Since single property websites became a powerful (somewhat) mainstream marketing tool for real estate, forward thinking agents all over the country have starting building them for every single one of the listings they market. But so far, the choices we have at our disposal, leave me (and others) wanting more:

1. Postlets – This site gets most everything right, especially with their new Postlets Pro option. Positives: Huge photos in a Flash Slideshow, Modern (Enough) Look, Embedded Google Maps and Virtual tours, Walkscore and School Info incorporated, Google Analytics, Affordable Pricing, Automatic Submission to portals etc etc. Negatives: Zero Customization Options (= everyone’s sites look the same), Zero SEO Benefits, 30 day expirations.

2. VFlyer – Similar to Postlets, but with monthly subscription cost structure starting at $12.95 up to $79.95/mo. Same SEO deficiencies related to site being hosted on service provider’s server and domain being pointed to it.

3. MyMarketWare – This product is more robust that the first two and fills many of their deficiencies, but it’s also more expensive at $39/site and in my opinion, a bit more time consuming to put together.

Idea

Design a set of WordPress Themes (about 5 total with 3 color options each) specifically for single property websites. They need to have the following features:

1. Photo Slideshow with Large Main Photo (750px+) and filmstrip below it,  featured in front page.
2. Modern Look.
3. Google Maps, Walkscore, Education.com incorporation (APIs available for all)
4. Theme Options Page on backend that allow agent to upload photos, paste copy and put the site together in no more than an hour.
5. Price Structure: $80 for theme set, unlimited sites.

Show you the money

Math is my favorite subject. There’s 1.1 Million Realtors in the United States. Let’s say only 1% of them would be interested in single property websites, or 11,000. Then, lets say you get 30% of them to purchase your set or 3,300. At $80/pop, that’s a quarter million dollars. Even if I’m half wrong, that’s still six figures. Would you design 5 themes for six figures?

Why am I asking?

Single Property Websites in and of themselves do little to sell the actual property since it takes more time for the new domain to rank on Google (and therefore, attract traffic) than it takes for a home to sell. Sure, you can pull traffic with sign riders, social media promotion, Craigslist etc. But in the end, the site impresses the Seller and that’s why most agents put them together.

But I’m looking past the sale.

Most Realtors work (or “farm”) a specific area of town that they specialize in. Suppose that an agent averages about 12 new listings in that area every year, and for each one of those properties she builds a dedicated site on 123StreetName.com, WordPress based, All In One SEO juiced, hypelocally optimized for local keywords etc etc. In that five year period, that agent would amass a total of 60 sites that would keep working for the agent in perpetuity, generating business on autopilot. I can do this now on WordPress, but the amount of time that is required to customize a theme that wasn’t meant for this purpose makes it severely inefficient.

So. Any takers?

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Also, I would love to hear from our readers and contributors, what other features might be interesting to have in this set?

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.