Given the fact that more than 90 percent of buyers start their home search online, the need for brokers to have a powerful Web presence is more critical than ever before. Sure, being well-versed in the trendy worlds of Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest can offer plenty of networking opportunities and brand advertising, but there is simply no replacing what a well-designed, robust company website can do for your business.
Lewis Stewart, broker/owner of Exit Bayshore Realty in Tampa, Fla., understands the importance of a sleekly designed website. Stewart recently hired Homes.com to create a custom website for his brokerage. As part of the company’s Homes Connect Fusion™ website, Exit Bayshore Realty’s Web presence is now consistent across all devices and platforms. With Homes.com at the helm, the company’s website is guaranteed to load perfectly, regardless of the browser or mobile device, so users can all share the same experience no matter where or how they access it.
Stewart’s website is also custom designed, thanks to Homes.com Studio. After meeting with the Homes.com team and providing his requests and feedback, Stewart’s company was delivered a practical, fully functional website in just a few short weeks. “They did everything—the whole site. After our discussions, they took it from the shell and did everything for me,” says Stewart.
Homes.com Studio leverages the Homes Connect Fusion website platform to utilize the latest in responsive design technology in order to accommodate all current and future customers of your real estate business. In Stewart’s case, working directly with Homes.com’s custom designers helped him create a truly customized version of his Fusion website. With a high importance placed upon branding and social media buttons, Exit Bayshore Realty’s design is crisp and clean, with an easy-to-use horizontal nav bar front and center, along with a property search displayed right on the homepage. A slideshow of photos from Stewart’s market plays in the background.
“The website looks very professional and classy,” says Stewart.
Not only was he pleased with the final results, but Stewart praises the Homes.com team he worked with. With two full-time consultants, one responsible for production and another in charge of inputting agents’ information, email addresses, pictures and more, the process was fully explained and suggestions provided for how the project could be improved.
“The customer service was really good,” says Stewart. “I work with them about every week. If I have a question, I’ll reach out and they respond within 24 hours.”
Not only does Homes.com provide a cost-effective solution for his company’s website, but agents interested in creating their own personal websites can do so affordably once the broker has joined with Homes.com.
So far, half of Stewart’s agents have signed up with Homes.com, with new requests coming in weekly from agents wanting to jump aboard.
In addition to their various customized website services, Homes.com also offers Homes Connect, a suite of marketing products designed to help agents with marketing and lead management efforts, and Homes.com Social, a platform that helps users effectively manage their brand’s reputation and online visibility.
In order to have a truly powerful business, however, one where all of the dots connect organically, it all begins with an efficient, user-friendly website that will be reliable across all kinds of mobile devices. With Homes Connect Fusion™ and Homes.com Studio fulfilling all of their clients’ website needs, brokers and agents are well on their way to building a foundation that will allow them to work smarter, not harder.
For more information, visit connect.homes.com.
