Websites Archives - Elevation Property Marketing

David Clare / July 14 / Marketing, Property, Websites

Why traditional realtors still reign

Realtors, or estate agents as we call them in the UK, have experienced a shake up in recent years, due to the increase in online property portals and online versions of the service they offer. The likes of Rightmove are essential for selling a property, but is an online estate agent, or realtor, really the best way to go?

The draw towards online estate agents are clear. Lower prices. With either lower selling fees, or set fees (as opposed to percentages of the sale figure), are left with more cash in your pocket at the end of selling your home. Add to this that most people start their property hunt online, then why on earth would you need a physical, store fronted estate agent?

Well, I’m going to argue there are more benefits to the ‘old-fashioned’ approach. Here’s why.

1. Higher stock

A high street realtor is likely to have much more local stock than an online agent. In my experience of selling a property, this is most certainly the case. But why is more competition a good thing?

Whether you like it or not, there will be competition – just look at RightMove. The best tactic for selling your home is to be with the agent with the most stock. This way, when people do enquire about another property, they can lead the prospective buyer to your home.

More people coming through the door means more opportunities for your home to be put in front of them. Sure, they’ll be shown others too, but with an online agent, it is likely they’ll never be shown your property as an alternative anyway.

2. Human interaction

Try booking a viewing through Purple Bricks. It is an awful experience. You request a time, and then wait. You receive text messages to say they’re checking with the vendor, but they do this too through text or email.

Picking up the phone is much easier, and your traditional estate agent will do this – speaking to a person just takes less time.

The best part – your high street agent may have keys and be available to take you there and then, plus, they are more likely to accompany viewings, so you can get expert advice.

Sorry internet, but human interaction still works in 2016.

3. Internet isn’t exclusive

This is obvious, but often overlooked. The listings and advertising techniques used by online estate agents are in no way exclusive to them.

That’s right, your traditional, store fronted realtor can also use the internet too! And, they will (mind blown!)

So, there you have it. Unless your going to save thousands and thousands by using online only, I’d suggest you take a walk down the high street.

Do you run an estate agents and want to see how online marketing can help grow your business? Get in touch and we’ll show you how.

David Clare / June 15 / Marketing, Property, SEO, Social Media, Websites

Rightmove vs. Zoopla vs. OnTheMarket

Ever wondered which online real estate listings site has the most visitors, what their key demographics are and what differentiates them from the rest? Well, we’ve prepared this brief guide to give you all the facts you need, in just a couple of minutes.

Website traffic

Rightmove: 53.8 million per month
Zoopla: 25.6 million per month
OnTheMarket: 4.1 million per month

As you can see, Rightmove dominates the market by a great margin. But there are key differences that make the other sites worth checking out.

Key differences

Rightmove: Far more listings, better awareness among the public, used by 90% of estate agents
Zoopla: Smart features such as prices property sold for in the same area, recently acquired Property Software Group and USwitch, so may grow fast
OnTheMarket: A disrupter with lower costs to list, but also restricts estate agents to their portal alone

So Rightmove looks like it is here to stay, but both Zoopla and OnTheMarket look set to attempt to overtake its number one spot. This will depend on whether Zoopla’s acquisitions turn good, and if OnTheMarket doesn’t scare buyers away with their restrictions.

Are you a realtor? Where do you list your property? Let us know on Twitter @elevationcomms.

David Clare / May 27 / Marketing, Property, SEO, Websites

How do online real estate agents work?

Those who have sold a residential property recently may have noticed an alternative to their regular realtor when searching for the best companies to go with. This alternative is the online real estate agency – and that means no physical location or window shopping. Queue mass uncertainty.

We are split in the Elevation office about which is better, online or traditional. And mostly, when working out the pros and cons, it is a little of column A, a little of column B. They both have their benefits. But today, we’ll focus on why online real estate agencies can be beneficial.

Firstly, let’s take their nature into account. For someone to visit a property on an online portal (in the UK this would usually be Rightmove or Zoopla) then they must have some sort of intent already. Whether they are just seeing what is available, or looking to buy, they are one step further than the opportunist at the shop window of a traditional estate agency.

But since traditional agencies can also place a property on these portals, the benefit of using an online agent is lost. So why are people turning to these online companies in droves?

In a word. Fees. Yes, it comes down to money, as always. An online business can break the mould. Not only do they have fewer overheads, but an online business can be set up for very little, experiment with new business models, and pivot at a moment’s notice. This reduces their costs – by improving profit margins and reducing overheads, they can help customers by charging less. See a full list of what they charge on Which?.

Take Purple Bricks, the industry leader in the UK, for example. They charge a flat fee of £798 or £1,158 in central London. Seriously – just £1,158 in central London, for any size property! This is a hell of a saving, and can mean £10,000s in savings for customers. Of course, you are relying solely on online traffic, and forgoing the local knowledge and the customer base of traditional agents, so we’re betting the sales may take longer in less demand driven areas.

In addition, you do not have the benefit of an experienced valuer who visits your home and can give an accurate assessment of market value. Traditional agencies will also take care of the photography and the required EPC ratings. They are also on hand for qualified advice and help with the subsequent negotiation process. In all, that’s a lot to lose.

But there are companies that merge the two practices. EweMove, for example, is an online agency that uses the traditional percentage fee model, but with a lower fee than most traditional agents charge. For this, you get premium listings in major online portals, as well as local advertising in the area for which the property is sold in.

So, while the benefits are debatable – lower fees, but perhaps less local knowledge, help and qualified advice, we fully expect this industry to continue disrupting the property selling industry. What do you think? Let us know on Twitter @ElevationComms.

Ben Fox / March 23 / Design, Marketing, Websites

6 Stunning Real Estate and Property Websites

In the past, a property company’s shopfront was just that: their shopfront. The quality of a window display in an estate agent shop, showhome or sales office would be directly proportional to how successful that company was.

These days we are well into the digital age and though shop and sales office window displays are still very important, real estate and property companies now have a much bigger window to worry about.

We’re talking, of course, about the web.

Most property buyers, developers and investors will head to the internet to do much of their research. The standard of the websites they find there will have a big impact on how they view each property or real estate company. In other words… it’s never been so important to have a website that’s designed to impress.

Want to some of the best? We’ve hunted down six excellent examples of real estate and property websites.

ralphjames.co.uk

Here is an estate agent who’ve really got it right. Their website makes great use of bold sliding images, sticks to a consistent and distinctive colour palette, and makes it really easy to quickly find the information you need. We particularly like the handy ‘Property Search’ and ‘Property Valuation’ links right at the top of the page as well as the social media buttons down the side.

esny.se

There’s something special about Scandinavian style. This Stockholm-based estate agent has got it in spades. We admire their striking use of typography, their tempting aspirational images and their simple-but-elegant property listings.

gingermartin.com

One of the great things about being in the luxury property market is that you’ll always have an abundance of gorgeous properties to advertise. This real estate company have really taken advantage of this by using their valuable home page space to showcase their top properties. In addition to this, we also think this website has a gorgeously simple colour scheme, straightforward navigation and a reassuring use of white space.

central-estates.co.uk

It’s great when you see something quirky on a real estate or property website. This estate agent website drew us in with their unusual navigation tool. Their homepage features an easy to use property search function surrounded by bold circular buttons for the most common requests. This website also has a fantastic ‘draw your own search area’ feature that works really well.

futuris.lv

This website looks really striking at first glance, but it’s not until you scroll that you get the full experience. We really like the use of high-quality images of the development, as well as the inspiring copy and personal quotations from the project architect, construction team and interior designer.

dumbotownhouses.com

We’ve saved our favourite example till last. It’s unusual that you see a property and real estate website that really breaks out of the standard mould, but we think this website for a New York property development has done just that.

This site helps to prove the theory that less is more. The team behind the development have created a digital sales space that features as few words as possible in order to really let the images of their development do the talking. The bold teal colour scheme and the stylised greyscale images come together to make something really eye-catching. The quirky contact form at the bottom of the page also seriously impressed us.

Have these examples motivated you to make changes to your own website? Get in touch to find out how we can help you create a digital window to be proud of.

Ben Fox / November 26 / Design, Marketing, Websites

Elevation Property Marketing – Building On Solid Foundations

Elevation, the integrated marketing agency for the property sector, continues to expand with both new business growth, and a key personnel appointment.

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