4 Tools to Spice Up Your Real Estate Website

Emily Williams
Published: 06/19/2012
Posted by: RET Staff

If you have an existing real estate website, there are hundreds of tools you can use to add a little spice and consumer-friendly functionality. Because these tools vary in actual implementation, there’s no easy term to lump them under. If you have a WordPress website, you’re probably familiar with the term “plug-in,” and some of our examples are plug-ins – which you may be able to add all by yourself. However, this isn’t always the case and, depending on the tool, you may hear them referred to as “widgets” or “APIs.” The bottom line is that, even though most of these tools will probably require the assistance of a competent developer for implementation, this technology can be relatively quick and easy to get up-and-running, offering a nice cost/benefit balance.

We’re going to share a few of our favorites here, but we hope you’ll add to this list in the comments section below.

1) Closing.com SmartClosing
The Closing.com SmartClosing widget is a free calculator that you can embed on your website and even brand with your logo. The widget will allow visitors to your site to calculate:

• Estimated monthly payments, including mortgage, home insurance, and property taxes
• Closing costs
• Total amount of cash they will need to close the transaction

In addition, the tool allows sellers to estimate sale proceeds and homeowners to calculate the cost of refinancing their home. The widget looks at local financial institutions that can provide the financial services homebuyers or sellers need (title companies, home insurance policies and more) and includes the price of each service.