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I voted for other, because I would like better amenities and details refinement, for example, 1-story, or master on the first floor (those are always biggies for us, and it's hard to find a site that narrows it down that way.) Also, if I'm looking for a house with a pool, I don't want every house in a neighborhood that has a community pool to show up---I want to see only houses that have their own private pool.
Most real estate agents offer visitors a property search on their website.
Some searches are very limited in scope, and some are quite elaborate.
Some require visitors to register to view homes or to access data in more detail.
If you were designing the ideal search site for a real estate agent site, as a consumer, what features from the above list would you install?
Select as many as you want.
Curious, do you plan to launch a new real estate site? A new (great) one is sorely needed!
Curious, do you plan to launch a new real estate site? A new (great) one is sorely needed!
Let's just say, I am interested in tailoring my local site to be agreeable to visitors. And this poll is very interesting to me.
I'm hot on "Large Photo Viewer," "No Registration Required to Search," and "Pending, Contingent, Active, or Closed Status clearly noted." So, I am in harmony with most respondents.
Three items that surprised me just a bit:
The lower number of CDer's who want "Newly Listed" homes noted.
The lower number of CDer's who checked "Lightning Fast Page Loading." That is also a hot item to me.
The lower number of CDer's who checked "Virtual Tour Link and Video Link." I guess too many cheesy videos and slideshows have turned people off. Or, the slowness of loading them has.
Well, I didn't choose the virtual tour bc, in my area, the virtual tour is just the same pics that are in the listing with music and sometimes little text comments like "Updated kitchen". So, I just check them in the listing.
I would much rather see a floor plan than a virtual tour. Or just pics with useful descriptions written at least. Not all sites seem to let you see the descriptions on the photos.
Let's just say, I am interested in tailoring my local site to be agreeable to visitors. And this poll is very interesting to me.
I'm hot on "Large Photo Viewer," "No Registration Required to Search," and "Pending, Contingent, Active, or Closed Status clearly noted." So, I am in harmony with most respondents.
Three items that surprised me just a bit:
The lower number of CDer's who want "Newly Listed" homes noted.
The lower number of CDer's who checked "Lightning Fast Page Loading." That is also a hot item to me.
The lower number of CDer's who checked "Virtual Tour Link and Video Link." I guess too many cheesy videos and slideshows have turned people off. Or, the slowness of loading them has.
I definitely like the "Newly Listed" at the top. Saves time when you are looking and just have a quick minute to check.
Ditto "lightening Fast Page Loading."
Agree with Merjolie on the virtual tours. Just scroll through the same photos as on the listing only with cheesy music. Sometimes they have someone go through with a special camera and you can click on arrows to go back and forth around a room. I find those quite disorienting.
A virtual tour where someone walks through a house with a camera person following and they point out the walk-in, his-and-her closets, the two pantries, the spice racks on the back of the quartersawn oak cabinet doors, the fenced yard...
If that was a virtual tour, I'd be loving it. Otherwise, don't bother.
I'd much prefer a floor plan. Also, the rooms with dimensions listed is helpful.
Thinking of photos, the first shot needs to be a great one of the outside so I can tell at a glance if this is a type of house that might work for us.
Then a couple great shots of the kitchen so I can tell if it has enough counterspace. Sometimes these shots can be deceiving, but I will look at house that doesn't meet all my other "must haves" if it has a great kitchen.
Then, of course, the living room or family room. Is it roomy? No need for me to waste everybody's time if it's a teensy place where you can sit on the sofa and prop your feet on the fireplace.
Photos of bedrooms are nice and closets. Bathrooms as long as they show something. Why agents load photos of a toilet next to a glass shower wall are beyond me. I'm assuming that if the listing says 3 bathrooms, there will be 3 toilets. I don't need a photo of each commode to remind me.
Photos of dining room, screen porch, deck, back yard... that's what gets me dialing the phone.
If it is in our budget, has the room we need, has a floor plan that works for us, and great photos, you'e got me.
Many times it seems that the agent looks at the MLS listing as a teaser, just enough info to get a person to contact about more information.
Maybe that's a good plan.
But can't help but wonder how many buyers overlook homes they might love because the MLS listing didn't put enough bait on the hook.
I second the HOA/POA fees, especially in retirement villages.
Having to register to search for a realtor's listings is a pet peeve of mine. I mean, what business person in their right mind would want to turn away potential customers before they are even able to view what you are selling?
I usually give a false name (like R. U. Kiddingme) and used to be able to give "sorry@noaddress.com" until they got wise to that and made it where that won't work. So then I started making one up, like thisreallychapsmybutt@yahoo.com. That usually would get me through the listing I really wanted to see before it came back as an invalid address. Then I discovered how to make a "disposable" email addy on my yahoo account and now I use that one. Realtors, I will NOT give you access to my personal information until I want to talk seriously to you.....don't call me, I'll call you!
Horrible, grainy, blurry, dark pictures are another turn-off (as are pictures of the corner of a room....what the heck?)....I can't believe, with the technology available today, that a person couldn't take decent pictures of a house. Labels on the pictures (i.e., "master bedroom", "second bedroom", "master bath", "hall bath", etc.) would be nice in some cases, such as in a 3 BR house, and one that doesn't have a "glamour bath" in the master, etc. I also want to see down the street, both ways, if google street view is not available for the location. Oh, and DO NOT use those "panoramic" shots!! I see those and I immediately think "dishonesty".
Descriptions could be better also....tell what's been replaced recently, for example, give the dimensions for every room, those kinds of things. Don't just say "this house is so cute, won't last long!". *sigh*
Accurate square footage numbers....no need to say more.
Oh yes, and at least a rough floor plan (I keep thinking of things to add as I read what others said!).
I second the HOA/POA fees, especially in retirement villages.
Having to register to search for a realtor's listings is a pet peeve of mine. I mean, what business person in their right mind would want to turn away potential customers before they are even able to view what you are selling?
I usually give a false name (like R. U. Kiddingme) and used to be able to give "sorry@noaddress.com" until they got wise to that and made it where that won't work. So then I started making one up, like thisreallychapsmybutt@yahoo.com. That usually would get me through the listing I really wanted to see before it came back as an invalid address. Then I discovered how to make a "disposable" email addy on my yahoo account and now I use that one. Realtors, I will NOT give you access to my personal information until I want to talk seriously to you.....don't call me, I'll call you!
Horrible, grainy, blurry, dark pictures are another turn-off (as are pictures of the corner of a room....what the heck?)....I can't believe, with the technology available today, that a person couldn't take decent pictures of a house. Labels on the pictures (i.e., "master bedroom", "second bedroom", "master bath", "hall bath", etc.) would be nice in some cases, such as in a 3 BR house, and one that doesn't have a "glamour bath" in the master, etc. I also want to see down the street, both ways, if google street view is not available for the location. Oh, and DO NOT use those "panoramic" shots!! I see those and I immediately think "dishonesty".
Descriptions could be better also....tell what's been replaced recently, for example, give the dimensions for every room, those kinds of things. Don't just say "this house is so cute, won't last long!". *sigh*
Accurate square footage numbers....no need to say more.
Oh yes, and at least a rough floor plan (I keep thinking of things to add as I read what others said!).
Nearly none of that is able to be controlled by the agent who is downloading MLS listings to their search site.
The certain exception is the registration to use the site. Agents do it because they think it works to develop business.
Otherwise, about all the agent can do is offer you the information and photos input by a listing agent whom they may not even know.
I am considering pulling tax data for my search site, but I think it will be difficult and very expensive to do so.
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