Have you ever thought of documenting the “short sale” or foreclosure process without naming names? I bet all of us would be enlightened if an agent took the time to put this on their site or blog.
After “working” with the banks firsthand – I can tell you that the process is laborious, aggravating, unbelievably maddening and is guaranteed to have you on blood pressure meds if you are tackling this for the first time. That being said, experience is everything and I’m sure that there are REALTORS that can report the opposite of my experience(s).
So – How about it? How about taking the time to put this down on your site or blog? I PROMISE – you will get traffic and interaction.
If you don’t know what IDX is, don’t fret – it’s the Internet Data Exchange otherwise known as your MLS feed. For years many agents would simply use a link to their broker site so their prospects could search for homes. Another solution was to “Frame” the page inside your website to make it look like you had your own search feature. If you didn’t know – there are actually a couple of free solutions for the IDX.
We have been using and have become quite comfortable with the solution provided by Realty Soft. Their IDX has the following features at no cost- displayed in the left column and the pay IDX is on the right:
| |
FREE |
| General Features |
|
|
| Display MLS Listings on Your Website |
 |
|
| Showcase Your Listings |
|
|
| Showcase Your Office Listings |
|
|
| Client Friendly Interface |
|
|
| Automatic Listing Updates |
|
|
| Easily Integrates With Other Websites and blogs |
|
|
| Complies with All MLS / IDX Regulations |
|
|
| Customize Your Own Listings |
|
|
| Customizable Look & Feel |
|
|
| Create Custom Search Result Pages By Price, Keyword or Any other Criteria |
|
|
| Listing Comparison |
|
|
| Search Multiple MLSs Using one Interface |
|
|
| Search Features |
|
|
| Search By City, Zip, Map, School, Proximity, Neighbourhood, Address and MLS Number |
|
|
| Advanced Listing Search Capabilities |
|
|
| Keyword Search |
|
|
| Mapping Features |
|
|
| Advanced Search By Map Functionality |
|
|
| School & Points of Interest Data |
|
|
| Street View, Hybrid View and Train View of each Property |
|
|
| Refine Results Right on The Map |
|
|
| Property Details Features |
|
|
| Detailed Listing Information |
|
|
| Street, Hybrid and Train View Maps |
|
|
| Nearby School Data Integration Right From Education.com |
|
|
| Points of Interest Data |
|
|
| Community Information & Demographics |
|
|
| Comparables and Recently Sold Listings |
|
|
| Estimate Property Value by Zillow, CyberHomes and Eppraisal.com |
|
|
| Sales Trends |
|
|
| Virtual Tour Integration |
|
|
| Display Open House Data |
|
|
| Lead Capture Features |
|
|
| Receive Leads Via Email |
|
|
| Enable or Disable Forced Registration |
|
|
| Lead Capture Contact Forms |
|
|
| Schedule a Showing Feature |
|
|
| Visitors Can Sign Up for Email Alerts |
|
|
| Share Listings with Family & Friends through Social Networking Sites |
|
|
| Lead Management Features |
|
|
| Manage Leads Using RealtySoft CRM |
|
|
| Manage New Leads and Contacts |
|
|
| Manage Emails, Documents, Tasks, Notes for Each Lead and Contact |
|
|
| Access To Your Clients Login / Registration Area |
|
|
| Client Area Features |
|
|
| Interactive Client Login / Registration Area |
|
|
| Customizable Mortgage Settings |
|
|
| Save Favorite Properties |
|
|
| Leave Notes for Each Property |
|
|
| Communicate with Your Clients |
|
|
| Save Favorite Searches |
|
|
| Upload Files & Documents |
|
|
| SEO Features |
|
|
| Framed IDX (IDX resides on idx.realtysoft.com domain name) |
|
|
| SEO Friendly IDX (IDX resides on search.YourDomain.com or any other subdomain you like) |
|
|
Without a doubt, this is the single most sought after component of a REALTOR’s website. If you have any questions about IDX or VOW’s, or anything about your Real Estate or Real Estate related website, please let us know.
IDX, MLS, MRED MLS, Realtor Websites, VOW
