New Responsive Broker Websites

Help-U-Sell Real Estate New Broker Site
Help-U-Sell Real Estate’s new broker websites adapt to any device.

These days, many people’s phones double as their computers. In fact, half of surveyed home buyers used a mobile or tablet website or app to search for houses in 2015, according to a National Association of Realtors study. As mobile devices continue to overtake the sale and usage of desktop computers and as younger generations become homeowners, this percentage will only grow.

Recognizing the need for mobile-friendly websites, Help-U-Sell Real Estate has created responsive sites for its brokers. The new sites’ features can make searching for houses easier.

    * Brokers’ pre-determined customized search results, such as “Waterfront Properties” or “Homes in [specified zip code]”
    * Filters that enable users to narrow down listings by square footage, school district, subdivision, and many other factors
    * Refining of property search with a draw tool that allows users to look at listings in a discrete area

The new design is also more user-friendly in other ways, including streamlined content with more video and less text, and a new automated free home valuation tool that enables users to get instant reports on the estimated values of specified houses.

The sites are being rolled out on an individual basis. Franchisees can customize the site to fit their markets and preferences. Two examples of the new site design are Help-U-Sell Columbia Basin and Help-U-Sell Advance Realty. Franchisees can change the background image and choose what content to display on the homepage, as well as create new or alter existing landing pages.

If you are a franchisee who wants to make the switch to the new template, contact us so that we can start the process.

New Website Widgets

Based on franchisees’ requests, we have created two new widgets that can be placed on any webpage, either on the Help-U-Sell Real Estate broker website or on a third-party site.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Testimonials Widget
We've created two new widgets, including a testimonials widget, that can be placed on any webpage.

The testimonials widget displays the reviews that have been entered in the Office Management System. The widget can be vertical or horizontal, and its size can be adjusted as needed. Brokers can enter text or video testimonials into OMS.

The seller savings calculator widget enables a homeowner to enter his house’s value and find out approximately how much he could save by listing with the broker’s office in comparison to a traditional, percentage-based brokerage.

Both widgets would work well on landing pages that have contact forms, enabling brokers to generate leads.

The widgets will be ready to use next week. If you are a Help-U-Sell Real Estate broker and want help creating a widget or a landing page with one of these widgets, contact us at support.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Unveils New Responsive Website

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Website
Help-U-Sell Real Estate's new corporate website adjusts according to the device being used.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate’s corporate website has a new look and feel, and new functionality. The site is responsive, meaning it adjusts itself depending on the device being used. The main impetus for the changeover is the shift in how people are accessing the Internet. As laptop and desktop computer sales continue to decrease, and mobile devices’ popularity is on the rise, it is imperative that websites adjust. In addition, Google has just begun boosting the ranking of mobile-friendly pages on mobile search results.

One of the ways the site is more mobile-friendly is its streamlined menu, which is now easily accessed with the tap of a finger.

Because many people’s preferred way to receive information is now visual, videos appear on the homepage to explain the benefits of choosing Help-U-Sell Real Estate to sell or buy property. The homepage features four videos that focus on different client types or needs.

The site uses technology to determine a user’s location and help him or her find the nearest franchise office. The background image on the homepage also changes based on the user’s location. The image of the homepage (above) depicts a skyline in Florida, where the company’s headquarters are located.

The other major upgrade is the search functionality. Users can now search for properties in a specific neighborhood, on a particular street, or near a place. Once they are redirected to a local Help-U-Sell Real Estate office’s search results page, users can further home in on where they want to live by drawing a border on the map or by selecting criteria such as certain schools, subdivisions, and neighborhood amenities (like on a golf course).

The local office websites will be converted to the responsive design later this year.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Updates High-End Home Marketing Program

Platinum Edge Properties Sign
Help-U-Sell Real Estate's marketing program for luxury homes has been revamped.

At Help-U-Sell Real Estate, we can save sellers the most money when they’re selling $1 million (and up) homes. Several of our offices regularly handle these high-end transactions, helping clients keep tens of thousands of dollars they would have paid an agent who charges a standard commission. But some of these more upscale sellers would prefer to display signage that has a more elegant look and feel than the Help-U-Sell Real Estate red and black.

Our revamped marketing program, Platinum Edge Properties, fulfills these sellers’ wishes, but almost everything else is the same as the Help-U-Sell business model. Most importantly, sellers still receive full service from licensed real estate professionals and save money.

Platinum Edge Properties marketing materials include yard signage (pictured above), business cards, an informational brochure, a property flyer, and an advertisement.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate offices have begun to use the new signage already. Signs can be ordered through both of our preferred sign vendors, Oakley Signs & Graphics and Realty Sign Xpress. Business cards are available from Alexander’s Print Advantage, and brochures will be up in the next few weeks. Design files can be accessed using the Download Library in the Office Management System if brokers would prefer to print materials using local vendors.

More details about the program, such as the criteria a property must meet to use the Platinum Edge Properties program, will be revealed soon.

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New Widget to Display Key Performance Indicators

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Key Performance Indicator Widget
The new widget displays an office's sold and saved information and key performance indicators.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate brokers can show off their offices’ achievements, including how much they saved their seller clients, with a new widget. The widget displays as a table and can also contain data on other key performance indicators, such as total number of listings sold, days on market, and percentage of listings sold by MLS agents and sold in-house.

The widget will show the closing date, address, sale prices, days on market, and seller savings for each property an office sold. The data are pulled from the reported transactions in the Office Management System dating back to 2009. Offices can manually enter transactions that took place prior to that year. All data fields are optional, so offices can select to display the ones that most effectively reflect the offices’ success and abilities.

Because it is a widget, it automatically updates and it can be placed on any web page that an office can access from the back-end. So, a broker can embed the code on his blog, a third-party website, or on any page on his Help-U-Sell site.

Sold and Saved Widget in the Help-U-Sell Real Estate OMS
Brokers can customize the sold and saved widget in Help-U-Sell Real Estate's Office Management System.

Brokers can access the new widget in OMS by clicking Website Widgets on the “Setup” tab. On the Website Widgets page, select Sold and Save Widget from the drop-down menu. All customization, from resizing to choosing what is displayed, happens here. Once everything is set up the way you want it, copy the code in the box and place it on the page where you want the widget to appear.

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