MLS search engine providers, who is the best? I served over 11,000 pages wed the 23rd, only 6 people registered… Help…

Hi Nick,
What's the url to your site Nick?
Are you requiring visitors to register to view the listings? Some may disagree but I've found that to be a sure way to lessen the amount of leads generated.

11,000 pages? - in one day? That's quite a few... something sounds very wrong. 11000 HITS maybe?

I have a customer who gets roughtly 6000 unique visitors a month and gets roughly 4-6 people a day who register, which honestly I don't think is too bad.

I know there is a debate about registration vs. non registration. I have some customers who feel that customers are 'wasting their time' who are registered on their site, because they never respond to their emails or phone calls asking if they need help, have questions, want to view properties, etc.

I really do think registration weeds out the tire kickers from the serious people.

However, what I do find most realtors don't understand is this:

The 'internet' customer begins their search VERY early... much earlier than the traditional 'pre-internet' customer has done. BI (before Internet), a customer would not contact a Realtor unless they were about 80% there... and ready to hit the pavement and seriously look at properties. Online, people can (without any obligation and without wasting a realtor's time OR their time) start the process - even though the actual purchase may be a year or more out. They can start snooping around, see what's out there, see what the market is like... all without a Realtor. And they love it. They feel empowered. They can educate themselves without pressure.

And when they ARE ready, hopefully through the daily emails they've been receiving from your website, they've subconciously established a virtual relationship with YOU. At that time, when they are REALLY ready, they will contact you.... their trusted Realtor who they've never actually even spoken to! BUT, that virtual relationship happens because yo have a website that is content rich, provides them all the information they need, provides daily emails of new properties, etc.

Hi there Fredlight,

I guess we'll agree to disagree on this one By requiring registration you are essentially shutting the door on interested visitors who are understandably reluctant to enter their information. As you said, the vast majority of the persons that do take the time to register won't even return emails or phone calls. Wouldn't an agents time be better spent responding to a person that raises his hand and says I'd like more information on homex,y,z than chasing people that don't want to and will resent being hounded. A name and email address is hardly what I would consider anything close to being a lead but that's just me. I guess it makes people feel good to see people registering on their site and years ago, I used the same tactics. That's before people were increasingly net savvy and more inclined to fill out those forms. Now if you have something like...View our exclusive lakefront homes no available anywhere but us...blah blah blah...then you might be justified in registration and it might work somewhat better in my opinion but to ask for regisration for something they know they can find elsewhere in a few clicks is not very inviting. I'm know there's varying opinions on this but from what I've seen and heard both thru our client sites and throught the results of several focus groups we've done with visitors to client sites that actually closed a transaction, ...the overwhelming tendency is to click away when asked for info to see properties. I'd rather provide them with a great site and allow them to contact the client when their ready for help. ....then again...I could be wrong

I know this debate has been ongoing forever but for those that require registration to view any listings....what are your thoughts on this

I don't know how it is elsewhere, but in NH, in order to receive property addresses and daily emails of new/ changes listings, you MUST register. If you just want to browse listings without the addresses and without receiving any daily email, than that is a separate option.

Personally, I think it would be optimal to have BOTH options on a website...(IDX and VOX) however as of now, no company offers that choice here. And almost everyone agrees that the IDX solution really gives the realtor nothing.. no information on who is using the site, IF anyone is using the site.. not a thing. At least with the VOX registration they have a committment (albeit a small one) from a customer as well as the ability to keep their name and picture in front of these people 7 days a week, which is the key to branding and winning the customer over.

One of my key clients has never picked up the phone to call or contact a registered customer. He's never emailed a customer. And to be honest, I don't think he even would KNOW how to get at that information!

He just waits until they're ready... and they call him.. 90% of his $12 milion business last year was generated from his website, so it clearly works.

Everyone is different and I think you have to work with whatever options are available in your area and whatever works for you. There really are pros and cons to both.

Hello Nick,

Below is a message that I recently sent to Sarah who frequents this site. Perhaps this message is relevant to your thread and can further the discussion:

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I do have a need for a web programmer. Perhaps you could help me.

There is an agent in my office with a site located at:

w_ww.realestatebreck.com/real-estate/

Her boyfriend is a web programmer and he set up her site so that people may browse and search for property directly from her site. She has the following three ways set up to do so:

Browse Real Estate By Property Type
Browse Real Estate For Sale By Location
Search ALL Summit And Park County Real Estate

The two browse options are all listings held by this company and I do not know how she gets them into her site like this. The search option is pulling information in from a source like that you would find by clicking on the "ALL LISTINGS" button at the upper left side of this site:

w_ww.breckenridgerealestate.net

I think that access to this database costs about $50 / month. I can confirm that.

The information here looks slightly better than what I can get for free at:

http://breckenridgerealestate.summit...com/?Page=1000

There is another site of interest at:

w_ww.coloradomtnproperties.com/

This also has a company search feature.

What would be involved in getting browse and search features similar to that on the first site, perhaps with some of the features of the company search options of the last one? Can you do it and if so what would the cost be? If this is not something you do, can you suggest someone else?

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Sincerely,

Ted Amenta
Breckneridge Real Estate Agent
Breckenridge Real Estate

Since some of U doubt my traffic I am posting a Web Trends Live summary report at:

http://eteamrealtor.com/idxytd.htm eteamrealtor(s) is not the site that I am talking about. I only put the WTL stats their... the eteamrealtor Site only sees about 5-7 people a day, and is a work in process.

I left my other sites url out of this to keep my stats true, real buyers-sellers not the readers of this…


***before any of you jump down my throat the site is a work in process only testing… not really up, not advertised…It is real heavy and needs to go a diet but no time to work on it*** SEND ME A QUOTE if your in biz…my contact info is on the site…

I need a Cold Fusion expert to reengineer my system since I can not get the developer to do it for me; I have over 200 unregistered but returning visitors to my primary site each day with over 100 new people.

By requiring registration I was getting an 12%+ registration rate, with out I only get 4% on a good day. My problem is the place that is my biggest source of traffic has made me pull the registration screen with an opt out as the first screen on my link, (do not ask) so I had to pull it. IT SUX. BUT hell he sends me 150+ a day.

WHAT I need is:

This is what I need and any one that wants to start a company to be an IDX data provider (I would be happy to be an invisible owner-Ginny pig designer, the numbers at the link above prove I know what is needed) this is just a rough outline of what it needed to do.

No pop ups must be cold fusion or asp.

First time to site:

Go right to search tool, no request for any information.
6 MONTH Cookie is set
Session cookies if needed
No address, mls numbers or maps shown.
User information is saved for second visit…

Second visit:

Cookie detected
Go right to a single page with one question; ARE YOU WORKING WITH AN AGENT?

If YES go right to search engine with no more questions, never show MLS #, Address or map, track what they look at with cookies only. Keep data to use if they register.

If NO, go to page that gives 2 options on it #1. Would you like to sign up for an account? you can save searches and be emailed updates for your specified searches and see address and maps to the homes you see. OR option #2. No thanks I just want to see general information on homes in the area.

IF, when an account set up only name phone email and password best time to call on form.

Third to infinity visits:

Cookie detected, renewed and user welcomed by name…Sees all info…Stores all searches and results…

Question: So you get 100+ new people a day on http://eteamrealtor.com with no advertising and and as you say "its not really up" If thats the case I have some ocean front property for sale in Minnesota.. its really nice

__________________
Edina is home to the first indoor mall. Search Edina Realty to find your new home.

Perhaps the traffic is coming from NAR...getting ready to protect our Trademark.

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Kristal Kraft, ABR, CIPS, CRS, Webmistress
Denver real estate and relocation

Buy / Sell Denver Homes
Denver Lofts

eteamrealtor(s) is not the site that I am talking about. I only put the WTL stats their... the eteamrealtor Site only sees about 5-7 people a day, and is a work in process.

I left my other sites url out of this to keep my stats true, real buyers-sellers not the readers of this…