I was just parusing this post about content writing advice for static sites and blogs from @footinmouth and @ravenjon and had some additional tips for content specific to realtors that they should be sure to include when setting up their website.

Listings are Magic

It’s simple…when people are looking for real estate online, they expect to see homes. Make sure that you add your listings to your website, and have accurate and high definition photographs of the interior and exterior of the house. Providing this type of information is your bread and butter. Homes are your strongest draw, so make sure you get as many photos, and if you can get a quality video you can post online.

Here is a helpful article for new website owners looking for some direction and guidance on what they should focus on as a webmaster. Jeremy Rivera, aka Foot In Mouth did an interview with Erin Maher, who provides excellent blogging advice. Her interview for new site owners, focused on content writing advice and how to get started down the best path for long term success.

Your Listings are the lifeblood of your site

When people are in the phase of buying a home where they are seeking a new community, of times listings can say as much about the lifestyle of a community as paragraphs of text. Honestly, there is much promotion and glossing over of negatives in almost all information about communities presented on most websites. However, if the homes in a neighborhood are not well kept, or cared for it will show in the listing photographs. Ok, well there are bad mls photos but honestly, if you take your time and actually think about the photos as they appear online then your photos should be a fair representation.

Once you have taken your listing, and added it to your website, just letting your listing sit there and wait for eyeballs to come to the page is not a successful venture. To multiply the amount of people viewing your listing you need to use listing websites to expose your listing. Here’s a recent post about, well, Postlets that lets you send your listing out to multiple services. Here’s a real estate web 2.0 map of sites where you can submit your listings. Be aware some do require a license number, others are just for FSBO homes.

The new web world is here, and it’s important for a webmaster and owner of a website to be connected with other voices online in their community. I regularly check http://riversidecaliving.com and other local riverside blogs for comments and commentary about what’s happening online in my community. This is a positive for me by also having my comments link back to my site or my blog. If you aren’t part of the conversation though, don’t bother…junk comments should be avoided!

Real estate agents who aren’t using technology to boost their business are going to very quickly be left behind.

Using web technology in the Real Estate Industry

As a professional in the real estate technology industry, I see the advance of technology is changing and modifying the behavior of home buyers and sellers. Real estate agents need to try and keep on top of the technology curve, or they will drop off. My goal for this blog is to inform and educate real estate professionals about the ever changing world of real estate technology, particularly local Riverside real estate agents and at the same time be a resource potential home buyers who can harness technology to get the best deal on your real estate deals.