We recently hired an independent market research company to interview 10 random people who have bought or sold a home worth at least $300,000 in the past 12 months, and ask them a series of questions over the course of an hour.

When asked to describe the best real estate websites they have seen, guess what they said?

Nothing.

Most respondents didn't have any awesome sites to share because nothing stood out to them. The few that did comment on a website referenced the major portals, including Zillow and Realtor.com.

This means there's huge opportunity for real estate agents, brokers, and franchises to make an impression in their local markets. All they have to do is create the best website visitors have ever seen, and we're here to help:

The

One of the most powerful ways you can show off your team is through agent profiles and, if applicable, office profiles. This section of the site allows Realtors to give a strong first impression, reinforce their credibility, and share a little bit about themselves.

Because the agent and office bios are actually quite similar in many ways, this post is going to focus on how to make the most of the agent profiles on the site, with some tips for office profiles thrown in too.

1. Add a friendly, professional photo

The fastest way to have users ignore a profile is by not having a photo. The photo sets the stage for the rest of the bio and tells users that you took the time to complete your bio and make it look good.

Choose a photo that's

A great website and strong online presence has become a base expectation for today's real estate agents. Many franchises and brokerages are helping their agents meet that expectation by providing basic websites, and we're seeing some major brands do an increasingly better job of this.

Yet, there comes a time for every real estate agent when they need to step away from the generic offerings, venture out into the digital world, and create a website of their very own. In this post, we're going to talk about the few telltale signs that it's time for your own real estate website.

#1: Your website isn't giving you the control you want

If you want to make changes to your content—share your story, show off listings, or otherwise elevate your online

Vision is the most visually stunning website we've ever created, and it was thanks to the hard work of several phenomenal people. We met up with the project's design lead, Phil Pond, and programming lead, Michael Griffiths, to find out what went on behind the scenes. Read on for a peak behind the scenes of our new Vision website.

Please note this interview has been modified for length and continuity.

What was the vision behind Vision?

PP: The team's initial thoughts were around showcasing VR and we were really excited about it. I really wanted to simplify a lot of things, so I brought that in. We don't need so much complexity in a website all the time, and we got to spend a lot of time refining the design and making it more flexible.

MG:

If you're in the real estate space, you've likely heard the term "IDX". And if you're on this blog right now, you probably even know about "IDX websites". But do you really understand what IDX is, or what it means for your site?

In this blog post, we're going to talk about what IDX is, why it exists, and how we use it to make awesome real estate websites.

Let's get started!

IDX is the abbreviated form of "Internet Data Exchange", and it's basically a set of rules and data feeds that enable Realtors to share MLS data on their website. Website vendors (like us!) use the IDX to display listings on a website, and real estate sites as we know them today simply couldn't exist without it.

Why the IDX was created

In the past, the only person who

Our newest site, Vision, lets you control your listings like never before. Using our Enhanced Listings feature, you can instantly improve the look of your listings and reap some phenomenal benefits in the process.

Enhanced Listings allow you to take any of your own listings, and then enhance them with the click of a button. Enhanced Listings have a more stunning visual display, and allow for additional content, photos, and videos. This enables Realtors to put together a stronger listing, with more impact and better search visibility.

Here are 3 simple reasons you should use Enhanced Listings:

3. Break Free of Restrictive MLS Rules

It can be tough to market properties the way you want to, especially when MLS rules get in the way. While many MLS