CentriWebA real estate agent website should be built for the seller, not the buyer, because the seller is the person who chooses and pays the agent. Buyers browse listings on the property portals and the agent’s own site rarely competes with them. What the site can do is make a homeowner who is thinking about selling believe you are the right person to ask for an appraisal, and make asking easy.
The same plan works for an independent agent, a small agency or a team inside a franchise. It is arranged page by page. The terms differ by country: in Australia and New Zealand the first meeting is an appraisal, in the United States it is often a listing presentation or comparative market analysis, and in the United Kingdom a valuation. The structure is the same.
Who a real estate agent website is for
A real estate agent website has three possible audiences: sellers, buyers and landlords or tenants. Buyers tend to start on the major property portals in each country, because that is where the listings are. Your own site cannot out-list them, and trying to makes a thin copy of what the portals do better.
The winning job for your own site is different. A homeowner in your area is deciding which two or three agents to invite round. They look at your name, your recent sales, your reviews, your face and how you write about their suburb. The site decides whether you make the shortlist.
Buyers still matter, because buyers become sellers and buyers also help you list properties. Give them a short path: a link to your listings on the portal, a way to register for early notice of properties, and a way to talk to you. That is enough.
The homepage: lead with the seller
Put the seller’s question first. In the main heading, say who you help and where, for example “Selling a home in Ponsonby? Local advice and a plan before you list.” Under it, one button: “Request an appraisal” or the equivalent in your market. Then:
- A strip of recent sales in your area, with address or suburb, sale price where you are allowed to show it, and days on market if you want to.
- Your photo and a two-sentence reason to choose you.
- Three to four steps for how selling with you works.
- Three reviews from sellers.
- A second request button.
Our guide to homepage design covers the general order.
The appraisal request page
This is the page that decides whether the site pays for itself, so give it a lot of thought. It should explain what an appraisal is and what it is not (an opinion of likely price, not a promise), how long it takes, whether it costs the owner anything, and what you will do with the details they give you.
Keep the form short: name, mobile, property address, the best time to call and, optionally, a reason for selling. The address matters, since it lets you prepare before you call. Then plan the response:
- An instant message to the owner confirming that you will be in touch and when.
- An instant message to you, by text, so you can call quickly.
- A reminder in your CRM to call and to follow up if they do not answer.
Replying fast matters because the seller is usually asking more than one agent. Aim to call within minutes during business hours. A CRM for real estate agents keeps each seller’s details and your follow-up in one place.
Suburb pages that show you know the area
For each suburb or area you want listings in, build one page. Include a short summary of the area in your own words, the types of homes and streets you know best, recent sales by you or your agency, a photo of you or your team in the area, and a request button.
Only create a page for an area where you can show real activity. Avoid copying one description across ten suburbs with the names swapped. Local search is covered in our guide to real estate SEO.
Be careful with market data. Quote figures only from a source you name and date, and do not publish price statistics you cannot support. Many places have rules on how prices are shown in advertising, including penalties for misleading price guides, and the rules differ by country and state. Check your local real estate regulator before publishing prices, price ranges or sales results.
Recent sales and results
A sold section is your strongest proof, but it needs care.
- Use properties you sold, and have the owner’s permission for photos where required.
- Show the address or suburb, the date, and the sale method. Add price only where your market and rules allow it.
- Keep it current. An empty or two-year-old results page tells sellers you are not busy.
- Do not claim a result as typical. Each home and market is different.
Your profile and team
You are the product. Give the agent a full profile: a clear photo, your name, years in the area, the type of property you focus on, your licence or registration number and the agency, and a paragraph in your own voice about how you work with sellers. A short video can help if it sounds like you, but avoid scripted ones.
If there is a team, add the property manager, the sales associate and the admin person, so the seller knows who answers the phone.
Reviews and testimonials
Seller reviews carry the most weight on a real estate site. Embed or link to reviews from an independent platform so visitors can see they are real, and use the seller’s first name and suburb. Do not edit reviews. Regulations on testimonials vary, so check your regulator.
Listings: link, do not rebuild
Buyers expect your listings to show on your site. The simplest approach is a feed from your agency system or a link to each listing on the portal. A custom listing search is expensive to build and maintain and adds little. Whatever you choose, keep every listing current and remove sold properties promptly or mark them sold.
What the appraisal page should say
Sellers have usually met agents who promise a high price to win the listing. Set yourself apart by being specific about the process. Explain in three short paragraphs what you will do at the visit: walk through the home, ask about the owner’s timing and goals, and look at comparable sales. Explain what the owner will receive afterwards, such as a written price opinion, a marketing plan and your fees, and by when.
State that there is no obligation to list, if that is true. Name the person who will visit, with a photo, so the owner knows who is coming to the door. A seller is inviting a stranger into their home, and reassurance on this page lifts the number of people who finish the form.
A first-week plan
- Day 1: write the appraisal page and the short form, and connect the form to a text message on your phone.
- Day 2: collect five recent sales you can show and three seller reviews you can publish.
- Day 3: write a profile page in your own voice and add a good photo.
- Day 4: build or update pages for your two most important suburbs.
- Day 5: test the whole path on a phone, from a search result to a text message arriving, and time it.
Speed, phones and tracking
- Many visitors will arrive on a phone. Test the request form on one.
- Compress property photos before uploading. Heavy images are a common cause of slow real estate pages.
- Track which pages lead to appraisal requests, so you know what to improve.
When to build, and when a template will do
CentriWeb builds websites on WordPress for the property industry, and connects the request form to a CRM and follow-up through real estate automation. If you are a new agent working inside a franchise, the franchise site and your profile on it may be enough while you build your name. A custom site makes sense when you run your own brand and want your own enquiries.