industry Archives - Real Estate Websites in Canada for REALTORS®, Brokers and Banners

Free Real Estate Websites from Corporate – Good, Bad or Ugly?

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 20:46:08 +0000

Free real estate websites from your corporate real estate banner are almost always an option when it comes to getting online with your real estate business. As one of the pioneering companies of real estate technology in Canada, we can confirm that there are many real estate banners that have embarked on the free website development path over the years. In fact, EstateVue has even thrown our hat in the ring for a few proposals over the years, but overall our heart belongs to custom real estate website development, primarily for the benefit of our customers.

In 2022, we wanted to shed some light on what a free website from corporate will get you. We also provide some guidance about who benefits from free real estate websites along with what to look for when you're deciding between free and paid branding for your business.

Read on and get in touch if you have any questions!

What does a free website from corporate get me?

Free website products are generally not any different, better, or more distinctive. They're designed to get you up and running, quickly and cheaply. This is so you can focus on what you do best and stop worrying about marketing and data.

Free corporate sites do all the same things every other real estate website does, except differentiate you from your competition.

What it does is get you into a website with little intervention from yourself. The cookie-cutter design leaves you looking just like the next agent after you and the one before that. This lack of personalization makes it harder for customers, especially new ones, to tell you apart. Free corporate real estate websites let you or likely your stressed-out assistant, who did not sign up to be a web dev, whip up a quick online presence in a matter of a few days. A step above a free Facebook business page and although it has some real estate functionality, it's still a step below even a free WIX product.

There are many cases where free website products make sense, let's see if you check any of these boxes:

You're new to the industry.

If you are brand new to the real estate industry and you're still learning the ropes then a free website solution might be the answer for you. At this stage of your career, you need to focus on learning and growth. You need a few deals under your belt and some experience that you can leverage. You probably don't have a marketing budget in mind yet and if you did it's been gobbled up already by your start-up costs. We don't see anything wrong with going the free route in this case. Save costs, provided that at the same time you're saving for a new custom real estate website down the road. Eventually, if you're doing it right, then you should outgrow your free website solution.

Don't believe us? Quickly jot down the 5 biggest players in your city when it comes to real estate. Visit their main website portal. Check the footer to see if they're using a stock solution. Case closed.

You like to work the system.

Player's will play. If you've mastered your industry and you've been in the marketing game for any length of time then you know all about maximizing your digital footprint to capture even more leads. While free websites are typically built on what is known as a closed-loop system there's an off chance that you might grab a lead or two from having them as part of your lead capture strategy. The downside to free websites is that they demand paid ad budgets to generate traffic. Why? The answer is simple. They use stock everything. Stock content, stock photos, and stock fonts. You're supposed to change it and personalize all of this, but how many do, and how many say I'll get to that later?

**You've got a flush ad budget!**

Ad words are paid search marketing and are akin to renting. You sink your money into paid Google, FB, Insta, ads day after day. These ads get you positioning for a matter of minutes, maybe hours, and then your link, poof, disappears into thin air. Until you top up your ad budget again. It is virtually impossible to get away from this scenario when you use a closed-loop system. Paid real estate key terms aren't getting any cheaper either.

The average cost for a paid real estate key term in a larger city center like Calgary runs anywhere between $5-15 per click.

Positioning a website to rank organically is a tactic that requires consistent effort over a long period of time. This is something the 5 biggest players in your city learned a long time ago. It's the secret, first page of Google sauce that they don't share at the BBQ. If you don't intend to spend at least 4-5 hours on your website each month, then you will never get organic ranking results.

Free websites are designed to be generic, designed to get you something quick and destined to fail you when it comes to generating a meaningful traffic strategy that benefits you financially in the long term.

Who benefits from a free real estate website?

Website branding is something that every real estate agent needs. Corporate knows this. They just don't want to deal with the colossal headaches required to manage it all. By passing you along to a free solution they essentially get the pain relief that they need to manage all the other things they need to do for you. Websites require intense oversight if they're to be good.

There has never been an industry that requires more of an online presence than real estate. Unfortunately, the industry does very little in the way of in-depth training to educate REALTORS® on what they need. Very little is explained about how much time, money, and effort is involved to maintain an online presence that is worthy of customers. Even less is explained about how important it is to invest in a healthy budget each month for success. Agents who are successful in the industry know what is required to stay at the top of the real estate game. They pay accordingly, and they listen carefully to the advice of experts because they know that great results take consistent effort. They also know that your web presence is a long game.

Should I pay or should I go free?

If you're honest with yourself, you're clear on your goals and you want to be successful then never go free. Free is cheap and cheap makes you look like you're in it for the wrong reasons. Are you in real estate for the wrong reasons?

Customers want to learn more about what makes you different so that they can make a choice. Can they count on you when a deal goes sideways? Are you a neighbourhood expert? Do you have local resources available on your website? Have you made an effort to attract customers to your business?

Your website is still your first impression. Do you want your first impression to scream I'm cheap?

Check out some of our great MWP content this month!

These are some of the biggest players in their cities who are doing all the right things with their websites, social media, and branding. Check them out and compare what they have going on to what your free website from corporate offers. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

RE/MAX Vanderhoof has started 2022 off with a look at trends for Vanderhoof houses for sale in 2022.

Brooks Lancaster is discussing the Okanagan dream this month on his website with an article about Penticton houses for sale near vineyards! Sounds dreamy!

Neufeld Jones Real Estate Team is sharing the latest real estate statistics for Kelowna along with a guide to Upper and Lower Mission Real Estate near Elementary Schools. This is a great resource if you're moving to Kelowna, BC!

Kevin Moist and Associates from Winnipeg continue to build out their neighbourhood guide to the city. The latest addition to their Winnipeg neighbourhoods portfolio sees the spotlight on Garden City and West Kildonan!

The Big White Property Group wants to introduce you to Happy Valley at Big White for a new winter vacation home because ski season is getting underway at Big White with fresh powder arriving daily!

Canada’s Hot Luxury Neighbourhoods

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 21:38:44 +0000

Are you in the market for a $13 million home? Well, probably not. But if you were, there are some neighbourhoods in Canada where you would find just that. And they're very competitive!

For the wealthiest home owners, communities like Bridle Path, Toronto and Westmount, Montreal are where the most sought-after luxury properties are found. They are rich (no pun intended) in history, conveniently located, and lavishly beautiful. Three of the highest-priced listings in Montreal give a good picture of the kind of lifestyle you can expect in these historic communities (click these links to see). This is truly premium living, and you only have to walk down the street to feel it (as a former resident of Montreal, I recommend a walk in May or June; Winter in Quebec is not for the faint of heart!)

But major urban centres are not the only luxury destinations in our true North, strong and free. In Kelowna, British Columbia, you can find elegant and expansive luxury properties that rival Westmount and Bridle Path (at least in price). Feast your eyes on some of the highest priced luxury properties in the Okanagan Valley. While they lack the depth of history of early settlement cities like Montreal and Toronto, properties in Kelowna make up for it with the sweeping views of mountain and lake that characterize Kelowna.

Realtors, take note: marketing these properties takes dedication and an eye for quality.

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Bells and Whistles

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:40:50 +0000

The airwaves of the internet have graced us with yet another inspiring concept that has compelled us to write this little piece for you.It seems as though the theme for any/every real estate-centric blog, newsfeed, twitter account, and beyond, are hell-bent on pushing apps on agents as though they're the next 'make or break' factor in their business platform. This raises not one, but two very concerning points.First up to bat is the urgency these 'news sources' are placing on being ahead of the curve and on-top-of-it with any ridiculous tech idea/innovation that graces the likes of the internet. *News Flash* You're going to be just fine if you keep the essentials close, and ward off the rest. Technology is such a volatile and fluctuating field that by the time you decide to download the half-dozen latest and greatest real estate helping apps, there's going to be new ones to replace them, while the ones you just downloaded have already become obsolete. Not to mention the fact that most of you clientele won't give a damn how fancy and flared your smartphone capabilities are. Stop listening to the 'experts' and start listening to your clients. Because (surprise, surprise) they've got way better of a clue as to what you can do to improve your business functions that some Joe Schmo on a tech blog nobody's read or heard of. Try using some honest client feedback as the fuel to your fire instead of becoming a nagging tech-obsessed attempt of a professional...it won't get you anywhere, and that's a guarantee.Which brings us to our second point: all you need is good branding, a functioning website, and a classy smile ;). Again, take what the 'experts' are saying is going to be super-duper revolutionary with a huge grain of salt (see the theme here) because chances are they're pumping the tires of an app for some goodies in return, or are simply blowing smoke to get another article published. It's funny how, through the plethora of real estate 'advice' out there, very few focus on honing in on your current practices and mastering them, rather than encouraging you to take the App store down with military-like precision. Here's a concept: find out what works and keep it that way. If some techypants writer things his way of attaching a link to an image or whatever it may be is the next breakthrough for real estate...chances are it isn't. Why? Because there hasn't been one since listings-integrated websites!Back to our second point, (sorry for the tangent) when it comes to taking the real estate world by storm, you really don't need much. Be polite and respectful to your clients and peers, get some clean timeless branding (please, no tacky colours or any other insane ideas you may have...leave the branding to the experts. It's what they've done their whole lives, and it's what you pay them to do) and make sure you have a nicely-ranked website with your listings integrated. That's it! You're on your way! No bells and whistles, no apps to confuse you; let's just keep this nice and simple.Now that we've (hopefully) saved you from the disparity that is 'real estate apps', it's time to get in gear and focus on the very few things that count. Do them well, and you'd be surprised at how much more successful you'll be than the guy fumbling with his cute new iPhone trying to out-do you with his superior technology...

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Kelowna Luxury Market Best In Canada

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:50:57 +0000

Kelowna found itself in elite company Tuesday, when in the space of one hour, top realtors from nine of the world’s most luxurious neighbourhoods gathered to share their market insights.The top-grossing realtors from Coldwell Banker offices in Paris, Miami Beach, Beverly Hills, Aspen and others connected via teleconference for a luxury market roundtable; each giving five-minute summaries of their markets’ price ranges, demographics, selling features and forecasts.

Kelowna’s own Jane Hoffman, of Coldwell Banker Jane Hoffman Group represented Canada in a luxury market roundtable Tuesday.

“This is a unique opportunity to gain insight about the luxury market and affluent client expectations from a special group which represents not only many of the top Coldwell Banker Preview specialists in the world, but indeed what I believe to be the finest agents within the real estate industry,” said Budge Huskey, Coldwell Banker President and CEO.Representing Canada was Kelowna’s own Jane Hoffman, of Coldwell Banker Jane Hoffman Group.The Hoffman Group is the top producing team for Coldwell Banker Canada and has been active in over 85% of all sales in her market over $3m and 100% of sales over $5m.“Kelowna is largely an undiscovered gem in the luxury market in Canada,” said Hoffman.She cites the weather, moderate size, recreation opportunities and agri-tourism industry as some of the main reasons affluent home-buyers come to Kelowna.Most of Kelowna’s luxury properties are either lake view homes, waterfront homes or vineyard estate properties, according to Hoffman, with elite homes being in the $3m to $5m range.

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Personalized Professionalism

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:06:55 +0000

During our recent sessions of crawling the internet, we seem to encounter more and more ‘lifechanging’ pieces of advice being thrown around to try and help agents and real estate stay on top of their game and innovate the industry…but what happened to just keeping it simple?It seems that anybody spending too much time in front of a computer or on their smartphone now feels the need to share their ideas on a large scale to pollute the minds of those around them with their fixated ideas. We’re here to tell you to stop listening and start thinking. For instance, if you encounter a headline that resembles the following: 4 reasons Google+ beats out Facebook for real estate, you should probably put your noodle to work a bit before devouring this information like it’s your last meal.‘Why? What’s wrong with that?’ You’re asking. Now think harder…There it is! The size of Facebook and Google+’s user base is NOT EVEN COMPARABLE. So just because one self-declared tech expert decides to share their shallowly produced ‘innovative marketing techniques’ just take a step back and question them. Everybody nowadays is a marketing expert, so take what you read with a grain of salt. If it doesn’t sound like something that will work for you, then don’t do it.It doesn’t take much for a good idea staring you in the face to make a lasting impression, so stick with what seems genuine and thought through rather than adopting a million-and-one different ideas, downloading hordes of productivity apps, and getting roped into the ‘social/e-marketing tips’ newsletter trend.If you’re having trouble recognizing a new idea, let’s give this one a shot and see if you can see the difference between ‘those guys’ and our guys. Check out our new Deal Manager paperless office solution for agents and brokers. Simplify your business, shrink your briefcase, and save on paper. It’s that simple.

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Will Housing Become A Luxury?

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:07:51 +0000

Everybody right now is complaining that there’s too many houses on the market; which is true. There is certainly a bit of a general market flood occurring in most areas of the country. However we might be too quick to complain because the future or real estate might take a different turn than expected once the market recovers.At the current rate of market activity, new developments are being executed at a sufficiently sustainable rate. There’s a good availability of workers, costs are relatively low, the listing prices of new properties, due to the nature of the market, are also low, and the rate of new developments is manageable due to low market activity. However we may be getting ahead of ourselves to be pushing for a quick market recovery.Once the market’s demand and activity stabilizes, new developments will predictably increase, but it’s not looking like enough craftsmen will be available to sustain this potentially increasing demand. And if there’s anything we can say for sure, it’s that once the market recovers, there will certainly be an increase of new development proposals. Now the issue is finding people to build them. Within the next 10 years, Canada will see an estimated shortage of 800,000 skilled workers due to the lacking emphasis on the social importance and demands for tradesmen. This situation could play out negatively or positively depending on which side of the fence you’re on.If you were hoping on building a house in ten years, you’d better start saving your ~~pennies~~ (still getting used to that one) nickels, because the price tag is going to look a whole lot different than the one you were expecting. However, for property owners, this may not be such a bad thing.Due to the labour shortage, house prices will predictably rise due to the squeezed rate of supply and demand, single-handedly increasing market value. Now, this also goes hand in hand with a smaller index of available properties due to the foreseeable housing shortage. That being said, the increases in value may be bittersweet to those looking to eventually sell and settle down in ‘the perfect place’, because that ‘perfect place’ will look like a ham to a herd of wolves when the time comes around.Real estate comes at a price – that prices varies in many degrees including long-term investment. At this point there’s a large availability of affordable properties on the market, so get ‘em while they’re hot, because ten years from now things might be taking a strange turn.image courtesy of Dave Stokes

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We’re Experiencing Some Turbulence

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:03:50 +0000

Though the United States are reporting their Q4 as having the strongest quarterly growth in over seven years, it seems that we aren’t so lucky.Canadian home sales are in fact taking a slight dive, as we predicted in our blog post, Here We Go Again.Despite our neighbours to the south prospering, our real estate market is not comparable to theirs for a number of reasons, however one would think that with both markets making a slight recovery that they should be following the same streamline.However, The Vancouver Sun reports that this January we saw a near-23% decline in housing starts, leading is to believe that buyers aren’t in the mood for it yet this year; and sellers are clearly white-knuckle gripping the deeds to their beloved yet not-so-valuable homes. (Buyers and sellers failing to see the ‘give and take’ in the market. We aren’t going to go off on that tangent…because we already did here: Stop Forcing It!)So now that we’re left with slipping market enthusiasm, not to mention our now lacking new developments, what can be done to inject some life back into real estate?A NAR survey result posted by Chicago Agent Magazine revealed that agents in 2012 were statistically less experienced (measured in their number of years in the real estate industry) than those in 2011. What does this tell us? Well, if we look at the public’s lacking market participation, shorthanded developments, and the United States’ doing well while we aren’t, one could easily draw the conclusion that the entire real estate experience has become stagnant and stale.Rather than blaming the public’s lacking participation with the market/industry, maybe it’s time the market participated with them instead by offering services and experiences that entertain and excite your clients about the wonderment and limitless possibilities to be discovered in real estate investment. The typical opinion of real estate agents is declining, so it’s time to take control, tighten up your business, man the hatches, and execute an expedition to the frontiers of scared sellers and new buyers. Agents need to step it up!The only way we can expect the market to recover is by encouraging participation within; so why not be the draw instead of complaining that there isn’t one?

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Sizzling Marketing

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:02:06 +0000

An article released by the National Post is bringing a particular amount of attention to the world of real estate marketing.A Calgary, AB, based real estate agent recently released a billboard advertisement that’s been drawing a lot of attention; whether that attention’s a good or bad thing we’re still unsure. The billboard featured a photo of the young female agent Diana Arvatescu with the caption ‘Let Me Take You Home, It’s Gorgeous Inside’ as the message of the ad.What started out as a clever innuendo campaign has now developed into a critique of the appropriateness of this style of advertising, and it’s place in real estate, as critics believe it to be too sexually implying and could put the agent in danger as a result.Though critics may be overly assumptive in predicting that harm would come to the young Diana, the larger issue now is where the boundaries are to be drawn regarding appropriate advertising in a relatively conservative industry such as real estate.What are your thoughts on this campaign? Is Diana going too far, or simply adding some spice to a bland industry?

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To Stabilize We Must Equalize

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 00:04:46 +0000

Speculations around market recovery are many. The desolate state in which the property market resides is remaining stagnant, with fragments of measurable recovery being made. Therein lies the question of how to inject some life into the current market; enough to drive a full recovery.A recent Vancouver Sun article highlighted a very interesting and probable theory put forth by Vancouver's Mayor Gregor Robertson. The concept he proposes is that more low to middle-income housing must be implemented in order to develop an efficient housing market recovery. Reason being is similar to a concept we covered in a previous blog post - Here We Go Again - that covered the principle of a market recovery being impossible wherein the lower-income citizens couldn't participate in the market themselves. If only the wealthy are purchasing and rotating properties, then the market only fluctuates above a particular income bracket, as opposed to that of a fluid recovery that encompasses the efforts of all classes within a particular society.The concept of introducing affordable housing for the lower and middle-class is quite ideal. In order to stabilize the property market, we must first even the playing field. If implemented successfully, this methodology could quickly yield beneficial results, as a rounded market recovery rather than a weighted one would increase and stabilize real estate across the board instead of augmenting the values of high-value properties for relatively elite citizens to exchange amongst themselves like poker chips.For more real estate and environmental news, follow us on Twitter @enviromint image courtesy of Antanith

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Real Estate Agents Bails on the Market

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 21:47:41 +0000

Just when you’ve seen everything in real estate, an agent steps in and gives you something to think about. Ken Roy, a Vancouver real estate agent is encouraging others to get out of the Vancouver market before the slow sales period starts to snowball. Not only is that unusual for someone in his position who is trying to well… sell, but he has put his money where his mouth is and sold his Vancouver home. Very rarely will you hear an agent comment on a dismal state of sales, let alone encourage people to cash out, because it’s simply not good for business.Although it may not be the most practical choice based on other factors (re: employment, family, friends, cost), are Mr. Roy’s claims an overreaction to a trend or is his advice warrant some serious thought? Do you admire his unwavering character for telling the truth or has he caused his career some undue harm?Join us on Twitter and tweet us your comments!Photo courtesy of Vincepal

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