By Jane Burek and Marcie Geffner

What does it take to generate business through your Web site?

You can learn a lot by exploring the 10 individual practitioner Web sites featured here. These 10 cover the basics well, providing listings, community information, free reports, and so on. At the same time, each of these eye-catching sites is distinctive in some way, proving that you can set yourself apart on the biggest of all mass media--the Web.

For example, Dean Benigno’s site, targeting golf community buyers, organizes listings under descriptions of each golf community. Michael Greenwald’s rich design incorporates the look of file folders to organize information for his time-pressed users.

Most important, each of these sites is well maintained, with working links, copy that generally fits within the browser window, and up-to-date information.

Narrowing down this list of standouts was a formidable task, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the International Real Estate Digest (ired.com). Several of the sites featured here have earned four-star (make that four-"i") ratings from IRED, which judges sites on the basis of aesthetics, quality of information, usefulness, and compelling content.


BEST ACCESSIBILITY


wynnea.com

Wynne E. Achatz, ABR^®, CRS^®, GRI, LTG, e-pro Real Estate One/Westrick Associates Inc., Marine City, Mich.; wynne@wynnea.com

Business impact: “Forty percent of my business comes from the site.”
Site debut: January 1996; current site: November 1999
Site updated: Monthly for content; as needed for home listings
Designer-developer: Internet Online Programs
Best feature: Online home tours with e-mail function--and the kitty page

A visit to Wynne Achatz’s Web site, wynnea.com, evokes images of love, with Achatz’s signature rose and rich red color carried throughout the site.

That attention to detail carries over into other elements of the site as well. Slightly more than a year ago, Achatz overhauled her four-year-old Web site “to bring it up to today’s standards--not just in look and feel, but to add tools that buyers and sellers would use,” she says.

Her goal: instant connectivity. The site now features automatic paging and virtual tours that buyers can view and then e-mail to family members.

“The paging and e-mail functions move the homes faster,” says Achatz. Buyers can contact me while they’re looking at the house and are real hot on the property. I’ve sold three houses in the past year while I was at conventions or at a meeting. I was able to respond immediately.”

On the road, Achatz keeps pace with inquiries using a laptop and a toll-free national Internet account. She promotes her inventory through homes.com, REALTOR.COM, and wynnesmichigan.com (at homeseekers.com). “I link and have pages on all the main real estate Web sites,” she says. “All contact information is channeled to my pager, phone, or e-mail.”

And Achatz says the site’s personality also counts with cyber buyers. Her popular “Kitty Gallery” of photos, jokes, and graphics is more than, well, fluff.

“My kitty page creates an immediate bond with cat lovers,” she says. “I always have something to talk about when we meet. It’s an example of how using the Internet can bring you closer to clients.”


BEST DESIGN


michaelgreenwald.com

Michael Greenwald, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, Brentwood, Calif.

Business impact: Five to 10 transactions annually
Site debut: February 1996
Site updated: Two to three times a month and whenever a listing is obtained
Designer-developer: Media Access
Best feature: Descriptions and photos of recently sold and for-sale homes

The accent at Michael Greenwald’s Web site is on creating a professional image. The uncluttered design, executive office color scheme, and simple organization are intended to appeal to people buying and selling estates in Brentwood, Bel Air, Pacific Palisades, Westwood, and Santa Monica, which are among the most exclusive communities in Los Angeles.

Hot features on the site include Greenwald’s personally penned quarterly newsletter about local housing market trends; photos of his recently sold and on-the-market listings; links to local public and private schools; and his article about stress management in real estate transactions. The site also invites visitors to enter a drawing to win a two-night stay at one of the top hotels in the area.

Greenwald says the inventory of 25 or so of his past listings is a prime attraction because it demonstrates the breadth and depth of his experience. The past listings take up valuable server memory, but Greenwald thinks there’s a value. “People can research my past listings and see the price range I specialize in,” he says. Each description includes a virtual tour and a miniature floor plan.

Another successful feature is a form that permits buyers, sellers, and homeowners to submit requests for a long list of services, including asbestos removal, car rental, architecture, interior decorating, landscaping, plumbing, floral, roofing, and window washing. Greenwald forwards the requests to Coldwell Banker’s Concierge Service, which refers consumers to participating prescreened service providers.


BEST USE OF A TEMPLATE


tampabayarearealestate.com

Vern English, ABR^®, CRS^®, e-pro, and Audrey English, Keller Williams Realty, Palm Harbor, Fla.; vern@kw.com

Business impact: “About 60 percent of our new business is generated from the site”
Site debut: February 2000
Site updated: Daily
Designer: John Morris
Developer: Advanced Access
Best feature: Home Search for buyers and sellers; Agent Only for real estate professionals

Using a Web site template makes it easy to get online fast--but how can consumers tell you apart from all the other practitioners out there with essentially the same site?

The husband-and-wife team Vern and Audrey English show that a template can work, provided you give it time and attention.

Vern stitches together his own online tours with visualtour.com software. “iPIX has the 360-degree views, which are nice for larger properties. But the ‘bubble’ image doesn’t translate well to a typical Florida ranch with a 15-by-15-foot living room,” he says. “I also like the flexibility of creating my own tours. If there’s a lake or soccer field next to the property, I want to include that in the tour. It’s part of the sale.”

Site visitors don’t have trouble finding contact information: The Englishes’ phone number and instant e-mail buttons are prominently placed on nearly every page. Auto-responders connect instantly with users when the couple are out showing or listing homes “or just having a life,” Vern says.

In addition, the Englishes have peppered the site with lead-generating guest book sign-ins throughout.

“We’re averaging 1,500 user sessions a week,” says Vern. Of those users, about 60 sign the guest book, which boils down to about three qualified leads a week.

Vern devotes about two hours a day to maintaining the site as the couple’s main business hub. “That encompasses responding to e-mails, adding or changing the content, and developing new ideas,” he says. “Daunting as that sounds, it adds up to about the same amount of time I used to spend creating print media.”

In 1999 the Englishes spent $8,000 on print ads, compared with $2,000 in 2000.


MOST ELEGANT SITE

judysells.com

Judy Niemeyer, CRS^®, GRI, Irvine Crabtree Real Estate, Fairhope, Ala.; judy@judysells.com

Business impact: “Thirty-five percent of my business is directly from the site; 20 percent is indirectly from the site.”
Site debut: November 1997
Site updated: Two to three times a week
Designer: Sandy Teller
Developer: Internet Online Programs
Best feature: Virtual home tours--”People love them!” Niemeyer says.

The pale-yellow magnolia that graces the home page at www.judysells.com sets an elegant, Southern tone for buyers looking for their dream home in the Mobile Bay area of Alabama.

Behind the simple home page is an intuitively navigable (and fast-loading) site with heaps of information, including school reports, mortgage calculators, and a community slide show.

“Selling the community is my top priority,” explains Judy Niemeyer. “I pay my designer to place judysells.com at the top of the search engines. People researching relocation to this area will pull up my site. I want to be their first peek at the Mobile Bay area.”

Niemeyer is a devotee of outsourcing, paying for everything from the programming to virtual tours by iPIX to the tracking reports she uses to analyze her site’s effectiveness.

“I’d love to spend time working on the Web site,” she says, “but I don’t make money in the office. I need to be out listing and selling.”

Niemeyer has a business formula for offering virtual tours to sellers: If sellers are willing to pay slightly more than her normal commission--or if their home is listed at more than $400,000--Niemeyer pays for the tour.

The professionally produced tours cost her $99û$150, but they’ve given her business a real boost.

“On the basis of a virtual tour, I recently sold a house to a woman who lived two blocks from the listing,” Niemeyer says. “She’d never been inside the house, but after she’d seen it on my virtual tour, it was the only property she wanted to actually see.”


MOST SOPHISTICATED SITE


dallashomes.com

Judy McCutchin, ABR^®, CRS^®, e-pro, RE/MAX Preston Road North, Dallas; judy@dallashomes.com

Business impact: $13 million in sales
Site debut: January 1994. “We’ve been through five gut-wrenching, time-consuming redesigns since then.”
Site updated: Every day
Designer-developer: McCutchin, her marketing assistant, and a full-time designer-programmer
Best feature: For prospects, Search the MLS and virtual tours; for clients, online transaction tracking

With six years of experimenting under her belt, Judy McCutchin has evolved her Web site into a benchmark for technology sophistication and business integration.

“I’ve learned a lot about engaging the consumer through information and entertainment. It’s a balance that requires a commitment to keeping the content fresh, memorable, and relevant,” she says.

“Above all, you have to give the information the user is there for--and you must be able to respond immediately.”

Two years ago, McCutchin invested $50,000 in Lotus Notes so that she could integrate her Web site communication with her leads management database. “It was expensive, but I realized that everything needed to happen automatically. It made no sense for me to print relocation forms, address envelopes, and walk relocation packages to the mailbox.”

Dallashomes.com serves as McCutchin’s central communications hub. At the site, users can type in questions and engage in live chats with McCutchin and her staff of four. “If we’re logged off,” she says, “the conversation defaults to a live chat with Chester Chatsworth.”

Chatsworth is a caricature of McCutchin’s Great Dane and serves as a critical branding element that links her online and off-line marketing. Customers who chat with Chatsworth are actually “talking” to a 24-hour outside service (www.liveassistance.com) that McCutchin has prepped with answers to frequently asked questions.

McCutchin is one of a handful of practitioners who’ve migrated their entire business, not just their marketing, to the Web: Through her “Websuites,” Lotus Notes-based extranets, clients can track the progress of a sale or purchase, get feedback from home showings, view contracts and documents, and send messages.
“The lenders and title companies have access to each client’s extranet. It’s become the central location for activity and updates,” says McCutchin. “I’m paving the way for online closing. When that time comes, our infrastructure will already be in place.”


BEST SPECIALTY SITE

arizonagolfproperties.com

Dean Benigno, Realty Executives, Scottsdale, Ariz.;
dean@arizonagolfproperties.com

Business impact: Five transactions in 1999
Site debut: Early 1999
Site updated: Weekly
Designer-developer: World Wide Web Center
Best feature: Descriptions and photos of recently sold and for-sale homes

If you like the idea of golf course living, you’ll like Dean Benigno’s Web site, www.arizonagolfproperties.com. The site’s Property Showcase is organized around the developments in upscale Scottsdale, where Benigno gets much of his inventory.

The Web site’s strong points include its captivating opening Flash promo, useful links to community and golf course Web sites, testimonials from buyers and sellers, and a company profile. It’s also a great example of how to showcase specialty properties--in Benigno’s case, golf course homes and other luxury residences.

In tune with his audience, Benigno doesn’t focus on schools or other kid-centric links. His Community Links page takes users to such sites as the local newspaper, chamber of commerce, and a golf site that lets registered users sign up for tee times online.

Keeping the information on the Web site current is a priority. “No one wants to visit a site that has outdated information,” Benigno says.

The other challenge is keeping up with the latest Web technology. Benigno recently incorporated a Flash introduction that includes an opening title and a professional photo of Benigno. Users who don’t like the intro can quickly click into Benigno’s home page.

For Benigno, the site is a foot in the door. “I get a lot of listing appointments,” he says, “because [the sellers] have preinterviewed me through my Web site.”


MOST PERSONALITY

come2az.com

Alice Held, CRS^®, GRI, e-pro 500, Coldwell Banker Success Realty, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Business impact: Approximately 50 buy-side transactions annually
Site debut: August 1995
Site updated: Weekly
Designer-developer: In-house
Best feature: “Users love them all!”

If any Web site could be said to have personality, it would be Alice Held’s.

On the opening page, a friendly-looking cast of cactus characters accompany a long list of links to information for buyers and sellers. Held’s Web site is packed with information about Scottsdale and its environs, including updates on the local business climate; news about local employers; and information on local shopping centers, attractions, and weather.

The typical visitor to the Web site is someone who plans to relocate to Scottsdale, either to take advantage of a local job opportunity or to escape the winter weather, Held says. “Half the people are being transferred, and the other half are tired of rain and snow.”

The site is also an effective magnet for foreign nationals interested in relocating to Arizona. Held has closed a number of transactions that began when she received an e-mail message from someone in Germany, Hong Kong, England, Iceland, or Thailand, among other countries.

Spotting dead links to Web sites that have shut down or moved to new cyber locations is Held’s biggest challenge. Rather than displaying the infamous “404 Error” message, dead links on come2az.com lead to a page that asks the viewer to report the error to Held’s technology assistant. The assistant also uses a $300 software application called DreamWeaver to search for outdated links.


BEST NEW SITE


munsteragent.com

John Reipsa, GRI, and Pam Reipsa, McColly GMAC, Munster, Ind.; reipsa@munsteragent.com

Business impact: Too new to know
Site debut: January 2001
Site updated: At least weekly
Designer-developer: John Reipsa using iHouse 2000 software (www.ihouse2000.com)
Best feature: MLS listings with photos and a guest book sign-in

John and Pam Reipsa’s Web site is, like Vern and Audrey English’s (page 37), an example of how mileage can be spun from a simple yet informative Web site template.

“This is our first site, but already we’ve had terrific feedback from clients. It’s how they want to do business,” says John.

The Reipsas’ main goal is to give users basic information about the community and the couple’s listings. After two months of online discussions with fellow members of a real estate technology listserv, the Reipsas decided on the site’s core elements: e-mailable home listings, an online MLS search, community reports and information, and Contact Agent pop-up windows to gather new leads.

“The biggest challenge was overcoming the fear,” John admits, “but we had more than 500 hits the first week. That told us there was more activity going on than we’d previously been able to tap into.”

The Reipsas use an Internet call-forwarding service that functions as an easy Web-site-to-business integration device. John says he spent two weeks mastering the iHouse2000 tutorials, and he’s glad he did. Just two days after the site was launched, he received a late-night inquiry.

“A woman was looking at a house on our site. She made the phone call and couldn’t believe we answered personally,” says John, who got an appointment with the surprised prospect.

The Reipsas will add features incrementally. “I’m still investigating virtual tour options,” John says. “We’ll start putting them up when I have a comfort level with the technology and a plan for incorporating the tours into our business formula.”

So far, the simple approach is serving the Reipsas well. “Information on the site starts the dialogue. It generates the lead,” John says. “In the future we’ll add tools that will take the customer to the end of the process.”

One cautionary note: The Reipsas had to change their domain name after they launched, because their use of the term REALTOR^® in the initial name, www.munsterrealtor.com, wasn’t permissible under NAR trademark rules.


BEST SITE NAVIGATION

maryjanedeering.com

Mary Jane Deering, LTG, Alain Pinel, REALTORS^®, Pleasanton, Calif.

Business impact: Four to six transactions annually
Site debut: January 1998
Site updated: Whenever a listing is obtained
Designer-developer: Grizzly Design
Best feature: Pop-up windows to outside links

Color isn’t the only thing going for Mary Jane Deering’s Web site, www.maryjanedeering.com. But the winning aqua-purple combination that is carried through--even down to the outfit Deering chose to wear for her photo--is sure to be a pleasant attraction for Web surfers.

The easy-to-navigate layout and extensive buying and selling information have proved effective sales tools and time-savers, Deering says. The site effectively prescreens people who can’t afford to buy a home in San Ramon, Pleasanton, or the other East Bay communities where she sells. (Like many of the other sites, this one clearly spells out on each page the markets Deering serves.)

Users can view Deering’s listings and other MLS listings in her area through pop-up Web windows. Links to local schools, governments, and other community sites also appear in pop-up windows, so users never lose sight of Deering’s page.

The site operates on autopilot for Deering, who outsources everything from adding photos of new listings to submitting the URL to search engines. “I don’t have to give it a second thought,” she says.

Caution: If you follow Deering’s lead, keep an eye on what your Webmaster is doing with your site. Remember that it’s your reputation, not your Webmaster’s, that’s at stake.

Next up: Deering plans to add the Neighborhoodfind.com service so that users at her site can get data about homes sold, market valuations, neighborhoods, and more.


BEST USE OF HORIZONTAL FORMAT

gotmoved.com

Ryan S. Bishop, ABR^®, Coldwell Banker Grand Realty, Spokane, Wash.

Business impact: Nine transactions since the site debuted
Site debut: February 2000
Site updated: Almost every other day
Designer-developer: In-house
Best feature: Free reports

The first thing you’ll notice about Ryan Bishop’s Web site, www.gotmoved.com, is that there’s no scrolling. Bishop has designed his site around the typical browser window’s dimensions.

The horizontal design is inviting. It’s also easy to navigate and minimizes mouse-scroll fatigue.

Yet, the design doesn’t translate into a shortage of information. The site offers an abundance of free reports, which are sent to an e-mail address by an auto-responder on request. Bishop’s biggest draw: a report called “How to Buy a Home Without Making a Downpayment,” which is promoted through a yellow pop-up window that appears alongside his home page. The site also offers free credit reports and a home-finder service.

Bishop uses the e-mail addresses he captures through the reports to follow up with subsequent marketing messages. “I give the names and e-mail addresses to my assistant, who puts them into Top Producer. Then letters go out automatically once a week for 19 weeks,. with links to other services on the Web site,” Bishop explains.

He says the site accounts for nearly 80 percent of his new business (that is, exclusive of referrals and repeat business).

Another winning feature for Bishop has been links from REALTOR.COM to pages of his Web site. “Linking from REALTOR.COM to our Web site is one of the main generators of traffic,” he says. “We add a link [on REALTOR.COM] for a 360-degree tour of the home, and when someone clicks on that, it’s a one-way ticket to that house on gotmoved.com.”

Bishop’s biggest challenge has been keeping up with the 25--40 inquiries he now receives each week from prospective buyers. The relatively small number of prospective sellers has been a bit of a disappointment, however. “We’ve found that people on the Internet are buyers before they’re sellers,” he says, “so they’re not as interested in information about selling.”

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