Real Estate Website Checklist: Buyer Resources

What makes your real estate website stand out from the competition? A great real estate website needs so much more than just your contact information and a few pages of listings (although that's a good place to start). To make sure that your visitors stay on your site, you need to offer useful content that they can't get anywhere else.

One way to keep buyers on your site is to offer a collection of buyer resources that will help them with the process of purchasing a house – whether it's their first or fifteenth! An effective way to do this is to create a primary Buyer Resources page that appears as a button on your home page or as a link of your drop down menu. Then place a list of links to your various resource pages on this page, so buyers can see your full range of resources at a glance.

Here is a list of helpful resources for buyers that you might consider adding to your website. Think like a buyer to add your own unique options to this roster, like 'Apps for Homebuyers' or 'Architectural Styles in this Area.'

• List of buyer services: We've talked about this before. Enumerate the services that you offer buyers to give them an idea of all the work you will do to help them find their dream home. Click here and scroll down for a list of buyer services that will help you get started.
• Home buying guide: Great for first time buyers or people who haven't bought in a while, your home buying guide should go through the home buying process step-by-step, from initial consultation to offer to closing.

• Inspection FAQs: This can be part of your home buying guide or a standalone page. We've already prepared a great list of home inspection questions and answers for you to reference here.
• Neighborhood information: Tell home shoppers a little more about the different neighborhoods you serve. You can put them all on one page or create separate pages for each – the latter is great for SEO purposes. Subjects to talk about include area schools, attractions and restaurants. You may even consider creating and embedding a video.
• Helpful contacts page: Share a list of the trusted professional contacts that make up your unique network. Include a reputable lender, great inspection company, plumbers, contractors, even landscape artists.
• Remote buyer info: As we discussed in yesterday's blog post, you should advertise your services to relocating or vacation home buyers on your website. Include things like how you will adapt to their schedule, how you will use technology to help them preview listings and more.
• About me: You probably already have a page like this. If not, it's time to add one! Include a great photo or two and a little about how long you've been in the area, your experience, your community efforts etc... anything that will help leads know, like and trust you enough to initiate contact.
• Testimonials: This goes without saying. Add a testimonial page or custom module in the sidebar of your main Buyer Resources page.

Set a realistic goal, like adding one resource a month. Soon your website will be a great source of information for homebuyers in your selling area. This will make your website stand out from the competition, increase the amount of time leads stay on your site and establish you as a helpful and knowledgeable expert.

Ready to view some active Point2 Agent sites with helpful buyer resource pages? Click here, here or here now!

Stay tuned for next week's post about key seller resources.

To view the original article, visit the Point2 Agent blog.