Real Estate Content Management System

[TechDude]

Anyone know of or have any eperience with a Real Estate Content Management system that is compatible with HostGators resold accounts? I have a couple of agents that are seeking alternatives to their current providers, but I know enough to know that it's not simply a matter of moving web pages over - I will also need some sort of program to manage the new listings, etc.

Thanks in advance.

~Rich

[slapshotw]

I've had good experiences with open-realty:

http://www.open-realty.org/

[GatorWesley]

Originally Posted by slapshotw

I've had good experiences with open-realty:

http://www.open-realty.org/

Open-Realty is also available pre-installed in our cpanel via Fantastico

[slapshotw]

Originally Posted by GatorWesley

Open-Realty is also available pre-installed in our cpanel via Fantastico

Don't encourage that Wes, you should be setting good examples around here...

[smp]

Originally Posted by slapshotw

Don't encourage that Wes, you should be setting good examples around here...

Unless he meant purely for testing purposes...

Regards, Steve Xx

[gdwoods]

HotProperty is a great component if you're using Joomla CMS...

[othellobloke]

Here is a very sweet site that uses wordpress and a few other plugins for a real estate listing site: http://www.gammonrealtygroup.com/category/listings/

I love that site. Here's the wordpress page about it:
http://wordpress.org/support/topic/91330

I've done it myself and it works splendidly if you're willing to put a few minutes into the customisation.

[kmaw]

I had good luck with Open Realty in the past. I didn't use it for my last realty site and I can't recall why... I used EZ Realty on Joomla instead... http://www.raptorservices.com.au/content/view/89/102/

[tempestivo]

I'll second that one for EZ Realty - just installed it for a client that was bid at 5,000 by someone who wanted to build a system for them, and they are thrilled with it. Good support too!

[atlan]

Custom built, only way to go. Have done them in both ASP and PHP

[Mooska]

I have decided that Real Estate websites are not worth the hassle for one: they complain too much, two, they complain if you don't dot your I and three they still complain cuz the listing wasn't instant compared to them MLS (multiple listing)

I am curious on learning the system created by the MLS they now have databases that the realtors go online themselves to put up their listings and these listings are then displayed off this database, it is my understanding its per town they each have their own MLS system that all realtors use. I finally gave up my hubby's estate site to a designer more familiar with the MSL works and they now have the site hooked up to MLS directly meaning when they put in their new listing at ML it automatically shows up on their domain website. Truthfully if you wanna market and score big with realtors and real estate (being a wife of a realtor and inlaws that are all realtors) learning about how to hook up their domain site to the local ML is the money market... Using old fashion web sites they list their sites TWICE (once for ML and once on their personal site) is something most realtors do not want to do, they are getting smart and seminars are being put out to educate the realtors about the ML system they can hire a designer to hook up directly, but beware!! Warn your clients that the ML charges a hefty fee to hook up to their database, but so far most real estate companies find it worthwhile and many are doing it. I must say for all the headaches I went through Im glad they finally hooked up directly with MLS, now I can focus on clients that actually enjoy my work LOL

[virtualgeorge]

I think realtor sites are worth it. While you do have a lot of boneheads to deal with, I just charge them more if I have to spend a lot of time with them.

Where I live there are tons of realtors. A lot of them don't last long and there are always 1000's of new agents getting their license and needing a website every month.

A lot of them just seem to love the idea of having a website like where they can login and upload their own listings. Then they realize it is pain doing it twice and just have me handle the imports to their site.

I have been using open-realty for many years and have also used it for rentals or selling other products.

I will go checkout ez realty as well.

Here you can get access to the mls database and it is free as long as your client is a designated broker. Still I couldn't figure out how to import the listings.

So I use a local company that charges about $18 per month to setup a service that imports all your listings into your personal site from the mls. Its well worth it if you have a lot of listings.

All the mls systems are different but they are upgrading the one here in AZ I think next month so hopefully it will be easier to use and import info.

[Mooska]

Hi Virtual,
The reason I said I wasn't sure exactly how the Original MLS works is because I am in Montana so our MLS covers my main city plus rural area but I know if your in another city in Montana they have a totally different MLS system they access and have for database, its not state wide nor is it national wide. Real Estate is changing over to the Internet because its easier and Cheaper, they are trying to avoid printing up MLS books, let's face it, when a House has an offer "pending" its expensive to print out books weekly to put out the listing updates so as you can see this is not a state national thing I am referring to regards to MLS however I do know they are tying it all together to work nationally.

The database system is the system "root" of it all the designers that create the original MLS that the realtors use even in Arizona, charge fees to give you access to restricted areas of the database - honestly I do not know how it works but I know ours is built off using PHP and SQL others might use ASP or something other I am sure it varies. Our office had to pay I think $450 fee to get permission (access) to the MLS database directly the one they input directly for our local area. The designer just put together the PHP scripting to call on the database and its all automatic, even the realtors get their own web pages and seperate pages with their listings on it, a few do think they get it better by having their own domain but its getting limited your right most of them are NEWBIES that do not realize that a good busy realtor does not have time to put up listing twice on a site.

I also did a counter test on every page to determine where people visit the most, they avoided the realtor pages specifically when we had just the mls search listing got the most hits so basically, people are coming to real estate sites just to do searches not so much see every realtors individual listing (just think how time consuming that is....)

I do know that clients do get very picky (buyers and sellers) when their homes are NOT listed on the site we have found that 90% of the hits were the clients themselves viewing the listing pages directly.

Connecting to your local MLS is threatening to the web designers because its all Automatic you literally DO NOTHING it just does its job so to say "cron job" deal - but its very productive for the realtors because they are busy at least the top guys are, and the clients are happier they do not have to wait more than a few hours to see their home listed or updated on the web site.

Again while it puts down the high demand of us designers producing them personal sites a few will still do it, but at the same time I think the goal isnt to cut us out of a job lol, but to try and make MLS more productive for the realtors, clients, buyers, sellers, and even mortgage companies so you now can search for houses cross states without having to contact estate companies via phone (this is getting really popular!)

Personal business sites work best for developers or home builders I do recommend that if they have commercial or do development commercial or residential get a site, because for my inlaws and hubby it has really brought us good business having a site per subdivisioin, so at least that part of real estate will always keep us in the business of designing for them.

[mrobitts]

Have tried all the rest. Realty Manager from http://interactivetools.com