily found. I'm right up there on top of the google list. So if anyone is looking for real-estate in the towns around me, they find me on top of the page. Your site’s tags are sooooooo important. Those are the words that customers type in to find the right real-estate agent.

Edelweiss, This may sound strange, coming from an artist such as myself, but I would go with a realtor that is a "no junk," web site, the get to the point, professional looking, non musical type of site. I would take the purchase of my next home very seriously and would want to think of my realtor to be rich in experience and polished in presentation. I would want her to be sure footed and perfectly at home with things like numbers and facts.
I would like photos but not too many photos that are there just for decoration, more the classy photos as well, not the "homey," type of photos that one sees at times.

It is easy to put myself in this situation because I just got done working with a realtor and she was very pragmatic compared to me which worked rather well.

Buying a home, esp. now, well here in America, that is, is serious and a big step!

Just my own style,
Dancer9

That is alot of work, Edelweiss. Hope you generate sales more painlessly if people can preview virtually.

Your site has a distinctly ..GERMAN feel. I can't explain it, Edelweiss. It shows that you have lived in Germany for many decades.

The whole feel reminds me of being in my partner's mother's homes over the past decade or so, when she was healthier and younger/living on her own. She did have contemporary taste..bauhuas and sleeker Scandinanvian look in furniture lines. Are you aiming towards a particular market in Germany?

I'm just responding in a gut feel kind of way.

Dancer, I certainly hope I misunderstood you, or are you calling my web site “Junk”?

I think many of my past clients, which include hotel owners, wellness spas, castles and senior residence landlords, would vehemently back me up in saying my personal and professional way to do business is why they granted me solo contracts in the first place.

When people look to buy a house, it is usually a happy occasion. And I like to mirror that feeling, instead of copying a cold financial bank site. My real-estate agency is not a franchise like Remax. And I’m no department store, offering thousands of real-estate sites. I like to think I’m like the personal boutique, with the personal service. In my 17 years of practicing real-estate; I’ve never been called unprofessional.

Of course I don’t expect everyone to like my site. You can’t argue about taste. Still it would have been nice if you were more tactful with your wording, instead of giving those under the belt blows.

Edelweiss,
Certainly I was NOT calling your web site "junk!" I would never do that and I have not seen it!
I was speaking of a mythical web site that I made up in my mind and what I would want from it, as you asked! I am NOT a professional at ALL so far as what others would want and I would say I am the LAST person who would know what would appeal to others in a site like yours.

I'm so sorry if I mis-typed or gave such an impression and you must forgive me!

I am just not the type to be the critic when it comes to others tastes and I certainly don't have an idea what the normal public would respond to!

With warm regards,
Dancer

Edelweiss, your website is clearly more for family-oriented clients. Very different from the slick ads where there's this gorgeous couple and women is wearing a satin dress.. those depictions of people amuse me.

http://d95182.bc51.boschelhosting.com/fo...part=2&vc=1

Quote:

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Got the darn home page finished! [Re: Edelweiss]
#153375 - Fri Apr 25 2008 03:35 PM (84.155.210.62) Edit Reply Quote Quick Reply

Well get out the champagne glasses! I’m finally finished with my homepage. It was a long hard process. Never thought it could be so complicated. Now that that is over, the REAL work begins.

If you would like to take a look, the web address is:

www.immobilien-schwarz.de

I don’t have too many homes to sell…but I hope that will change soon.

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Is it possible someone read the initial post and skimmed through the rest of the thread, or didn't read it at all, either way not giving the site,
www.immobilien-schwarz.de , a look-see , before interjecting comments?