Lead producing real estate websites for offices and agents

[Chris Spurlock]

Hi, I'm doing a little "fact finding". I am helping my company start a division providing traffic and lead producing office websites to brokers, for their agents. For the brokers out there, do any of you cover the cost of your agents websites or leads? Do you charge a desk fee or are there any costs associated working for your company? For the agents, same question in reverse. Does your company provide a website or any marketing or leads? Do they charge you a desk fee? Our websites generate traffic and leads. In the markets we have tested them in they have been a good employee retention tool. Once the site is generating leads the agent is less likely to want to leave the company. As long as the leads are consistant and decent quality. Also once the website is producing leads, if the broker or manager does have to hire someone new they are able to provide that new agent with a website that is already producing leads from their first day. I guess my next question would be what website companies are people using that they like? Sites that are producing traffic and leads. I know Real Geeks is pretty good, I have heard mixed reviews about Boomtown. I know they at least "were" really good. It seems like every company doing real estate websites says they do SEO. From what I have seen, there only a small handful that really do it in a way that still works. I talk to 1000's of agent and brokers each month and there are still a lot of them out there that do not know the difference between an integrated IDX and a 3rd party or framed IDX. I've taken a real estate and mortgage license course in Ca so I know it's not something you get trained on there. But I have never worked for a real estate company. Would most of you out there agree that integrated vs framed/3rd party IDX differences are common knowledge among your piers in real estate or no? I appreciate any answers, questions or feedback. I know forums one of the best places to get really good ideas in any industry. This is my first post.