What Consumers Want On A Real Estate Website

What information do most consumers want to know about when visiting a real estate website?

According to a survey released by the exclusive Buyer agency firm Accent Realty Group, here are the topics most searched by consumers:
1) 85.7% wanted the ability to search all homes in the area.
2) 42.9% said they wanted to know about local schools.
3) 57.1% said they wanted to know about local crime rates.
4) 28.6% said they wanted to know about tax rates.

The survey also went on to add the fact that consumers were still unfamiliar and confused about the terms “Dual Agency” and “Facilitator”.

I spent a lot of time personally creating my website and I go into great detail to educate consumers about the different types of Agency, but I still find about 50% of the potential buyers I speak with are confused or just plain suspicious. I don’t blame them because the real estate community is still playing a shell game and trying to be all things to all people. I say it can’t be done.

On my website I use the analogy of two sports teams sharing the same locker room, and the same coach. What kind of game do you think they are going to be playing? In an NAR sanctioned publication titled Agency – Choices, Challenges & Opportunities (Agent’s Guide), the definition of an EXCLUSIVE Buyer Agency reads as follows: “The practice of representing only buyers and never sellers in a transaction. The company never lists a sellers’ property and thus never has a seller as a client. Agents never accept subagency that is offered to a seller’s agent.” (Note: In Massachusetts, practically all agencies no longer offer compensation to subagents because of inherent liability.)

As if it is not hard enough for the public to understand terms like “Dual Agency”, “Designated Agency”, “Transaction Agency” or “Facilitator”, “Single Agency”, and “Buyer Agency -- with consent to Dual Agency”, many brokers are still misusing the term EXCLUSIVE in order to capture a buyer. They offer EXCLUSIVE Buyer Agency with consent to Dual Agency”. That is like saying, I’ll be married to you, but if I see someone I want to fool around with, I’ll do it. I don’t know about you, but my wife would have none of that and I am perfectly happy being her EXCLUSIVE husband. Call me what ever you like, but I prefer to keep my life simple stupid, and be respectful of consumer intelligence. I will never share the locker room with another team.

In conclusion, allow me to direct you to a wonderful article I just read and please call me if you still don’t “get it”. I create power buyers!

Follow this link to read > What Buyers Do Wrong