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.