The Standard Consumer MLS Website Service Includes:
- A customized home page with high consumer appeal
- Map-based property searches with detailed listing information
- Detailed listing views with photo viewer, interactive map, driving directions and side-by-side comparisons to sold properties
- A Value Your Home feature to compare a subject property with recently sold listings
- Favorites (shopping cart) functionality for saving and retrieving property lists
- Find an agent search
- Search engine optimization (SEO), lead generation and reporting
- A content management system and a members-only area for MLS use
Custom Home Page
The home page can be customized exactly to your specifications and can contain quick links to common search types, an address/ML number search, a map for initiating a search in a specific area, banner advertising, local real estate news and links to internal or external addresses. Most other sections of the website, including the header, background colors, and button styles are also customizable and can be designed to promote the value of working with a realtor. MarketLinx’s Consumer MLS Websites package is not a template-based solution.
Property Search & Display
- The site’s map search is powered by Microsoft Virtual Earth™ and enables a full range of advanced mapping functions such as 2D, 3D, road, aerial, hybrid and bird’s eye (oblique) views.
- Users can define a search by entering a variety of criteria and other preferences such as pool, waterfront and foreclosure. The available fields and options are selected by the MLS and can be different for each property type.
- Summary statistics for the selected area are displayed.
- Individual search results are displayed beside the map view to provide an easy-to-understand visual representation of the results.
- Users can immediately change their criteria to refine the search.
- Alternatively, users can search and view results using a more traditional list format that provides a larger view of the selected property’s photos and details.
Detailed Property Record
- The detailed property view is divided into multiple sections
- The summary section provides a quick view of the property’s critical information and easy access to the property photos and other media
- Different properties photos can be viewed by clicking on their thumbnail image, and there is no limitation on the number of photos that can be displayed
- When emailing a friend from this page, users have the option to attach their favorite properties to the message as a list of links
- The details section provides a list of all the available property data fields; different property types will display a different set of fields, as chosen by the MLS
- The interactive map identifies the property location and provides access to the same range of Microsoft Virtual Earth controls (2D, 3D, road, aerial, hybrid and bird’s eye views)
- The market analysis section automatically displays a list of similar properties that were recently sold
- Comparable properties are automatically identified using criteria predetermined by you
- As an option, the Realist Value Map can be integrated to provide advanced AVM functionality (for an additional fee)
- The driving directions section provides turn-by-turn instructions for navigating to the property from a user-specified starting address
- The "Contact An Agent" form lets users quickly send an email to the listing agent to get more property information or other assistance; users also have the option to attach their favorite properties to the message as a list of links
Side-by-Side Property Comparison
Users can select multiple properties for side-by-side comparison in a grid format.
Favorites
The favorites feature lets users save any number of properties for quick retrieval and viewing at a later time. Registration is only required if the user wants to retrieve his or her favorites from another computer.
Value Your Home
The value your home feature allows users to describe the location and basic characteristics of their home to receive a ballpark appraisal. Comparable sold properties are automatically identified using predetermined criteria.
Find an Agent
The "Find an Agent" feature lets users search for a suitable realtor using a variety of MLS-defined criteria such as last name, first name, city, ZIP code, designations and languages. Results are displayed in list and map format with each agent’s address and contact information. When emailing an agent from this page, users have the option to attach their favorite properties to the message as a list of links.
Search Optimization
MarketLinx has extensive experience optimizing websites for better search engine placement. Each customer receives a customized SEO program using a variety of techniques, including:
- Pushing content to Google and other search engines
- Adding meta tags to all pages
- Adding alt tags to images
- Creating a site map so search engines can crawl and index individual properties and more
We also recommend that customers supplement SEO with other marketing activities to help promote the site. You may want to consider creating a budget for Google AdWords (sponsored links) and local newspaper advertising, encouraging to members to include the website address on their materials. We will discuss other promotional opportunities and consult with you to determine what works best for you and your members.
Lead Generation & Reporting
Email leads that are generated using the Contact an Agent form are automatically directed to the listing agent or office. To reinforce the value of the website, your members and brokers can access a real-time report that shows web traffic statistics for their listings and the number of leads the site has generated for them. Your staff has access to Google Analytics to track site traffic. Other traffic monitoring and reporting tools can be implemented for an additional cost.
Other Features
- Provides a password-protected member-only area for access to forms and other board information
- Provides an open-source content management system (DotNetNuke) that your staff can use to edit static site content, including links and graphics
- Can, for an additional fee, integrate any number of third-party web tools and products to provide features such as demographics, blogs, wikis, virtual tours or any other custom feature that you desire
