“Wow, were we impressed!,” said the judges of the second annual Outstanding Realtor® Association Web Site Contest.

Association Web sites have advanced leaps and bounds in terms of design and usability and are practically becoming virtual assocaitions, judges said.


Realtor® associations aren’t only using the Internet as a tool to communicate, educate, and promote their members and themselves, but are taking full advantage of the medium to increase services to members and extend the reach of The Voice for Real Estate.

The second annual competition, sponsored by Realtor® Association Executive Magazine, recognizes associations that expertly employ the Internet to enhance member service and provide online information for homebuyers and sellers.

In March, 15 association executive judges evaluated 84 entrees entries in three categories: member, consumer, and dual member/consumer sites. Since association Web sites are as varied as the associations themselves, entries weren’t judged against each other, but rather on how well each site communicates association and industry information and promotes its members. Judges surfed the sites just as members and consumers would. They rated each site by assigning points to key aspects: deep and timely content, consistent and appealing design, logical navigation, and overall functionality.

The judges agreed that the most important features of consumer sites--those designed to promote members to homebuyers and sellers--are an easy property search, school and community data, and information on finding and using a salesperson, including a searchable roster and links to member sites or e-mail addresses. Today’s consumer sites also promote associations within their community as The Voice for Real Estate and an authority on housing issues. “Having a Web site that’s geared to the consumer gives us credibility when it comes to issues that affect many Texas property owners, such as our current homeowners insurance reform campaign,” says John Gormley, communications director of the Texas Association of Realtors®.

Still, there were far fewer consumer sites entered into this year’s competition, perhaps because practitioners can now offer MLS listing data on their own personal Web sites through IDX.

Outstanding member-focused sites are virtual associations delivering every service and resource that members would find by visiting their association officeÑand in many cases, much more. Member sites are no longer mere extensions of the association on the Web, but are now an integrated aspect of the association’s management strategy. “We pride ourselves on having our Web site become a reference point where we direct members and nonmembers to find the information they’re looking for,” says Stefanie Bausch of the Stark County Association of Realtors® in Ohio. “It makes it less stressful on our small staff if we can reduce the amount of phone calls we receive by having the information our members need at their fingertips.”

To evaluate dual member/consumer sites, judges considered whether the sites provide sufficient information for both audiences and are easily navigable.

A year of redesign
Based on information associations provided in their entry forms, RAE found that most have redesigned their Web site in the last year to reorganize content and streamline the navigation. Many associations said their previous site overemphasized design at the expense of convenience.

Despite the redesigns, associations report that they’re not generating revenue from their sites. Either they’ve chosen not to sell advertising or their advertising programs are still being developed.

With or without advertising income, some association sites have added impressive new features. For example, the Greater Las Vegas Association site knows its members, literally. “Once they log onto the site, the experience is created especially for them; the navigation is customized to that member, giving that person access to pertinent membership information, committee forums and minutes, and a customized file cabinet to store documents,” says Michael Della Camera, communications director.
And as these winning sites show, it’s possible to serve members and inform the pubic effectively and thoroughly through a virtual association.

So without further ado, our winners.

Winning Member Sites

Oklahoma Association of Realtors®
http://www.OklahomaRealtors.com
(8,000 members)

Judges say: Standout areas of the site include the consumer information on loans, calendar system, a simple-to-use law library, contact-your-legislator instructions, and the ability to RSVP for a committee meetings. Great incorporation of a theme sitewide. This site took no time at all to enjoy.

From the winner: Following the theme of our slogan, “Opening Doors . . . an everyday reminder that you are on the threshold of opportunity with every door you open,” we felt strongly about having a design that was also without boundaries.

Arizona Association of Realtors®
http://www.AARonline.com
(29,700 members)

Judges say: Great Find-a-REALTOR¨ function and an impressive legal section. Good career section with advice about getting into real estate and staying ahead in the industry. Convenient online brochure of tips for buyers that salespeople can give clients. Consistent and attractive design--simple and useful.

From the winner: The ease of navigation is the key to our Web site. Members find fresh content in a well-organized format, which makes their visits more productive and time-efficient. Our goals in the redesign last year were to make the site more attractive and user-friendly, to load quickly, and to make the search engine faster and more effective.

Austin Board of Realtors®, Texas
http://www.abor.com
(5,100 members)

Judges say: Professional design that reflects well on Austin REALTORS¨Ñdespite stock photos. Love the “My ABOR” feature that lets members update their information online, pay dues, and register for classes. Appealing home search function. Timely news feature on each page is very engaging.

From the winner: The design of abor.com is clean and simple, while the content is organized logically. For any members who have trouble finding specific items, we have included a search engine. In addition, we monitor Web site traffic reports, which we used to include “Quick Links” to pages that are most frequently visited by our members.

Winning PUBLIC Site

Texas Association of Realtors®
http://www.texasrealestate.com
(51,000 members)

Judges say: A 100 percent consumer site that doesn’t overhype REALTORS¨ so that consumers feel they’re being marketed to, but still provides a great impression. Great variety of topics coveredÑfrom insurance to contracts. Wonderful columns by association president. Appealing consumer-oriented design. Great slogan: We’re the Texas Association of REALTORS¨. We work to provide you, the consumer, with useful info.

From the winner: The buying and selling sections include consumer tips from Texas association members.

Wining DUAL CONSUMER/MEMBER SITES

Houston Association of Realtors®
http://www.har.com
(15,000 members)

Judges say: There’s a huge amount of content for homebuyers, sellers, and members. Great Spanish-language section and stellar commercial section. What it may lack in design it makes up for in functionality. The virtual tour and multiple photo
features are outstanding. MyHomeFinder sends e-mail
notifications to consumers when homes that match their search are posted to HAR.com.

From the winner: HAR features include an application that allows users to schedule appointments for showings; a “sold” search that displays a price range for specific home sales; and the ability for members to view videos from past associations conventions and events online.

South Carolina Association of Realtors®
http://www.screaltors.com
(10,000 members)

Judges say: Good ability to search for members by specialty. A lot of detailed home sales info available to members and consumers, such as home sales by month in each county. Clear, easy to navigate design.

From the winner: Aside from the ease of use, we’ve added a lot of information to the site, such as forms, committee information, and course, conference and convention registration. We also provide information about events at local associations around the state.

Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors®
http://www.lasvegasrealtor.com
(8,500 members)

Judges say: Visitors may forgive the slow loading time and large graphics because of the depth of information available here and the great design. Vast amount of useful community information in addition to listings. Easy to navigate, consistent design.

From the winner: LasVegasRealtor.com offers such extensive information that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority links directly to content on our pages. We listen to our members, and when they make suggestions, we usually implement them the same day. Members can pay dues, print education history, and verify committee and event histories.


Evaluate Your Web Site
Not sure if your association Web site is performing up to its potential? Ask yourself these questions. (All of your answers should be yes.)

1. Have you conducted a needs assessment and usability assessment of your target audience?

2. Do all of your Web pages have a consistent look and navigation?

3. Do changes in your Web site create changes in your business?

4. Does your site include community-building features such as chat rooms, bulletin boards, or listservs?

6. Can members pay dues, vote for officers and leadership, register, buy products, and volunteer on your site?

7. Do you have and abide by a clear policy online as to how quickly you respond to visitor queries?

8. Do you have a content-management process in place for reviewing and correcting site errors?

9. Do you post new information on your Web site at least once a week?

10. Do you avoid Web elements that flash, blink, or cascade?

11. Are all your links labeled clearly?

12. Is valuable information located no more than three clicks away from the home page?

13. Does your site include an index or site map?

14. Have you checked to make sure your Web site works on different browsers, platforms, and monitors?

15. If your Web site were an employee, would visitors think it was polite and helpful?


More Great Sites

Best multilingual property search
New Orleans Association of Realtors®, La.
http://www.nomar.org

Best government affairs page
Northeast Association of Realtors®, Mass.
http://www.massnear.com

Most patriotic site
Flint Area Association of Realtors®, Mich.
http://www.flinthomes.com

Best use of Flash in a logo
North Shore-Barrington Association of Realtors®, Ill.
http://www.nsbar.org

Best audio feature
Long Island Board of Realtors®, N.Y.
http://www.mlslirealtor.com

Best visitor feedback form
St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors®, N.Y.
http://www.slcmls.com

Best hometown feel
Pinehurst-Southern Pines Area Association of Realtors®, N.C.
http://www.pinehurstncrealtors.com

Best foreign language site
Bourse Immobiliere des Alpes Maritimes, France
http://www.boursedelimmobilier.com


Look for information on the 2004 Outstanding REALTOR Association Web Site Contest in your INS reports and on the AE Page of REALTOR.org next January.



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