Apps

realpropertycheck.com November 11, 2021

Best Themes For Real Estate: How To Set Up A Website for a Real Estate Agency Without Breaking The Bank

Real estate agents are receiving an ever increasing number of leads through social media and the web as prospective buyers research the market on the Internet. In order to stay competitive, real estate agents need an attractive web presence which drives business even as they sleep.

In this article:

How To Cut The Costs Of Web Development And Maintenance
Best Premium Themes for Real Estate Websites

How To Cut The Costs Of Web Development And Maintenance

Many real estate agencies are paying web designers hefty fees for custom-made websites only to discover how expensive this really is once they request some extras (adjustments of the original concept) or once decide to move their business elsewhere. If you were lead to believe that you must shell out thousands of dollars for a custom made website which no one except your own web developer knows how to maintain, relax. You can cut the costs of web development by using prepackaged themes running on top of a open source CMS engine.

One of the best ways to cut the costs of web development and maintenance and still get to fully control your own website, is to set up a content-management system such as WordPress–the popular blogging software can very much serve real estate agent’s listings–and then furnish it with a ready-to-go theme designed from the ground up for real estate. Once you know what you want, an experienced web developer can complete this setup within less than two hours or you could also do it yourself if you really want to.

This way, you will be able to tweak settings through your own administrative interface: manage agents’ accounts, add listings and other content.

Using an off-the-shelf theme does not preclude you from having your own custom adjustments (it is not difficult and your web developer will be more than happy to show off her skills).

Tip: If you solicit the services of a web professional, make sure they “harden” your WordPress installation (this means that they make it more hacker-proof with a few little tricks).

Best Premium Themes for Real Estate Websites

A professional web theme can cost as little as $35 and serve you for years. Themes can offer powerful customization options which do not require coding, for example by means of so-called widgets (little graphical elements such as text boxes, calenders or calculators you can drag and drop around in the admin area to customize a web page). Many also offer skins, predefined optimized visual interfaces which allow you to change the appearance of your website with the click of a button and without paying for any more code.

A few such themes are truly remarkable for their design and/or flexibility.

WP Pro Real Estate 2 WordPress Theme

The WP Pro Real Estate 2 WordPress Theme ($35) by contempoinc is one of the most advanced themes out there but not the most jaw-dropping one. The design does look a bit bare-bones out of the box. But it has a lot to offer.

WP Pro Real Estate 2 offers, among other things, a powerful search in listings, custom Agent profiles (obviously, the relevance of an agent’s commission wasn’t lost on the developers), and Google Maps integration. This cutting-edge theme supports custom menus of the most recent generation of WordPress (number 3.x as of this writing).

WP Pro Real Estate 2 uses a modern, future-proof code base (HTML 5 and CSS3). This is a big plus for modern browsers but can be a drag on older ones such as Internet Explorer prior to version 8, but then again, you can’t have it both ways.

You also get top notch support and free theme updates for life.

OpenHouse Real Estate Bundle by BuchmannDesign

The OpenHouse Real Estate theme for WordPress ($35) by BuchmannDesign comes in a bundle so you actually get two editions of the theme: one for a real estate brokerage and one for an auto dealership.

The Open House Real Estate WordPress theme by BuchmannDesign (click on the image to see live demo)

It sports a built-in loan calculator, Agent-specific listings, a Google maps widget for each listing (no API key needed) and unlimited color schemes for easy adjustments. It is geared towards the most recent version of WordPress (3.x) with support for features such as custom post types. With an optional log-in form you can even allow sellers to post their own listings all by themselves.

The Real Estate Theme by designspike

The Real Estate Theme by designspike is not only elegant but also compatible with a wide range of modern and legacy browsers, giving your website the biggest exposure. It can show the status of your listings such as New, Reduced Price, Rented and Sold.

This theme packs a lot of content onto a small piece of screen real estate.

Real Estate Theme for WordPress by designspike (click on the image to see live demo)

How To Set Up a Real Estate Website By Yourself

For those of you who follow the do-it-yourself approach, here is a recap of how to set up a website for a real estate agency you can control:

Get a hosting package which supports WordPress (the principle is the same for other content management systems, but you need different themes).
Install WordPress: this is usually a one-click affair using features such as Fantastico in cpanel. (If the theme doesn’t work out of the box, you need to correct file system permissions)
Buy a theme for WordPress, for example from themeforest.com.
Upload the theme to your server, log in to WordPress, activate the theme and go through the configuration (in most cases, you can add your own logo this way).
Begin populating your theme with property listings, including photos and videos where appropriate.
Mission accomplished!

No, you are never actually done. The listings keep coming!

You might also want to read this: How to Give Your Property Listings More Exposure And Find Buyers/Deals Quickly

realpropertycheck.com April 20, 2021

Crowdsourcing Neighborhood Information with Google Map Maker Debuts in the U.S.

Google announced it is letting users update Google Maps and Google Earth information in the U.S. through Google Map Maker, the crowdsourced mapping tool for publicizing neighborhood information. Google, however, won’t take input from other community map sources, such as Open Street Map or Waze.

Google’s map editing features will allow the addition of commercial data such as businesses locations and more specific street information such as temporary closures due to construction projects. You can add places as well as draw lines and shapes depicting railroads, back alleys or parking lots.

Users’ updates undergo a vetting process coordinated by previously accredited users. Moderators can approve or reject edits or send them back for a revision. Users’ participation earns them karma which counts towards acquiring the status of a moderator.

So far, Google Maps offers no support for mapping locations such as stores or businesses which are layered on top of one another. 3D features are clearly something Google cannot postpone indefinitely.

For now, Google has added street-level perspective with embedded images from Street View.

Google Map Maker is a tool real estate professionals in this country should keep a watchful eye on. You can check it out for yourself right here.

realpropertycheck.com September 14, 2010

iPhone apps for property search and valuation

Some of the best tools for property search and valuation can easily fit into your pocket: on the Apple iPhone or iPad.

1. Zillow

The Zillow app is hands-down the most intuitive app in this category. It is fun to use if not outright addictive.

Zillow on the iPhone: map in hybrid view — Property for sale on a map in hybrid view in Zillow on the iPhone/iPod touch

The Zillow app on the iPhone is surprisingly efficient in the use of what little screen real estate you have, showing properties on an interactive map with very appealing and yet not distracting visuals. On the iPad, the app takes advantage of the tablet’s full native resolution. It not only looks gorgeous and incredibly entertaining, it can also be very informative. But it’s only as good as the underlying database. You may run across a few outdated or incomplete listings (and learn new neighborhoods in the process) and will have to return to your computer for features such as street view.

Tip: Should you experience some downtime with all your favorites disappearing, don’t panic. Get a latte and relax. Most likely they will be back in a few moments.

Zillow on the iPhoe: a property listing — Zillow.app for the iPhone: a property listing with details

Zillow is perfect for discovering a neighborhood. If you want to get a feel for the price level and the kind of properties you might see, this is an app you can’t miss.

Price: free

Download on iTunes

2. Realtor.com

The Realtor.com app delivers a bounty of information. It delivers a whopping 4 million listings in three categories: nearby homes sale, nearby open houses and nearby rentals. The database is updated every 15 minutes.

In order to zero in on your location, you can select it on a map, browse a list of cities and neighborhoods or use GPS positioning.

The app keeps track of your recently viewed listings all by itself. You can also save favorites and sync them with your Realtor.com account.

Property listings on a map in Realty.com for the iPhone

Navigating the map does not feel anywhere near as good as on Zillow on the iPhone (let alone in Zillow on the iPad).

Unfortunately, Realtor.com cannot take advantage of the additional screen real estate on the iPad. It also does not initiate a search when you change the focus on the map. While this is a minor inconvenience you can never be sure you see all there is to be seen until you hit the search button.

Tip: When you see your first results on the map, hit “Show More Listings” as many times as it takes for the button to disappear. Otherwise you might be missing out on some of the best. Then with the Refine button, you can filter results to your liking.

Price: free

Download on iTunes