All the sites have the same general features allowing for you to create 123anywhere.com – adding photo tours, lengthy descriptions, branding information, links to more information and syndication capabilities to sites like Trulia, PropSmart, Google Base, Yahoo!. Agents can attract prospective buyers to the site with sign riders and by adding the URL to all their advertising. With prices ranging anywhere from $9.95 to $50 it’s a small investment in your overall marketing strategy.

Prudential Connecticut Realty has their own exclusive Home Suite technology allowing for agents to establish these same custom websites dedicated to their listings. Web browsers can easily navigate several pages of useful information targeted towards the specific property, including features like video, aerial photography, community profiles, custom descriptions, and links to additional information. Prudential Connecticut agents have taken advantage of this free tool and are not only creating a distinct web presence for their properties but some are enjoying the SEO benefits of linking back to their personal sites. Click here to view a Home Suite example.

Living in a web 2.0 world, consumers are demanding fresher and more descriptive information about homes for sale. While I do agree with Joel that agents should make their first priority getting their listings on their own site, I think single-property sites are exceptional ways to not only ‘seal the deal’ by wowing your sellers but are also a great marketing tool that allow you to center your marketing strategy around an easy to remember URL.

But as large brokerages like Prudential, Coldwell Banker, Century 21, ERA and others sign on to feed to Zillow, Trulia and the other major players in online real estate search, smaller boutiques and individual agents are already ahead of the game and have syndicated their listings to all these sites using vehicles like Postlets, vFlyer (which just got upgraded), etc. So, as the playing field is “virtually” being leveled in regards to online exposure, agents and brokers must respond in offering an “added value” by beefing up their online media strategies and begin paying for featured ads to stay that one step above their competition.

It feels like only yesterday when the only outlet you could use in your online arsenal was a showcase listing or featured home on Realtor.com, then came their banner ads and eventually the web 2.0 players who broke the mold and answered to consumer’s demands of offering more valuable information on command are getting into the ring and offering up their own version of featured ads. Case in point, both Trulia.com and Zillow have recently launched similar featured ad placement programs as additional channels for agents to promote their listings. Zillow’s Showcase Ads are a great tool to use in the promotion of your listings while also incorporating your own personal branding — especially when according to the company, “Listed homes on Zillow get 240 times more page views than non-listed homes.”

As the market continues to dwindle, so will the number of real estate practitioners. This will not make waging the war against your competition any easier because what was once out of reach is becoming easily accessible to any broker or agent that’s got enough savvy to find it. Remaining innovative and not getting left behind are pivotal to an agent’s continued success. By consistently utilizing these new tools, you will ultimately continue to differentiate yourself from the rest of the herd.