SEO + Real Estate

[yukon]

I've been looking around at some local real estate listings in Google SERPs.

I got to thinking (look out!), these real estate sites all run the same exact content & don't even try to seo the real estate listing/page.

What If I pick a local real estate listing & build my own site just for a single house, then rank that house in the SERPs.

I have a little trick that I learned from an out of state real estate site to get a video thumbnail image at the top of Google text search (without a video).

I figure I could add a contact form on my listing/page, then If I get a good lead/buyer I can approach a local real estate agent & offer a possible buyer for 50% cut of the 3% commission they would get.

Some math:

• House listed at $200,000
• Buyer talk down price -3%
• Real estate agent gets +3%
• I get +1.5% from the real estate agent ($2,910)

Think it will work?

I don't have anything besides the idea & the know how to rank my own sites.

I'm sure a lot of things I haven't thought of yet that could go wrong.

[KeNiQ]

It's not a bad idea I do something very similar and it is profitable..

what I do is sell the leads to the agents. I do this because I've run into a few agents who were dishonest when it came to splitting the commission up

[yukon]

Originally Posted by KeNiQ

It's not a bad idea I do something very similar and it is profitable..

what I do is sell the leads to the agents. I do this because I've run into a few agents who were dishonest when it came to splitting the commission up

So you get a flat rate, or is that based on a percentage of the selling price for the house?

Wouldn't a contract between you & the real estate agent take care of the dishonest agents?

Thanks,

[JDArchitecture]

Originally Posted by yukon

I figure I could add a contact form on my listing/page, then If I get a good lead/buyer I can approach a local real estate agent & offer a possible buyer for 50% cut of the 3% commission they would get.

Some math:

• House listed at $200,000
• Buyer talk down price -3%
• Real estate agent gets +3%
• I get +1.5% from the real estate agent ($2,910)

Think it will work?

Lots of problems here.

First, real estate is regulated. Laws vary by state, but you may not be able to promote listings if you are not licensed.

Next is copyright. Re-publishing listing information without express permission is a breach of copyright.

Some listing agreements give the listing broker the exclusive right to promote. You have no way of knowing if this is the case or not when you go trolling for listings.

No broker/agent in their right mind would ever do a 50/50 split with you. It's also illegal in many, if not most/all states.

Even if you get agents to agree to give you a finder's fee of some sort, it's impossible to prove that you are the procuring cause of the sale.

Most home shoppers are loathe to use optins. They want to talk to somebody and go see the house NOW, not wait for somebody to call or email. Odds are that even if you get contact info, that person has already found the listing agent or another agent and made contact before you even get a chance to pimp it to an agent.


There are ways to profit from RE, but what you propose is not it.

Create a system. Prove its effectiveness. Develop relationships with agents and sell them on it.

[karismasand]

Yukon,

if you are from US i build u a custom super script for real estate listings, this is how i do for living. I run a few site for real estate listing but not in US, i'am not from there. We can do something good together. I came with script and SEO work (i have a few site on first page and a network sites) and you came with know how.If you are interested please contact me.

[justinpaul]

Good Idea you can do it, i also saw this type of websites.

[rocketmonkey]

Originally Posted by karismasand

Yukon,

if you are from US i build u a custom super script for real estate listings, this is how i do for living. I run a few site for real estate listing but not in US, i'am not from there. We can do something good together. I came with script and SEO work (i have a few site on first page and a network sites) and you came with know how.If you are interested please contact me.

Hi Kari - Can you PM me, i can not PM cause I do not have enough post, nor can I leave my email address. I build Real Estate Websites and looking to Launch a Promo with a new Plugin I have for Wordpress sites. I am interested in your script..
I am also looking for developer to create Real Estate Theme that I can resell as my own, if anybody knows anybody let me know.

I dunno if this will work - ken-at-rocketmonkeytws-dot-com

[KeNiQ]

Originally Posted by ardley216

Buyers will only go to reputable websites. I saw many websites when I was buying a house, but I ONLY dealt with large website that had TV advertising. And also, those keywords are competitive.

i'm an active real estate investor (not agent) in Co and Ca.. There are people that will only want to deal with real estate agents and big companies and their are loads of people that will deal with a real estate investor over a real estate agent..



especially if your target is other investors

[KeNiQ]

Originally Posted by yukon

So you get a flat rate, or is that based on a percentage of the selling price for the house?

Wouldn't a contract between you & the real estate agent take care of the dishonest agents?

Thanks,

Well let me throw a little more out there. I do a little real estate myself.. if i can get the house under contract myself from the lead I'll flip my contract to the agent or another investor for like oh 3k sometimes 7k depends on how much profit is in the deal..

Sometimes i have way more leads than i can handle so i sell them at a flat rate.. A contact is nothing lets say I do a contract with REA1 (real estate agent)

If that agent wants to get me out of the loop all he has to do let another agent handle the transaction for them and split the commission. 9 times outta 10 that person trying to sell their home is also on the MLS so any agent or investor with agent connections has access to it or they have been contacted by many other investors. This all depends on whats going on with the house.. I can see anyones ned reports on their home. I can see how late they are on payments when it may go into FC all that..

Now there are honest agents out their don't get me wrong but i find it easier just selling them the lead at a flat rate. Most of the time house will still sit on the market for 6 months or longer because... 1 people are smart, they are not going to pay retail for the house with the average home of same criteria (in same area) is going for 40% less and people are sending in offers of 50-60% off low ball cash.

Not to mention if you get leads where the house is 5-30 days from being FC-ED that agent is going to Sh@# because they are not use to dealing with FC and low offers they are always wanting to sell high for a big commission and again when you are in a location where the worth of the homes are declining ... an REI on the other hand can low ball that seller and most of the time the seller will give in to save their credit or whatever ..

I'm not saying your idea is bad just be careful.. I've worked with some agents where i gave them 35 leads and nothing happened on the flip side I've sold 50 exclusive leads that were already qualified and made $400.00 and the agents still didn't sale the homes...

[googlegal]

YUKON- First of all, I am a real estate agent and we own a brokerage.
It is against the law in the state of Florida to practice real estate without a license in Florida, in fact it is a FELONY. In most states it is against the law. The fact that you want to get paid for a referral which is what this constitutes by law- is illegal unless you are a licensed agent.

Second of all, I don't know any agents stupid enough to pay you 50% for a buyer lead when their commission is only let's say 3% of the deal. The buyers agent does NOT get all that 3%. They have to split that with their broker, then they have to pay their taxes out of that in most states, then all the other fees that they incur, reimburse themselves for the gas they used to drive a buyer around, etc. It is not the numbers you are putting out there in your math equation.

Within our own industry we don't get more than 25% referral fees from OTHER LICENSEd agents and brokers who send us a quailified referral and your lead won't even be qualified. You won't even know if they are approved by a lender to buy a home!

[googlegal]

Originally Posted by KeNiQ

Not to mention if you get leads where the house is 5-30 days from being FC-ED that agent is going to Sh@# because they are not use to dealing with FC and low offers they are always wanting to sell high for a big commission and again when you are in a location where the worth of the homes are declining ... an REI on the other hand can low ball that seller and most of the time the seller will give in to save their credit or whatever ..

I'm not saying your idea is bad just be careful.. I've worked with some agents where i gave them 35 leads and nothing happened on the flip side I've sold 50 exclusive leads that were already qualified and made $400.00 and the agents still didn't sale the homes...

Are you watching too much late night get rich in real estate TV? It is the BANKS that are not letting the houses in foreclosure go for less than market value. We know the values of the homes we put on the market. The value 5 days before foreclosure is no different than 30 days before foreclosure. it is what is being sold on the market and what has closed in the last 30 days. The banks have an appraisal done on the house when we bring the seller an offer for a short sale and their bank will say what they want to net. The banks are not even going to look at 40% off of market value offers. That is living in some la la land somewhere.

Most of us agents work for free on a lot of our short sales. By the time we pay our staff to process a short sale listing and the time involved, hours and hours on the phone with banks who don't have a clue on how to do a short sale- some of our short sale listings ending up costing us money so your statement of we just want bigger commissions is very ignorant.

I would never ever buy leads from anyone or any company because they are mostly tire kickers who can not even qualify for a loan. I get my own leads by optimizing our websites. The reason the agents did not get your leads closed is because they are not qualified leads or not ready to really buy right now. I would never ever chase a lead down. That is not how most agents run their marketing.

[TheMagic]

I am in the same boat with a Family Member. Case.....

She owns a prime lot in a gated community, lake front + golf course in Sanford NC. The community is TOP NOTCH. It is the only lot for sale that has been scraped and ready for a new home to be built. Adjacent lot buyer scraped older cottages and threw up MC Mansion. From my novice perspective I can assume that it is a tough sale to the general public and would be much more effectively marketed to the RICH (many North US re locators from cold environments) or a builder.

She can sell the lot outright so I want to send leads to her as well. My first idea was to build a site, throw up some videos, pics, and info with a submission form. And track the affiliate/lead generator who would then take a piece of the sale.

So, after reading this thread (THANKS YUKON!!!!)
- I am assuming that it would be wise to directly target investors rather than post a profile on FSBO where it ends up muddled with 4million other lots?
- Only pay for a lead that makes the sale? (because I know this is what she wants

Since I am unaware of realestate laws in NC can I also assume that the lead generated to my Aunt, who is an Agent, most likely be legal.

Thanks again.

[patrich]

Originally Posted by yukon

I've been looking around at some local real estate listings in Google SERPs.

I got to thinking (look out!), these real estate sites all run the same exact content & don't even try to seo the real estate listing/page.

What If I pick a local real estate listing & build my own site just for a single house, then rank that house in the SERPs.

I have a little trick that I learned from an out of state real estate site to get a video thumbnail image at the top of Google text search (without a video).

I figure I could add a contact form on my listing/page, then If I get a good lead/buyer I can approach a local real estate agent & offer a possible buyer for 50% cut of the 3% commission they would get.

Some math:

• House listed at $200,000
• Buyer talk down price -3%
• Real estate agent gets +3%
• I get +1.5% from the real estate agent ($2,910)

Think it will work?

I don't have anything besides the idea & the know how to rank my own sites.

I'm sure a lot of things I haven't thought of yet that could go wrong.

Hey Yukon,

I run a fairly large real estate site and in speaking with a few different real estate agents, I am told that it is illegal in some states for a real estate agent to offer any compensation or commission cut for a lead. Not sure what states, I was told WA has this policy in effect.

I don't know how accurate that is, but it may be worth the time to check with the real estate commission in that state before going through the trouble of setting up a website.

[yukon]

Originally Posted by TheMagic

I am in the same boat with a Family Member. Case.....

She owns a prime lot in a gated community, lake front + golf course in Sanford NC. The community is TOP NOTCH. It is the only lot for sale that has been scraped and ready for a new home to be built. Adjacent lot buyer scraped older cottages and threw up MC Mansion. From my novice perspective I can assume that it is a tough sale to the general public and would be much more effectively marketed to the RICH (many North US re locators from cold environments) or a builder.

She can sell the lot outright so I want to send leads to her as well. My first idea was to build a site, throw up some videos, pics, and info with a submission form. And track the affiliate/lead generator who would then take a piece of the sale.

So, after reading this thread (THANKS YUKON!!!!)
- I am assuming that it would be wise to directly target investors rather than post a profile on FSBO where it ends up muddled with 4million other lots?
- Only pay for a lead that makes the sale? (because I know this is what she wants

Since I am unaware of realestate laws in NC can I also assume that the lead generated to my Aunt, who is an Agent, most likely be legal.

Thanks again.

Kinda makes me wonder how hard it would be to get my own states real estate license.

That would get me the full 3% commission on the sale, forget being the guy on the bottom.

I see my local community college has a 60-hour coarse to prep for the state real estate license, for less than $500 not including books.

Also, taking that class might put someone in an awesome position. I'm willing to bet 99% of an average real estate prep class at a community college doesn't even know what SEO is, let alone how to rank a real estate listing/page on Google.

Could make for one hell of a good networking group, If only one guy in the class knows seo.

I might have to research a bit more for what's needed to be licensed in my state.

[edit]
Lol, I did a search for the book required by my local college (same edition) & found the Instructor’s Manual with all the answers, to each test.

[KeNiQ]

Originally Posted by googlegal

Are you watching too much late night get rich in real estate TV? It is the BANKS that are not letting the houses in foreclosure go for less than market value. We know the values of the homes we put on the market. The value 5 days before foreclosure is no different than 30 days before foreclosure. it is what is being sold on the market and what has closed in the last 30 days. The banks have an appraisal done on the house when we bring the seller an offer for a short sale and their bank will say what they want to net. The banks are not even going to look at 40% off of market value offers. That is living in some la la land somewhere.

Most of us agents work for free on a lot of our short sales. By the time we pay our staff to process a short sale listing and the time involved, hours and hours on the phone with banks who don't have a clue on how to do a short sale- some of our short sale listings ending up costing us money so your statement of we just want bigger commissions is very ignorant.

I would never ever buy leads from anyone or any company because they are mostly tire kickers who can not even qualify for a loan. I get my own leads by optimizing our websites. The reason the agents did not get your leads closed is because they are not qualified leads or not ready to really buy right now. I would never ever chase a lead down. That is not how most agents run their marketing.

I'm speaking from personal experience as a wholesaler, here in Co there are a lot of agents who wont even mess with those types of leads. I've found maybe about 3 agents in Denver, Arvada and Northglen who will help me with FCs all the others declined (im guessing because its too much of a hassle) There are a lot of agents who can but wont and I've run into a few that didn't know how to. They simply told me “i don't know much about fcs” maybe they said that shut me up and get me out of their office?

I don't capture buyer leads all my buyers are mostly other investors. I capture seller leads, people that must get rid of the house.

I've even gone back on some of the leads and been able to close them myself when the agent didn't or have been able to pass them off to another investors are rei clubs and some get them closed some don't go figure

but back to my main point in my area and lot of other areas there are a many agents who will cut you off and say "I don't do FC".


Lastly, I don't know the law in Florida when it comes to real estate but is it against the law for someone to Fsbo their home without a license? I'm asking because there are a lot real estate investors in florida that do not own a license.

[Superstar Marketer]

If you are going to get into Real Estate, one of the most over-regulated industries out there you better know what you are getting into. Read up on the laws or you could face big penalties.

[JDArchitecture]

Originally Posted by yukon

Kinda makes me wonder how hard it would be to get my own states real estate license.

Probably not that difficult.

That would get me the full 3% commission on the sale, forget being the guy on the bottom.

Time for a dose of reality. Agents do not get the full 3%. New agents usually get 50% to 70% of the commission with the balance going to the broker. And depending on the office/franchise, 2% to 5% of the gross commission is taken off the top for advertising, insurance, franchise fee, etc.

I see my local community college has a 60-hour coarse to prep for the state real estate license, for less than $500 not including books.

You might be able to do better than that. Here in California, our RE principles course runs about $150 plus text.

Also, don't forget other costs involved: Exam fee, fingerprint fee, license fee...

Also, taking that class might put someone in an awesome position. I'm willing to bet 99% of an average real estate prep class at a community college doesn't even know what SEO is, let alone how to rank a real estate listing/page on Google.

Could make for one hell of a good networking group, If only one guy in the class knows seo.

That's true. Hell, 50% of them are likely computer/internet illiterate in many ways. The problem is that virtually all of them will be broke and brand new agents will not be interested in paying for anything. However, they could introduce you to their brokers.

You should also be aware that it may be hard for you to find a broker willing to take on an inexperienced agent on a part-time basis.

Also, I'm compelled to point out that selling real estate is not simply a matter of finding a buyer to make an offer and sign a contract. Much like success in IM, there's no magic bullet or easy button. It takes work.

[refinancepro]

You could just rank your site using Google Places as a real estate agency and send all the calls to an agent, making commission off that. Sounds a little less complicated hah.

[David Ogden]

This is becoming a very interesting thread as I have never believed in using Realtors or Agents as I have successfully sold my houses by building a website for each one. This saves a great deal of money.

I am now working with a marketing company which cuts out the middleman and introduces buyers and sellers allowing them to negotiate and conclude deals online line, no license required. This I believe is the way ahead.

Using a broker is a bit hit and miss, some are good and some are bad, but if you are prepared to do your homework it can work for you.

I recently moved to the Philippines and here it seems to be common practice for everyone to try and claim and introduction fee, sometimes from both the buyer and seller, not legal of course. but they try hard.

Times are hard at the moment but people always need somewhere to live so there is always money to be made from property deals, whether for sale or rent and if I can earn $3,500+ on every listing I make I am quite happy

[googlegal]

@KeNiq- No you do not need a real estate license to be a FSBO but there is a limit to how many properties you can sell as a FSBO before the red flag goes up that you may be doing this in the capacity as a real estate agent. They are cracking down on unlicensed real estate activity big time in Florida because of all the fraud and straw buyers etc.

[googlegal]

@YUKON- yes, getting your real estate license will then allow you to build websites and just sell those homes yourself or refer them to other agents and get 25% of what they are going to get from the sale. Do remember that many commissions do not end up being a full 3% for a buyer agent. It all depends on each situation and what has to get done to get the deal closed.

But you are just looking at the fees to take a class. You have to apply for a state license. In Florida that is $150. Then you have to pay for your fingerprints which is an additional fee. Then you have to join the NAR - that is $500 a year here in Florida which includes my national, state and local dues. Then I have to pay $700 a year to access the MLS, then you have to get E& O insurance and you have your broker split to pay too. You also will have to buy a supra key to access properties and our Supra key entry costs us another $220. Add all those fees up and before you can sell your first house, you have to pay out at least $1800 before you ever show a house. It is not all sunshine and rainbows.

[googlegal]

Originally Posted by Izaya

Why not build a site to get leads', rank it to the top of the SERP's then cut a deal with an agent.

Only problem in this whole thing is the agent, sometimes they can be shady. Anyway this idea has a lot of potential. I was going to do this myself before, but I got busy. Am sure this would work well, if you can just sell one house a month it would pay off.

I would actually even try some PPC since am sure you could make it profitable.

PPC cost per click in my area is around $4
100 clicks = 400 dollars
10% of leads collected ( Possibly much more)
10 people looking for a real estate agent/house
real estate agent sells 1 house worth 200k x 3% = 6,000/ 2 = $3000 in profit.


This all depends on where you live ( House costs) PPC costs and how much the agent makes and is willing to share with you.

I like my idea on paper but am not sure how well it stacks up to reality.

You can read in this thread that you are not doing your math correct. The real estate agents do not make $3000 in profit! I don't know how many businesses you have owned but profit is not calculated that way. Most real estate agents are not getting anywhere near that $3K you are stating. Right off the top comes your E& O insurance, transaction fee, your split with your broker, desk fees or franchise fees, dues, professional fees, etc.

The average real estate agent in the United States makes $23,000 a year! Who can live on that!!! I would quit real estate if those were my numbers. Fortunately I own the company and do make money but we as owners carry the liability too. It is not as simple as your math equation.

[rocketmonkey]

All very cool ideas!



I would take another step.. Build the site, Rank the site, RENT the site...

You can find agents interested in 3 month contracts etc.. When you rent just re-brand it for the agent.. and again put together packages for webdesign..

Monthly Rent = Traffic X Conversions

[JDArchitecture]

Originally Posted by rocketmonkey

I would take another step.. Build the site, Rank the site, RENT the site...

You can find agents interested in 3 month contracts etc.. When you rent just re-brand it for the agent.. and again put together packages for webdesign..

Monthly Rent = Traffic X Conversions

I think this is the best strategy but I wouldn't tie rent to conversions.

What makes renting a site so enticing is that it's not tied to sales and all of the questions, reporting, and need for trust that goes with it.

[David Ogden]

There is of course another way and that is to contact local estate agents and provide them with SEO services, reviewing and updating their sites, adding the bells and whistles which will raise the profiles of their sites. Providing this kind of service leaves the agents to do what they they do best sell house, whilst you get paid to do the online marketing which does not seem to be covered by any real estate courses or exams.
You will never run into any legal problem as you are not selling any properties, merely working as a contractor.

[jpeguero]

Originally Posted by JDArchitecture

Lots of problems here.

First, real estate is regulated. Laws vary by state, but you may not be able to promote listings if you are not licensed.

Next is copyright. Re-publishing listing information without express permission is a breach of copyright.

Some listing agreements give the listing broker the exclusive right to promote. You have no way of knowing if this is the case or not when you go trolling for listings.

No broker/agent in their right mind would ever do a 50/50 split with you. It's also illegal in many, if not most/all states.

Even if you get agents to agree to give you a finder's fee of some sort, it's impossible to prove that you are the procuring cause of the sale.

Most home shoppers are loathe to use optins. They want to talk to somebody and go see the house NOW, not wait for somebody to call or email. Odds are that even if you get contact info, that person has already found the listing agent or another agent and made contact before you even get a chance to pimp it to an agent.


There are ways to profit from RE, but what you propose is not it.

Create a system. Prove its effectiveness. Develop relationships with agents and sell them on it.

I'm a real estate broker in Illinois.

Definetely, that is not the way to do it.

Thanks

Juan