Starting an Online Estate Agent - What's involved?

jeffwilliams116

Hi everyone,

I am looking to start my own online estate agency but I don't know which is the best way to go around it? I want to be able to have a great website with powerful software that feeds into Rightmove and Zoopla. Can anyone recommend anything?

Thanks all!

rjlarke

jeffwilliams116 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I am looking to start my own online estate agency but I don't know which is the best way to go around it? I want to be able to have a great website with powerful software that feeds into Rightmove and Zoopla. Can anyone recommend anything?

Thanks all!

You're going to need a web developer that can set up a database of your locations, prices (etc) and create an API that will feed in to those other websites. It's a custom job that your basic common all garden HTML web designer won't be able to do. Unless there is a pre-packaged solution. Have a look at joomla add-ons and wordpress plug-ins and see if anything fits. My advice would be to contact a freelance web dev on Odesk, make sure they know php & MYSQL and check out their reputation thoroughly. You'll get it done for 1/3 of the price in India.

jeffwilliams116

Hi rjlarke,

Thank you for getting back to me. I have been doing a bit of research and I think I would rather have everything under one roof with a complete support package. If something goes wrong with the development for whatever reason I don't want to be shopping around looking for someone to sort the issue out for me.

motorguy

jeffwilliams116 wrote: »

Hi rjlarke,

Thank you for getting back to me. I have been doing a bit of research and I think I would rather have everything under one roof with a complete support package. If something goes wrong with the development for whatever reason I don't want to be shopping around looking for someone to sort the issue out for me.

Check to see if Rightmove and Zoopla will pull the content from your site, rather than you having to push it to them.

I know when i was motor trading, both autotrader and the other indy i was using usedcarsni.com both were able to pick up my content direct from my site.

paddyrg

Custom development is *much* dearer than people think. It's 5 figures to get right, even for something pretty 'simple'. You need experienced people to manage the project - getting the spec right, getting the front end, the back end, management interface, data retention policies, security, XSS/SQLI protection, unit, functional and UAT testing. Sure, you can skimp and try offshoring, but unless you've managed several high-level IT projects I would suggest going with someone local as it is easy to come unstuck. Even at <huge computer company> we ONshored a lot of offshore work after being bilked by a supplier, and it's one of the most IT savvy companies on earth.

If you can find something ready-written (search for 'white label online estate agent' or similar - 'white label' is something someone wrote once and manages, but which you can brand up as your own) then that would be BY FAR a cheaper and less risky route to go.

motorguy

There are indeed some out there Paddy.

Found this in a few seconds.

http://www.yourpropertycentre.co.uk/

I used a motor trading one a few years ago. Cost me a couple of hundred for a website all set up.

opticblobbster

Hi jeffwilliams116

If you havnt already seen this, might be worth a look.

Universal Anywhere (by thesaurus technology)

they provide software at a very competitive price, it have 2 free portal feeds to any portal you want, They offer web design to but only to their customers, and thats quite competative too at around £750 their website states.