Real Estate Agent · Falls Church · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
I am looking for suggestions on the best wordpress based websites for real estate agents that you have experience with.
Obviously I want the basics with the IDX feed, but what is more important to me, is a website that will have a backend mechanism to track how prospective clients are interacting with the website.
I know there are services like Boomtown ROI that provide the whole package, but I am looking for something that will not run me 3k a month
Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 99 posts · 56 votes
10y
@Brandon L. I'm a real estate agent and I created my website using a Wordpress webpage theme. I'm not a programmer by any means, and it seems a little bit daunting at first, but I got into it when I got the hang of it. My website is fully functional and running. It took me about 3-4 months, a couple of hours a week here and there, to create the website the way I wanted it to look and function. You can track traffic to individual webpages using Google Analytics as well as increase website traffic by advertising with Facebook or Google Adsense. If your local MLS has developed an IDX widget, you can copy the IDX codes and it'll give your page visitor the ability to search the MLS listing. I would say that $3K a month is a lot to pay for creating and maintaining a website. Does that include advertising to increase traffic to your website as well as lead generation? I think it would just be better for you to look for a Wordpress Meetups group in your city and/or watch Youtube videos on how to create your own Wordpress website. It'll save you money in the long run once you have everything setup and running.
Real Estate Agent · South Elgin, IL · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 3 votes
10y
@John Vo What do you pay monthly for the IDX? What is your total cost to run and maintain your site excluding hosting cost. As its super nice to get a free site from our broker it's just not "prettified" or modern and I need something more appealing. My only hurtle is the cost for the IDX and/or any other services other than hosting that i'll need in regards of running a real estate agent site.
Real Estate Agent · Saint Louis Park, MN · Member since 2015 · 213 posts · 82 votes
10y
@John Vo - I'd be very interested to hear what your expenses are for your WordPress website and costs for IDX like @Travis Eubanks mentioned. I have a few company sites that are fine, but just that as well probably like most. I have dug into Wordpress a bit, but don't want to go crazy on website costs either.
Rental Property Investor · Lawrenceville, GA · Member since 2014 · 32 posts · 12 votes
10y
I'm a web developer, and I do lots of freelance with Wordpress as the base framework. I make my own themes from scratch though, so I can't weigh in on premise themes. But any other questions- fire away.
Real Estate Agent · Falls Church · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
@John Vo thanks for the detailed response it was really helpful, I am somewhat familiar with wordpress as my blog is built on it, May I ask what specific theme you used?
As far as the tracking goes, companies that offer the all in one packages (crm,website, PPC campaigns) have tracking mechanisms that can actually show what listings are being looked at, and how frequently, I'm not sure if this is proprietary to the company or if there is a plugin somewhere that can be used to accomplish the same thing. Maybe there are some website developers here on BP that can can chime in.
My overall goal is to have my website, CRM, and dialing program all integrated feeding me as much info about leads as possible so that I can optimize lead conversion, and transaction tracking from Lead to Closing.
Right now the two options I am considering are lion desk CRM and a wordpress website, or the complete package from Top producer.
Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 99 posts · 56 votes
10y
@Travis Eubanks& @Shane Hedeen I paid for the hosting and website name for 3 years, using HostGator when I started. So if I had to break it down as a monthly expense, it would cost me about $7/month to create and maintain my website. I'm with you on the website from our broker, its nice, but I wanted my own for advertising purposes. I don't pay anything for the IDX, it's free from my local MLS. So check yours to see if they have a widget/code that you can use for free. If it's not free then I wouldn't worry about it. A lot of other successful agent I know, who have their own website don't even have that function. The main point is to use the website as another way to get your name out there. Also there's wordpress plugins you can use that will increase security to your website, but the best security measure is to only put information that you want other people to know about on you on your website.
I used wordpress plugin called Contact Form 7 for lead capture that will email me their contact info and their comments/questions. Google Analytic can track specific pages and hence specific listings if you create a link that take someone to a specific property pages. There's also CRM plugins such as WPForms that you can use, not sure if this is free or a paid app, as my website do not have a CRM function. Be careful in using too many plugins as it'll slow down your load speed.
I think I understand what you're trying to do, and for that kind of website it takes advance programming/knowledge for the website to function correctly. I would suggest you go with Top Producer if you want to be up and running quickly. Otherwise it'll take time to learn and understand how to create a website that has all of your requirement.
Redondo Beach, CA · Member since 2016 · 33 posts · 22 votes
10y
If listings are hosted on your website through the IDX you should be able to see the analytics through Google Analytics. Any page on your website can be tracked as the page you're interested in (IDX listing) says www.yourwebsite.com/listing123 or /listing456 or /blog.
If IDX goes to another site, tracking those analytics could get more complicated...
If you want more in depth info like you want to know if Sally, who filled out a form on your site, is viewing your properties and what she's looking at-- this is the kind of information you'll have to hire a service to track.
It sounds like you're wanting in depth info on how a specific lead is interacting with your site? As opposed to analyzing how your site is performing as a whole? If that's the case, I would specifically ask Lion Desk what they offer in terms of analytics to make sure they have what you're looking for.
Real Estate Agent · Falls Church · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
@Account Closed thanks for the response. You got it exactly right, I want to know exactly what the leads are doing on the site. I have heard of it being referred to as a predictive CRM. Using some sort of algorithm it will notify me when it thinks the perfect time to follow up with a lead based on what they are doing on the site.
Real Estate Agent · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2016 · 46 posts · 13 votes
10y
Placester.com had a customized hosted WP platform for like $10 per month? Includes IDX on their end. You may still have a fee(annual or monthly or just one time) from your local board.
Redondo Beach, CA · Member since 2016 · 33 posts · 22 votes
10y
@Brandon L., yep predictive analytics exists for all kinds of industries. Making sense of the numbers is valuable to businesses with a web presence. If you've got any other questions on this topic feel free to PM me, my background is in digital marketing, UX, and UI.
Real Estate Agent · Saint Louis Park, MN · Member since 2015 · 213 posts · 82 votes
10y
@Frank Spaulding, you are right in Placester. I actually believe it's a hosted WP platform for $5 per month now for anyone who is a member of NAR. There is an additional few bucks per month for my MLS to get IDX on there, as I would imagine there to be a charge for most places.
Has anyone set one up on Placester? I have dug around on that site before to look at the templates, and they all very much feel just like the chunked out sites given to us by brokers. Not a ton of flexibility in design, unless I am mistaken which I very well could be.
Has anyone used a site through Placester? Any feedback/comments?
Real Estate Agent · Falls Church · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
@Shane Hedeen placester seems like a cool site for information, but I was reading reviews on the plugins that they make for wordpress, and the general opinion is their websites suck. I guess you get what you pay for.
@Account Closed that sounds great I will be sure to connect with you thanks :)
Real Estate Agent · Slippery Rock, PA · Member since 2016 · 29 posts · 7 votes
10y
I am in the process of setting up a site with IDX integration right now. I found a local company with a wordpress expert and I already had the domain and hosting setup. Basically I found the theme I wanted, and gave them the information. So far I've paid for the theme and a slider plugin. Still working on my best IDX solution along with my security plugin option (free and paid). I must emphasize security, as my WP account was hacked not long after getting it setup before we could even get security plugins behind it.