Whether the market is up or down, a good real estate web site design is necessary to attract potential customers. Many people begin their search for a new home on the web and a clean site design could make the difference between whether they view your houses or your competitor's.

This doesn't mean you have to start designing a real estate website on your own. To achieve a professional look, many companies choose to hire a real estate website developer that understands their needs and desires.

When interviewing a potential real estate web design firm, be sure to ask:

1. What is the expected turnaround time for my site? If you choose a popular real estate web design service, you could be waiting months for the finished site.

2. How will my site be different from the other sites out there? All real estate companies face similar needs. You want to make sure that a designer handles your real estate website design in a unique way.

3. What happens if I'm not satisfied? Inevitably, you will want to make at least a few changes to the first design. Make sure you understand how many revisions the designer provides.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose only web designers for real estate industry clients

Some web designers specialize in site designs for a particular industry. This makes things easier for you because your designer will go into your meeting with a good idea of your needs.

I recommend: Nail Soup Media offers real estate website design and guarantees performance. The Southern Web Group also specializes in real estate web sites.

Cut costs by having real estate website designers bid on your project

You don't have to pay thousands of dollars on a quality design, especially if your needs are fairly straightforward. Post your project on a bidding site and have designers submit their bids to you. You have the freedom to choose the designer that has a great portfolio, yet fits within your budget.

I recommend: RentACoder and Guru.com are both popular sites to find freelance web designers. Experience levels can vary, so make sure that you consider more than just the lowest offer.

Consider other Internet solutions for the real estate industry

The real estate industry is highly competitive and there's no guarantee that potential clients will find you in the search engines. If your website isn't bringing you the type of business you had hoped for, consider hiring a search engine optimization consultant. These professionals specialize in getting businesses the top placement in the search engines, making it easier for people to find them.

I recommend: Talk to The Happy Guy, who specializes in all areas of search engine optimization and can even help you market in different languages. You can get a free website analysis at Website Breakthrough to see where you are going wrong.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure you understand who is responsible for updates to the site. Some companies can do this on their own once they have the website framework, but many web designers for real estate industry clients also provide this service.