Custom Website vs. Template Design

Hi Lisa,

You wrote -

"Does anyone know if there are any template design websites that you can recommend for someone who is a Realtor and does loans or do you recommend a custom website?"

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I don't know of any template provider that would combine the two professions successfully into one site.

In my opinion, these sites would really be 2 "different animals". A site for an agent may include a section about loans, but the primary reason a visitor is coming there is to look at houses and learn more about the agent's services. On the other hand, someone looking for a good loan officer or loan company is not necessarily looking for homes anymore, but is now looking at various financing options, interest rates, etc.

Over the past 13 years, I have built web sites for loan officers and lenders and I certainly design sites for real estate agents and companies. I have also built a site or two for someone trying to be in both worlds. But I can say that those sites trying to straddle both were not as successful as the sites strictly targeting one or the other. Why? Many consumers may think it is just "too cozy" for their real estate agent to also be their loan officer or vice versa.

If you are seriously considering combining both businesses into one great web site, then you will probably do much better with a custom web site which will give you a far better ability to portray your services properly to your visitors.

Hope that helps. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Regards,

Win

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Win Singleton, CRB, e-PRO
Summit Web Design
(703) 536-7631
wins@summitweb.com
http://www.summitweb.com
an Internet Crusade Approved Vendor
"Custom web site design that gets results!"
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I have a site through alamode.com They have template sites for realtors and for loan officers. Many great features include custom title and meta tags for each page. The Loan officer websites have an online application page. Prospective clients can log in to save information and update their application and see progress of the loan. I have 14 websites through the company.

Any questions let me know.

Brad Koenig, ABR, CRS, GRI, E-PRO

I don't do loans, but have had good experience with advancedaccess.com. Their templates are very customizable.

We can do custom setup, optimization, and submission and put it under your control with Wordpress with one year's hosting for $479 (socialmediasystems.com), you can choose any free or paid for Wordpress theme, and there are thousands to choose from, just type download free Wordpress themes into Google, find one you like, and send us the link: we also have more and less expensive options. Wordpress the way we do it is an SEO machine, and a great content management and Internet publishing system, which establishes you as the expert in your field, and puts you on top of Google for whatever you write about.

You can also buy, very inexpensively, one time rights to professional themes here:

http://www.templatemonster.com/category.php?tid=-+Any+-&search_words=-+Any+-&from_=-+Any+-&to=-+Any+-&type=17&cat=&style=&author=

I am Israel Rothman, learn more at

http://socialmediasystems.com/

By the way, templates not customized and optimized are worthless because they do not rank on the search engines, and any IDX solution (I recommend ihomefinder or wolfenet, just don't buy their expensive design option) can be integrated into a widget, and customized to fit in with the Wordpress theme you choose. That is what I recommend.

If you don't want to spend the $$$ on a custom site, you can, as mentioned above, customize many template sites, including Advanced Access, mentioned above. Easily (in plain English, not HTML "techie talk") add a lender page, then add pages/links to that.

Good luck!

Allen F. Hainge, CRS

Senior Instructor, CRS 206 Technology Course

All technology training is outdated by the time the instructor teaches his first class, that is how fast things change: the only sure way to succeed, as it is with having the latest medicine, is to deal with a trustworthy professional. Related:

http://www.realtown.com/Israel/groups/socialmediamarketing/view/7949

Of course, instructors usually do not offer any proof of their credentials, but I do:

I am Israel Rothman, Socialmediasystems.com:

Nobody is more qualified to assist you with your intenret advertising needs, videos, social media marketing, and website design and publishing than us: the proof is 'in the pudding' just ask Google:

real estate social media Google Search

real estate social media marketing Google Search

real estate social media website design Google Search

realtor smo Google Search

realtor sem Google Search

real estate website marketing system Google Search

internet advertising consultant Google Search

real estate social media advertising Google Search

We are the best in the world at what we do, and we can do the same for you.

Much of what we do, and what many copy cats all over the world do, I invented. My name is Israel Rothman. If you think about it, you have probably heard of me. Google me! Then call me:

Main Office:
Tel: 866-649-6460
E-Fax: 425-671-4314
General E-mail: info@socialmediasystems.com

http://socialmediasystems.com/real-estate-search-engine-marketing-social-media-advertising/

Here is an example of why you must stay up-to-date:

The dissemination of misinformation on this site

Israel Rothman wrote -

"All technology training is outdated by the time the instructor teaches his first class, that is how fast things change:"

If you're statement is true, are you saying that your own training is outdated as well (having watched your training session on video with the Exit Realty people)?

Next you say, "Of course, instructors usually do not offer any proof of their credentials, but I do."

I guess that depends on the instructor and what constitutes "proof" of credentials to you. What examples of other real estate technology instructors do you have to back up that statement?

You then continue...

"Nobody is more qualified to assist you with your intenret advertising needs, videos, social media marketing, and website design and publishing than us: the proof is 'in the pudding' just ask Google:"... and then you list a number of keyword search terms where your company's web site ranks in the Top 10 organic results.

Seems impressive. But what does Google, using their own Keyword Tool (a tool used to help Pay Per Click clients target keywords and phrases to use in their Adwords campaigns - Google writes, "Use the Keyword Tool to get new keyword ideas.") give as facts about the relevancy of the search terms you tout at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Keywords - Approx. Avg. Monthly Search Volume

real estate social media - 140 searches per month
real estate social media marketing - 36 searches
real estate social media website design - not enough data (meaning too few searches each month to count)
realtor smo - not enough data
realtor sem - not enough data
real estate website marketing system - not enough data
internet advertising consultant - 720 searches
real estate social media advertising - not enough data

Now lets put these search numbers into perspective. Here are some other keyword search results using that same tool.

Austin real estate - 165,100 searches per month
Seattle real estate - 135,000 searches
San Diego real estate - 550,000 searches
Philadelphia real estate - 246,000 searches

Obviously it is very easy to come up high "organically" or "naturally" in Google's search results for keyword search phrases that no one else is targeting and no one is actually searching.

While you are insisting that the spotlight be put on misinformation here at this site, your information might be construed by some to be misleading as well.

Win

************************
Win Singleton, CRB, e-PRO
Summit Web Design
(703) 536-7631
wins@summitweb.com
http://Summitweb.InternetCrusade.com
an Internet Crusade Approved Vendor
"Custom web site design that gets results!"
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