Thursday 29 April 2010

New website design for Arden Nicholson Estate Agent in Lytchett Matravers, Poole

New website design, ardennicholson.co.uk has been released today.

Arden Nicholson is an established, independently owned family Estate Agency that specialises in Residential Sales and Lettings, Land and Development, Financial Services and Holiday Lettings.

They are able to tailor our expertise to suit each individual client and successfully complete each property transaction with the barest minimum of stress and delay.

[Click to Read More]

New website design for Friend & Falcke Estate Agent in the Barnes and Chelsea

New website design, friendandfalcke.co.uk is now live.

Friend & Falcke are estate agents in Barnes, Chelsea, Central and South West London. They are an independent firm of Estate Agents, Property Consultants, Surveyors and Valuers.

As well as Residential Sales, Friend & Falcke Estate Agents also specialise in Residential Lettings, Management and Advising clients in their purchases of Residential and Investment Properties.

The Estate Agent website states that they have twice been voted 'Best London Estate Agent' by the Daily Mail Awards.

[Click to Read More]

New website design for Richards Estate Agents in Corfe Mullen, Wimborne

New website design, richardsestateagents.co.uk has been released today.

Richards are Estate Agents in Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset, specialising in residential properties for sale and rent as well as property management in Corfe Mullen, Wimborne and the surrounding areas.

[Click to Read More]

New website design for Blake & Blake Estate Agent in Ferndown, Bournemouth

New website design, blakeandblake.co.uk has been released today.

Blake & Blake Estate Agents in Bournemouth were established in 1946, combined with up to the minute internet coverage, they ensure their clients get the best exposure to the market place. The website states that much of their work comes from recommendation and repeat business.

[Click here to Read More]

New website design for Prestige Reality Estate Agent in Twickenham

New website design, prestigerealty.co.uk has been released today.

Prestige Realty are Twickenham estate agents specialising in promoting houses for sale using "Set Sale".

Prestige Realty Estate Agents, Twickenham have a property sales team with over 20 years experience achieving excellent results for property sellers in Twickenham, Teddington, St Margarets, and throughout the Richmond Borough.

[Click here to Read More]

New website design for Murray and Hayward Estate Agent in the New Forest

Estate Agent website design, murrayandhayward.com has been released today.

Murray & Hayward estate agents in New Milton, Sway, Lymington, Milford-On-Sea are one of the leading names within the New Forest property market offering a wealth of experience from a team of friendly, dedicated and professional Estate Agents. Our residential property sales are complemented by our Prestige & Country Homes, Equestrian, Land & New Homes departments.

Murray & Hayward's four offices are all situated in most prominent locations in New Milton, Sway, Brockenhurst and Milford on Sea.

[Click to Read More]

New website design for Acorn Properties Estate Agent in Weston-super-mare

New website design, acornprops.co.uk has been released today.

Acorn properties specialises in letting and property management, covering a wide range of properties to let in Weston-super-mare, Worle and the surrounding villages of North Somerset.

As an independent family run letting and property management agent and with over twelve years experience in the rental market, they have a real passion for property in Western-super-mare. They also pride themselves on giving an honest, reliable and professional service at all times whilst retaining that personal touch combined with good old fashioned values.

[Click to Read More]

New website design for Alastair Hodge Estate Agent in Epsom

New website design, alastairhodge.co.uk has been released today.

Alastair Hodge is an Estate Agent in Epsom (established in 1991) selling property in Epsom, Epsom Downs, East & West Ewell, Headley, Tadworth & Ashtead.

Alastair Hodge offers a free market appraisal without obligation and gives expert advice on a bespoke marketing strategy. Also helping Vendors with their search for a new home whether in the local area or in other counties through a network of independent estate agents.

[Click to Read More]

Website design of the week - Robert Williams Estate Agents in Exeter

Estate Agent website designs are now going to be celebrated on a weekly basis. The decision, made by website designers, came about so that truly beautiful websites can be celebrated in all their pixelated glory.

This week the designers are looking at Robert Williams Estate Agent in Exeter. Robert Williams have been selling property for over ten years and pride themselves on being professional, enthusiastic and passionate for property in Exeter.

The first thing that strikes everyone when visiting this Estate Agent website is the remarkable animation, starting off with a shining blueprint, saturating with colour and then morphing into a prominent and exceptional image.

[Click to Read More]

New website design for Morton Smith and Sands Estate Agent in Hadleigh, Suffolk

New website design, mortonsmithandsands.co.uk has been released today.

Morton Smith & Sands Estate Agents in Hadleigh, offer property for sale in Hadleigh and the surrounding villages of south Suffolk.

They operate a modern business at the forefront of property agency, with a formidable reputation for client focused professionalism and local property market knowledge.

[Click here to Read More]

New website design for Hayman-Joyce Estate Agents in the Cotsworlds

New website design, haymanjoyce.co.uk has been released today.

Hayman-Joyce's in the Cotswolds expertise and command of the local market is the backbone of any successful property purchase namely location, location, location. Their offices are ideally placed in one of the most desirable areas of the country - the Cotswolds.

[Click here to Read More]

New website design for Irving and Sons Estate Agent in Verwood, Dorset

New website design, irvingandsons.co.uk has been released today.

Irving and Sons are independent estate agents in Verwood who specialise in Residential Property Sales and Residential Lettings.

Irving and Sons (established 1985) these Estate Agents are family run & locally staffed providing a personal, professional and honest service combined with comprehensive local knowledge and experience of selling properties in the Verwood area.

[Click to Read more]

Wednesday 7 April 2010

New 'Equestrian and Rural' website launched.


Leading Estate Agents Penyards Country Properties with offices across Hampshire have launched an 'Equestrian and Rural' department from offices in the 'South Downs National Park' and 'New Forest'.

With its own bespoke designed website www.equestrianandrural.com, the strategy Penyards have adopted, whilst fairly common within the website marketing industry, although not so within the estate agents sector, is to use micro a site to promote specific products or niche markets.

[Click to read more on Penyards Equestrian and Rural Estate Agents]

New website design for Michael Steven Estate Agent in Plaistow, Newham

New website design, michaelsteven.co.uk has been released today.

Michael Steven Estate Agents in Plaistow, are right on the borders of Upton Park and East Ham. Trading since 1991 the company has established an enviable reputation in our dealings with properties for sale and properties to rent.

[Click here to read more about Michael Steven Estate Agents]

Estate Agents, videos has more SEO benefits than you realise

When considering making videos for your website you have to realise what benefits you’ll be gaining from it. It is great for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), makes your Estate Agents Website more visually compelling, gets your company brand out there and helps build a visual relationship between you and your clients.

Video Search optimisation hasn't been around for very long but is growing rapidly. As more and more users are getting broadband access, video usage levels grow even further. For Estate Agents now is a great opportunity to be able to jump on the viral world and boost your status.

[Click to read more]

New website design for Laports Estate Agent in Hendon, Barnet

New website design, laports.co.uk has been released today. Laports Estate Agents have established themselves in Hendon, Golders Green, Finchley, Mill Hill, Edgware, Colindale & other parts of North and North West London.

[Click here to Read More]

Estate Agent website design -Top 5 Principles

Web design and website design for Estate Agents can be simply broken down into 9 different concepts or principles. Following these clear guidelines ensure that Estate Agents will not make any major design errors on their website.

[Click to Read More]

New website design for Roger Hemming Estate Agent in Honiton, Devon

New website design, rogerhemming.co.uk has been released today. Roger Hemming Estate Agents in Honiton deal with residential property in East Devon and are the best Estate Agents in their area. They have a great selection of..

[Click to read more]

New website portal for Team South Wales

New website design, teamprop.co.uk/southwales has been released today.

TEAM South Wales consists of 12 estate agents' offices for the price of one giving you local expertise and understanding shared across the offices of the area’s most respected, independent estate agents.

[Click to read more]

Thursday 25 March 2010

The Great Estate Agent Website Race

Last weekend was the first F1 race of the 2010 season. As I sat watching the race, my mind was clearly still thinking about work as I was struck by the similarities of the real world F1 battle for pole position and those of the virtual, with the battle for page one ranking on Google for our estate agent clients. I am always trying to find ways of making the most complex subjects, easier to understand, so using my analogy I'm trying to show how important position one placement is for an estate agents website.

[Click to Read More]

New website design for John Williams Estate Agent in Llandaff, Cardiff

New website design, johnwilliamssales.co.uk has been released today.

John Williams Land and Estate Agents in Llandaff, Cardiff provides a professional service backed up with many years of local experience. They have built a long-term reputation for valuing, and selling properties for sale in Llandaff, Radyr and the Vale of Glamorgan.

[Click to Read more]

Estate Agent IT-s time you got that promotion


Estate Agents work hard, some really hard and some... well, not so much.

Hard workers unite, 2010 is the year of the promotion and to give you that little boost Resource Techniques has compiled the list of the 5 things that will get you noticed, or cover your back.

[Click to Read more]

New website design for Northcott Beaton Estate Agents in Exeter, Devon

New website design, nbestateagents.co.uk has been released today.

Northcott Beaton in Exeter, known for its excellence in service and reliability, has been trading for 20 years.

[Click to Read More]

Wednesday 17 March 2010

Estate Agent web design: A divine design will shine throughout the grape vine

One of the most concentrated 4 basic elements of web design is appearance. A great website design for estate agents can be one of the factors that prompt online property searchers to repeatedly return while a great website design can also give the website that WOW factor that will compel users to investigate deeper into the website.

Click to read more

Top 5 SEO articles by Resource Techniques

Search Engine Optimisation or SEO for Estate Agents is one of those subjects that every Estate Agent has to come across when considering a new website design. When 92% of people use Google to search for property in the UK, Estate Agents have to be at least on page one. Without modern SEO techniques, Estate Agents will be missing on major amount of website visits.

Click to read more

Advanced Twitter search for Estate Agents

Estate Agents and many Twitter users use Twitter's most basic search function - typing in words and pressing enter.

Unbeknownst to many, Twitter's search results can be manipulated in many different ways, if you know how. Each of these will reveal different results depending on exactly what Estate Agents type into the search box.

Click to read more

New website design for Kennedys Estate Agents and valuers in Bridport, Dorset

New website design has been released today. Click to read more

Monday 8 March 2010

Negative feedback in social networking for Estate Agents

Negative feedback is guaranteed to occur in social networking because it is a two way open conversation between the Estate Agent and the buyer/vendor. Instead of running to the hills and shutting down all your social networking activity, agents should see this as a golden opportunity.

[Click to read more]

Simple and effective Estate Agent website tips from the Connect Conference

Troy Stanley, the Resource Techniques correspondent in New York reports on common Estate Agent web site tips from the Real Estate Connect Conference in New York:

[Click to read more from Troy Stanley]

Mar Estate Agent web design - website design norms

Website design, like other industries have common industry standards. Although it is possible to 'buck against the trend' these trends are designed to increase the web's visual impact and usability. In this article on web design, Resource Techniques will be covering the general web design standards for every Estate Agent website.

[Click to read more]

Geeky Gadgets for Estate Agents

Every now and then Estate Agents like to indulge their geeky side, whether it's for the office or at home. Staff members at Resource Techniques, including the web design team, have compiled a list of recent must-have geeky gadgets for Estate Agents.

Airborne Estate Agent

Ever dreamed of becoming a 007 Estate Agent?

[Click to read more]

Tuesday 23 February 2010

Google maps improved for Estate Agents


Estate Agents are watching Google's move into property listings on Google maps like a hawk with a magnifying glass. They know that any major change can have massive implications on the way properties will be viewed online.

The latest development from Australia has got tongues wagging. Google are partnering up with L J hooker, one of Australia's biggest Estate Agencies, to place 16 big Google Map 'Pins' all over Sydney, in an attempt to get people to automatically go to the internet to search for property. It sounds slightly ludicrous but Australia already has a rich culture of 'big things' - including a big pineapple and the first 'big thing', a big banana.

The marketing campaign will also include a few advertisements using the little yellow Street View man you drag onto Google Maps to access and view what areas Street View has available.

To date Google links to over 1,000 Estate Agent websites in Australia including Ray White, First National and Century 21. At this moment in time, there are no mentions of any partnerships with Australia's top two property portals, realestate.com.au and domain.com.au.

So far the team at Google seem unfazed by this. Andrew Foster, product manager for Real Estate search on Google Maps stated that Google is happy to take listings from anyone and that he has seen genuine enthusiasm from the property industry. Andrew Foster then went onto display some new features that Google Maps will have on Google.com.au.

Firstly users will be given the chance to narrow their property search to view the properties that are right for them. Options such as sale/rent, minimum price, maximum price, property type, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, parking and preferred area.

Users can toggle on and off another layer of photos, videos, Wikipedia articles, webcams as well as a live traffic monitor. Once someone has found the property that they are interested in, they are presented with more detailed information with price, address, photos, floorplans, a small Google Map and Google Street view and a link to the Estate Agent's website or a property portal.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques commented on Google Maps in Australia, 'These are exciting developments showing that Google are making a real push to ensure the success of property listings on Google Maps. Unfortunately no comments were made on any developments in the UK.

Air Keyboard - gadget of the week


Estate Agents, do you find that there are too many gadgets are these days? Wouldn't it be nice if you could just combine that pesky mouse, keyboard and remote control into one wireless device?

Well now you can with the Air Keyboard by Cideko. This useful gadget lets anyone control any Windows ('98 onwards) Mac OS X (v10.2 or later) or linux computer by simply just inserting the USB.

The Air Keyboard is small with 142x88x32.9mm and is oddly light. It has a range of 50 meters and works for 50 hours with constant usage with two AA batteries. This isn't that particularly impressive. If an Estate Agent works an 8 hour shift, 6 days a week, they would have to change the batteries every week! This works out as 96 batteries per year, not exactly for the environmentally-minded Estate Agent.

Any Estate Agent that is willing to overlook this will be impressed by its functionality. All they have to do is insert the USB and point the Air Keyboard at the screen and it starts working. They can then use the mouse, keyboard and media simultaneously.

The Air Keyboard is available from around £50.

Troy Stanley comments, 'This would be perfect for those Estate Agents that either moves around their office or for people that love to watch movies on their computer, whilst in bed!'

Web site design for Estate Agents - Colour Theory


Web designers at Resource Techniques explaining some basics on Colour Theory. Colour theory is a diverse and complicated subject, only through studying colour can people know why exactly some colours go together and why some colours look hideous.

Colour Wheel

Firstly let's look at the Colour Wheel. As many Estate Agents will remember from their school days, the colour wheel was original designed by Isaac Newton and has continually been developed and scrutinised.

In colour theory, there are 3 primary colours and 3 possible sets of primary colours. One possibility is Red, Blue, Yellow, another is Red, Blue, Green and the last possible set is Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. Traditionally Cyan, Magenta and Yellow (and Black) are used in printing whereas Red, Blue and Green are used my most electronic devices such as TV and film. Even your computer monitor uses the primary colours of Red, Green and Blue.

If you were to mix one of the three primary colours with another primary colour in the same colour wheel, you would get a secondary colour and then mixing a primary and secondary colour would then create a tertiary colour. Using this system your computer monitor is able to create the whole spectrum of colours.

Colour meanings

Each culture has applied different meanings to various colours. Below are the colours and their meanings or possible emotive response in the western world:

  • Red - Passion, love or anger. Red is used to stand out from the crowd which means that it is great at drawing attention. The Colin Bibra website uses red to draw the user's attention to property search, which is exactly what the web designers and Estate Agents want!
  • Orange - Happiness, Hope, Vitality. Orange is an unusual colour to use in website design but works perfectly in the Robert Williams website animation.
  • Green - Nature and the environment. Green is mean to be peaceful and associated with the world outside. The Penyards website and the Belgarum website uses green fantastically.
  • Blue - Calm, trust and water. Blue is great for creating a calm and professional feel to the website. Dart and Partners and West Coast Properties are a great example of this.
  • Grey - Grey is a neutral colour that is used to highlight or make other colours stand out. Julian Reid website is a fantastic example of this, the green plants and blue logo and property really catch the eye.
  • Purple - Creativity, Royalty and Wealth. Purple is an unusual colour for an Estate Agent website design but the indication of wealth and luxury means that it is perfect for Hirch Way & Ambler website and the Paul Twyneham & Co website.
  • Black - Elegance and sophistication. Black is used well in the Rendells website and the Mayfair website.
  • White - Purity, Cleanliness, virtue. White is a great colour to outline and make other colours standout such as in the Chinneckshaw website and the Anne James website.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments on colour for Estate Agent website design, 'These are only a few of the basics of colour. Our web design team for Estate Agents has a better eye, knowledge and experience than anyone I've met.

Google buzz for Estate Agents - what are the pros and cons?


There is a lot of buzz around Google Buzz. Will it rival the most popular social networks? Or will it simply fade into the background?

Well Google Buzz hasn't got off to a bad start. According to Google themselves, within 3 days Google Buzz users posted more than 9 million posts. This is a staggering amount and works out around 2,667 messages per minute. Ignoring the fact that Google Buzz automatically feeds from other social networking websites, this is an incredible statistic.

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of using Google Buzz? Firstly, since Buzz is integrated into Gmail, it automatically picks out your contacts and adds them. This is perfect for Estate Agents who already use Gmail as their main account, but not ideal for Agents who do not.

Secondly after inputting you login information, Google Buzz will feed you information from Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, Google Reader, Blogger and Google Chat Status. As you can see, most of these are Google owned so Buzz in theory will act as a central hub for all your Google activity with your Google Profile as the front cover.

A third advantage is that Google also recommends feeds that you might be interested in, even from people who you don't know. Users can then decide if it interests them and also toggle how often they want to see these recommendations. In practice Google will then learn what you like and suggest it more often!

The two disadvantages thrown up over the internet are on its privacy and its lack of simplicity. Reports have stated that The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is concerned over the way Google Buzz automatically finds users. This office is the same one that caused Facebook to make privacy and policy changes so don't be surprised if they make changes to Google Buzz.

Overall Google Buzz seems to be aiming at being a central hub of online activity. Other social networks may be added in the future, so watch this space. In a final thought, Estate Agents and social networking users see Facebook as a pub and Twitter as the town hall, how will they see Google Buzz?

Monday 1 February 2010

New website design for Pink Estate Agents in York

New website design, pink-estateagents.com has been released today.

Pink Estate Agents in York specialises in the first time buyer marketplace and investor markets for property in and around York and is a specialist department of Hudson Moody. Offering a more individual service for first time buyers and sellers, they sell property up to the value of £150,000.

Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques, remarked that website's 'pink' brand has been integrated into the design to make a strikingly beautiful website.

Friday 29 January 2010

Website design for Hudson Moody Estate Agents in York and Leeds

New website design, hudson-moody.com has been released today for Hudson Moody Estate Agents in York and Leeds.

Hudson Moody was founded by Ben Hudson and Peter Moody, both chartered surveyors and fellows of the NAEA. They pride themselves on providing a professional and approachable service to buyers and sellers alike.

Hudson Moody is an award winning independent firm of Estate Agents in York and Leeds, specialising in residential property for sale and rent in York & Leeds.

This fantastic new website has a whole host of new properties that are available to buy and rent and around the York and Leeds area. Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques, was quoted, 'The large imagery and colour scheme go together perfectly.'

New website design for Halls Estate Agents in Ottery St Mary, Devon

New website design, hallsestateagents.com has been unveiled today.

Halls Estate Agents (est.1997) in Ottery St Mary, Devon is an independent family business run by Nick Hall. They offer property searchers a range of properties for sale and to let in Ottery St Mary and the surrounding areas.

Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques, regards Halls estate agent website design to be one of best, having clear colour scheme and branding throughout.

New website design for Edwards Estate Agent in Ferndown, Bournemouth

New website design, Edwardestates.co.uk has been released today.

Edwards Estate Agents was created through a desire to offer the highest level of customer service and proactive marketing to the estate agency business. Their individual approach and first class service, combined with our extensive property experience and knowledge of the area, will ensure that their clients receive the service they deserve.

Grant Brooks (Director of Edward Estates) stated in his testimonial 'how impressed I am with the final result and also the service. The feedback that we have received has been excellent.'

This new website design has a whole range of new properties in the Ferndown area. Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques stated, 'This website design is a personal favourite of mine!'

Estate agent website design - top 12 articles

Estate Agent website design can be discussed in many different ways. We at Resource Techniques have decided to create our top 12 articles that talk about website design. It gives Estate Agents a chance to view web design from a professional perspective without all the jargon surrounding it:

1. Website design for Estate Agents and SEO
2. This will make you change the way you think about website design
3. A well designed website is a weapon of mass consumption
4. What's the design behind the design?
5. Content is King and usability is queen
6. Website design maintenance; Cobwebs for Estate Agents
7. Building your shop window to the world
8. Estate Agents 5 fundamental questions when building a website
9. Top 5 ways Estate Agents need to design their website
10. Are you proud of your website design?
11. A picture paints a thousand words
12. Estate Agents considering a new website design must tread carefully

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Why not try reading 'This will make you change the way you think about website design' or '5 fundamental questions when building a website'?

New website design for Red House Estate Agents in Portland

New website design, redhouseproperty.co.uk has been released today.

Red House Estate Agents in Portland offer property for sale and let in and around Portland, including property in Weymouth, Chickerell and Wyke Regis as well as property management for existing property portfolios. Red House Lettings Agents ensure that landlords in the Portland and Weymouth area are well catered for with an experienced property management and lettings team dealing with setting up new tenancies and ongoing management.

Red House Holidays also offer holiday lettings in Portland, Weymouth and along the Dorset Coast, dealing with holiday cottages and apartments across South Dorset.

Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques, loves the lighthouse and moving sky animation within the website design.

New website design for Richard Copus Estates in Devon

New website design, richardcopusestates.co.uk has been released today.

Richard Copus Estates is the only estate agency in Devon dealing exclusively with older properties and barn conversions in Devon.

Over 75% of the properties are listed buildings, ranging from terraced townhouses, thatched country cottages and converted barns with or without land. Since all the homes are period properties or barns, there is no need to wade through hundreds of unsuitable houses to find your dream home.

This new website design has listed properties that are available to buy in the county of Devon. Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques, considers richardcopusestates.co.uk to be one of the best designs in the Resource Techniques portfolio.

New website design for D W Smith and Co Estate Agents in Bristol

New website design, youridealhome.co.uk has been released today.

D W Smith & Co Estate Agents in Bristol is an established local and friendly company with an excellent reputation for valuing, selling and letting properties in and around Bristol and are members of team - the network of estate agents.

David Smith (Proprietor) stated in his testimonial that he was very pleased with the website design and found the whole transaction very smooth.

Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques is elated with David Smith's response and is certain that positive customer feedback will affirm this.

Monday 25 January 2010

Bing maps - Estate Agents can create their own destination map

How many times have you drawn out a map to show someone a destination? You end up scribbling out an unsophisticated route with a few landmarks to help them along the way - similar to the image in this article.

[Click to Read More]

Tuesday 19 January 2010

Smart phones for Estate Agents - which is the best?


Smart phones are a must have for Estate Agents, allowing them to constantly be connected via email, social networking and various applications. It has become such a versatile gadget that many forget its main function - the mobile phone.

[Click to read more]

Monday 18 January 2010

What's the design behind the design?


Estate Agent website design has a hidden fundamental design behind the main website design. This design is purely concerned on the process of which a buyer or seller will go through once they have accessed the website. This process is different to a normal website as there are no 'shopping carts' for users to place a property in and then pay for one or even multiple houses at the end of their website visit.

The start of the property search process is on the Estate Agent homepage. From there users are given a choice using primary and secondary navigation. 98% of people accessing an Estate Agent's website go straight to property search, which means that the position of a property search button is vital to ensure that it is prominent on the homepage.

Once on the property search page, users will be expecting a clear and user-friendly search function to allow them to search for the properties that they are interested in. Search results on enhanced Google Mapping even the most technological savvy user.

Each property must then have the necessary features to either allow the user to fully experience what the property has to offer or users can save the property as a favourite for future reference. Features such as high resolution photographs, EPCs, Floorplans, Google Maps, Google Street view, full description, and property particulars in a pdf format let users fully experience property online.

The last part of the process is to have clear contact details on each individual property page. Clear contact details ensure that customers can contact the Estate Agent at any point.

Designing Estate Agent websites so that they smoothen out the process of the property searcher not only reduces the frustration internet users experience but also increases the chance of buyers, and sellers, contacting the Estate Agent. A modern website design will reflect this to benefit the Estate Agent and the customer.

Estate Agent social networking - 8 top tips


Estate agents know that social networking has become an important part of communicating with buyers and sellers online, but many do not realise that having a presence isn't enough. Many Estate Agents ask 'What can I do to stand out from the crowd?' Therefore Resource Techniques has constructed 8 top tips of social networking development to help Estate Agents turn Facebook 'Friends' into Facebook 'Fanatics'.
  • Set up your profile - Make it clear and concise so that property searchers instantly recognise the brand.
  • Get to know your surroundings - Do your research! See what other people around your area are talking about.
  • Respond to all communication - Ideally with positive feedback, quickly responding to messages shows dedication and reliability.
  • Connect with people - Social networking is all about making connections. Find out what interests people and find common ground.
  • Quantify your social networking - Quantifying your social networking shows what progress you have made. One example is bit.ly that not only changes long links into smaller ones but it also counts the number of people that click on that link.
  • Join in the conversation - Do you know a piece of information that would help someone else? Help them.
  • Humanise the brand - let buyers and sellers see the face behind the brand. It is a nice face, let them see it!
  • Do your best to build a community - Sharing information, links and local news will attract others to join. The more the merrier!

Only after actively seeking interaction and integration into the social networking world, can Estate Agents truly use social networking to help people find their dream property. Simply setting up a social networking profile and waiting for customers to come to you is no longer good enough.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Action negates failure in the realm of social networking. Only through action, and more importantly interaction, can Estate Agents guarantee the success of their social networking activities.'

Estate Agent website design - A picture paints a thousand words


In the website design for estate agents world, image is everything. As mentioned before, Estate Agents only have 3 seconds to impress someone visiting their website. Within that time a verdict will be drawn on your website, purely on its design. That verdict can influence the visitor to delve deep into your property portfolio or it can easily make the visitor press that dreaded 'Back' button. Why take that chance? Ensuring that your website has that WOW factor can be the difference between a buyer or a seller considering your business.

One of the best ways to welcome a user to a website is with a large image or stunning animation positioned in the homepage design. The image or animation must then give the visitor an indication of brand image whilst also giving that WOW factor that many Estate Agent websites miss.

Using this technique, visitors are welcomed by a large stunning image, visually impressed and then naturally guided to a prominent property search button. This stimulates the user to follow a process, starting at the homepage, moving to property search, various desirable properties and then to contact the agent for a viewing.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments on visual imagery with Estate Agent website design, 'Users are becoming increasingly impatient with the website designs. Property searchers now decide on Estate Agent's portfolio, integrity, and professionalism purely on website design. Getting this wrong WILL be costly for Estate Agents.'

Does your website design still give you, and your customers, the WOW factor that it deserves? If not, contact Resource Techniques or call us on 0208 457 4777.

Friday 8 January 2010

Cob-webs for estate agents

Estate Agent websites cannot be left to its own devices. It needs care and attention that only a specialist can take care of.

Do you feel that your website design is getting a bit old? Fill in our free web review form. The web review covers various aspects, such as web design, so that Estate Agents can improve their website for the New Year.

So what can Estate Agents do themselves to make sure that your website is kept up to date and free of cob-webs?

  • Write a blog/News feature - Not only does this help your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) by showing search engines that you have fresh content, but it will also generate interest from buyers and sellers. Local and national market related news shows that you not only have your finger on the pulse but you are also an expert in your field.
  • Rotate your featured properties
  • Communicate with every customer - even if it is just an email saying 'I'll be in contact within 24 hours' shows that you can be directly contactable from your Estate Agent website. The quicker customers are contacted the more impressed they'll be.
  • Acknowledge any criticisms - The old adage, keep your friends close but your enemies closer, can help Estate Agents see their website in a different light. Any number of complaints about your website can shed new light on something you look at on a daily basis. Remember that not everyone is right though!
  • Use social networks - An increasing number of people in the UK are using Facebook. Estate Agents can use this to their advantage by showing that their business has a face and is not just a brand.

Wednesday 6 January 2010

Resource Techniques announce release our first international Estate Agent website for investabroadproperties.com

Resource Techniques are delighted to announce the unveiling of a new international property website: www.investabroadproperties.com.

Investabroad Properties is an established international property sales company which markets selected real estate throughout the world.

Their portfolio has properties for investment, holidays, relocation and fractional ownership, plus property funds and forestry and various alternative investments, extending to USA, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, most of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Far East and Australasia.

Peter Veitch - Managing Director of investabroadproperties.com comments:

"Many thanks for that and for all that you and the team have done to get us "up and running"! As you already know, I am very pleased with the result.

I will go through everything on the site once more and also absorb all the valuable information in your email and the attachments. I look forward to speaking to you again in due course.

Meanwhile, I wish you, Troy and all at RT the best for 2010."

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques, is thrilled at the latest extension to the Resource Techniques portfolio. Commenting, 'The stunning new website has a whole host of new properties that are available around the world, and in particular, the various homepage images are strikingly beautiful!'

Estate Agents - A New Year for some brand new gear.

Before the Christmas Break, Resource Techniques told Estate Agents that it's time to reflect on your achievements. Hopefully Estate Agents did give themselves a good pat on the back and an overindulging rest over the festive season.

Now it's a new year and many have a positive outlook for 2010. Many see it as a year of recovery and a time to rebuild on what has been destroyed on the market crash. This is well and good but Resource Techniques sees 2010 in a different light.

So how does the team at Resource Techniques foresee for 2010?

If one thing from cinema has taught us is that by now we should be driving flying cars, have contacted aliens from outer space and we will have enslaved a whole army of robots to do our most monotonous chores. Now we are here we can see that this is certainly untrue.

2010 will still be a year of technology. Below is a list of technology that Estate Agents should be looking out for:

  • Apple tablet - Latest reports suggest that Apple's own tablet will be revealed at the end of this month and shipped around March time. With a reported price of $1000, it won't be cheap!
  • iPhone 4th generation - After being released in June of 2007, Apple have made a habit of introducing a new version of phone every year around the same time. Industry experts have suggested that this year will be no different.
  • 4G - Mobile phones have seen a rise in connectivity speeds. 4G is the 4th generation of 'wireless telephone technology' and promises a maximum of 100mbps which is around ten times quicker than the current 3G. This technology has already been available for public use in Scandinavia last month. Time will only tell when the UK will receive such a luxury.
  • Project natal - A secret project by Microsoft that has been not so secret (first announced 1st June 2009). The project is expected to be another 'next generation' of home entertainment technology because users do not need to touch a game controller. Instead Estate Agents will have to use hand gestures, speech, or presented objects and images in front of a sensor that is placed below or above the TV screen.

Tuesday 5 January 2010

Estate agents, is your online brand image fading fast?

Web sites are regularly compared to houses, which is perfect when you're a web designer specialising in websites for estate agents! Now imagine you are trying to sell a house that hasn't been lived in or touched for 50 years. The disrepair, vines and cobwebs will be instantly recognisable and could easily put off anyone considering living in it. Sadly the exact same process can happen to your website but within a shorter space of time.

Try not to cry too much. Your neighbourhood friendly website designer is here to help. So how do estate agents keep their online brand image fresh?

Although websites do not grow vines or cobwebs, there are clear indications that clearly show that the website has been left to decay in the World Wide Web. Below are the top 5 ways Estate Agents can easily keep their online brand image fresh without breaking a sweat.

  • Examine your keywords - Look back at previous search terms on Google Analytics to show you the various terms property searchers use to access your Estate Agent website. Re-evaluating your keywords maximises traffic from changing attitudes.
  • Replace old text - Search engines love new content. Checking your website's text and changing it will spark search engine interest and cause them to scan your website more often.
  • Role-play - pretend that you are a first time buyer or an elderly couple looking for a house to either buy or rent in your area. Testing your own website design in this way enables you to visualise the process that your buyers go through.
  • Fix broken links - Usability is only noticeable when something goes wrong, but not when everything works as it should. Make sure you pass on any broken links to your web designer.
  • Change the main image - Seasonal images only work if the image fits the current season so a Christmas image will only work at Christmas. A new image can give a breath of fresh air to your website.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Website designs need to be kept fresh and up-to-date and a little spring cleaning will make your website look as good as new. Contact your web design team and I'm sure that they will be more than happy to help.'