What makes a real estate agency's website chosen for reasons a portal site cannot offer is not a list of properties, but the faces and thinking of your staff, commentary on the property types and areas you know best, and a clear entry point for sale and management enquiries. Keep your listings up to date, while designing the pages beyond listings so that visitors think, “This is the company I want to work with.”
Listings alone leave you buried under the portal sites
The major portal sites carry an enormous number of listings. People looking for a property usually start there. If your own website does nothing but line up listings, it becomes a small copy of a portal site, and there is no reason to view it.
The reason for people to visit your own website lies beyond listings.
- I want to talk to a particular agent at this company
- I want to ask someone who knows this area or this type of property well
- I want to sell, to rent out, or to hand over management
Keep the property list in place as a foundation, and build pages that answer these three needs. That is the thinking behind a website chosen for reasons beyond listings.
Five pages beyond listings that lead to enquiries
- Staff profiles. Include a photo, background, the property types they know best, and what they keep in mind when showing a property
- Area and property commentary. Write about things you only learn by living there (ground conditions, sunlight, shopping convenience, the school commute) in the words of someone who knows the area
- A property-sale enquiry page. Set out, in order, what someone considering a sale wants to know first (the process, valuation methods, timeframes, costs)
- A rental management / owner enquiry page. For owners who want to hand over management, explain the scope of management and how fees are calculated
- Client testimonials and transaction examples. Describe the background to the request and the outcome of real transactions, within the limits of the permission you have obtained
People looking for a property and people wanting to sell or rent out visit a website for completely different reasons. Separate the entry points and prepare a dedicated page for each.
Questions your property-sale enquiry page should answer
Sale enquiries are a highly profitable entry point for a real estate agency. People viewing this page want to sell but do not know where to start. Answer the following questions, in order.
- Where should I start when selling? Explain the order: checking the condition of the property, valuation, then the brokerage agreement
- Is a valuation free? Explain the difference between the valuation methods (desktop valuation and on-site valuation)
- How long does it take to sell? Since this varies by property and area, explain how to think about rough timeframes
- What costs are involved in selling? Cover brokerage fees, document costs such as the seal registration certificate, and taxes, as far as you can
- Can I sell while still living there, or sell a vacant house? Explain how to proceed in each situation
- If I enquire, am I obliged to sell? State that an enquiry alone is fine
Answering that last question lowers the psychological barrier to getting in touch.
Real estate advertising has rules you must follow
Real estate advertising is governed by display rules set out in the Real Estate Brokerage Act and the Fair Competition Code concerning real estate representations. A website is also treated as advertising.
The points to check are as follows.
- Show your licence number. Display it in the company profile and at the bottom of each page
- Make sure property information matches the actual situation. Leaving properties online after they are under contract risks counting as bait advertising
- Avoid unsupported superlatives such as “the best,” “number one in Japan” or “dirt cheap”
- There are set standards for showing price, floor area, building age, walking times and so on. Check the standards in the code of the Fair Trade Council for real estate
- Decide a procedure for updating listings. Make it possible to remove a property promptly once it is under contract
Asking your web agency whether they understand real estate advertising regulations reduces rework after launch.
Common problems in running property listings
Properties already under contract are still listed
If an enquiry comes in on a property that has already been sold, you lose trust. Use a system that lets you switch listings easily from the admin screen so that updating does not burden your staff.
Too few photos and thin information
A property page with a single exterior shot does not generate enquiries. At a minimum, include interior shots, the surrounding area and a floor plan.
Information conflicts with the portal sites
If the price or terms differ between your own website and a portal site, clients get confused. Decide on a process that keeps update timing in sync.
Steps for building pages beyond listings
- Write out three of your strengths. Put into words what sets you apart from competitors: your strongest property types, areas, the qualities of your staff and so on
- For each member of staff, gather a photo and the questions clients often ask them
- Collect around ten questions clients commonly raise about sales and management
- Turn those questions into page headings, in order, and write the answers
- For area commentary, write facts you have confirmed by walking the area yourself. Avoid reproducing information from portal sites
- After launch, look at the mix of enquiries (purchase, sale, rental, management) and add the entry points you are missing
Comparison table
| Page | Who views it | Purpose | What to include |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property list | People looking to buy or rent | Find a property that matches their criteria | Photos, price, layout, location |
| Staff profiles | People deciding which company to use | Learn about the person and their expertise | Photo, areas of expertise, working principles |
| Area commentary | People who have not chosen where to live | Picture what life there would be like | Information confirmed on site |
| Sale enquiries | People who want to sell | Understand the process and the costs | Steps, valuation methods, costs |
| Management enquiries | Property owners | Judge whether they can entrust management to you | Scope of management, how fees are calculated |
Ongoing upkeep after launch
After launch, keep up the following tasks at a set frequency.
- Once a week, review listings and remove properties that are under contract
- Once a month, count the breakdown of enquiries (purchase, rental, sale, management)
- If sale or management enquiries are few, review the headings on the entry pages and the path from the home page
- Update the area commentary to reflect seasonal changes and new facilities
When upkeep is too demanding, information stops being updated. Whether there is a point of contact you can ask for updates is another criterion for choosing a web agency.
A sample structure for a property-sale enquiry page
As an entry point for enquiries, the following order keeps readers from getting lost.
- The first screen. Speak to the reader's situation with something like “For those starting to consider a sale,” and place the valuation enquiry entry points (phone and form) here
- The sale process. Show the steps: enquiry, valuation, brokerage agreement, marketing, sale contract, handover
- Types of valuation. Use a table to show the difference between a desktop valuation based on property details alone and an on-site valuation
- Costs of selling. List the items such as brokerage fees, and note that amounts vary by property
- How to proceed by situation. Cover four cases separately: still living there, a vacant house, an inherited property, and buying a replacement home
- An enquiry alone is fine. State clearly that people can get in touch even if they have not decided to sell
Table comparing types of valuation
| Type | What is required | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop valuation | Details such as location, floor area and building age | People who just want a rough figure first |
| On-site valuation | A date to show the property in person | People seriously considering a sale |
Among the situations covered, inherited properties and vacant houses are searched for by many people. Writing specifically about the particular issues involved (title, leftover belongings, relations with neighbours) reaches people in the same situation.
A sample of what to write in staff profiles
Including the following items on a staff profile page gives people a reason to choose your company.
- A photo. A natural expression, taken in front of a property or at the office
- The property types they know best and why (new build, resale, land, rental, investment and so on)
- What they keep in mind when showing a property. Describe what they actually do, in concrete terms
- About the area. What they know from walking it themselves: commuting and school routes, shopping convenience and so on
- Qualifications held and the types of transactions they have handled
Write only facts for qualifications and background. Rather than phrases like “We respond with care,” something stated as an action, such as “Before a viewing, I walk the surrounding streets to check them,” comes across far better.
Points to note when taking photos
A natural expression photographed in front of a property or at the office entrance feels friendlier than a stiff, ID-photo-style portrait. Before publishing, also check that no competitor signage or private nameplates appear in the background.
FAQ
Keeping listings current matters more than the number. Even with few listings, rich photos and details plus prompt updates after a contract is signed build trust.
Portal sites are an entry point for people searching for properties, but they are not a place to convey your company's thinking or your staff. To receive sale and management enquiries, you need your own website.
Place the sale and management entry points on the home page, alongside the entry point for searching properties. Structure it so that visitors with different goals can proceed without hesitation.
Yes, provided the site is set up so you can update it from the admin screen. If updating takes too much effort, information becomes outdated, so check how easy updates are when choosing a web agency.
A web agency can suggest wording, but the final check on legal compliance must be carried out by the real estate agency. Confirm the display standards in the code of the Fair Trade Council for real estate.
From defining your strengths to building the pages beyond listings, we work with you
To be chosen for reasons beyond listings, you need to put your staff, your area and your sale and management services into clear words. Merci Ltd. has creators lead the whole process, from identifying your strengths and how to present them through to design and copywriting.
