For those of you that know me, I am a perfectionist when it comes to buying the right products, and using the right tools to conduct my online business. I am a on-line do-it-your-selfer that gets results, and I have been online since 1995! You can read where I come from in my real estate articles for Realty Times, and at my sessions when I hold a seminar!. I love online marketing, and I've been blessed with a good understanding of SEO, and over the years I've done well from online web presance. I am now at a point I am looking forward. I am migrating my web exposure from static webs to Blogs, and I am looking for the right theme.
So now I am down to a wire, and I think I have narrowed down my choices to a select few. These are the best themes that are out their as far as I can see for those in our real estate business. I've looked at Thesis, Genisis and now I am lookign at agent press. Thesis is fine, and very versitale, but it does not rock my boat for a personalized look. I do not want to reinvent the wheel, I just want to plug in, personalize and go! Genesis and Agent Theme are themes I also really like, but it is still not rocking my boat! FYI...Genesis is currently my # 1 choice. However, before I make the plunge, Agent Press is a theme for its real estate appeal and I am considering it. Is anyone using it? I would love to hear likes and dislikes! Can the theme be used on more than one site? Does it work well with embeds ot inline frames for IDX? Is it easy to use? (If I delegate work?) I feel any of the above themes are all excellent products, and I like all the recommendations that I've receieved here form my last post. I am just looking for the perfect fit for my own needs.
I would love to hear your thoughts!
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Jim- we are developing a Thesis wordpress blog. We chose it because it is supposed to have the best SEO benefit because the design is separate from the content. You can easily buy skins for it, but we are having it customized for a couple of hundred dollars. It is not live yet, otherwise I'd show you. So far it has been easy to use, but my wife Ann, who is the Marketing Director, is still learning her way around it. Have you looked at IDX solutions for blogs yet - we are leaning toward Diverse Solutions. Good Luck! Bob
I have Agent Theme. The person who set it up though was not terribly familiar with a real estate agent's needs. He did a good job, but I am not thrilled with some of the functionality. If you are going to adminster this yourself, then you need to pick one that is user friendly. I looked at the Agent Press. If I were you I would go with that. The simpler the better. I think mine is way too messy.
Bob Myers, Montgomery County MD Real Estate (Re/Max Realty Services) Bob thank you very much for your input! I will check out the skins for Thesis! The IDX is no problem to place into the site...I have that taken care of.
Jane Peters Los Angeles Living, Los Angeles Homes (Boulevard Realty) You are using three columns display, but 2 may be better for a IDX display. However, that is a very esy fix and can be done on the fly.
Jim, I will revisit this post to see who the winner is...thanks for all the names...
Gary Woltal - Associate Broker REALTOR® Dallas Ft. Worth (Keller Williams Realty) Gary, I was hoping we would have a bigger participation. This is the hottest thing for gaining market share on the net for SEO.
Jim,
I notice you didn't mention Headway. Similar to Thesis regarding SEO, but with a more graphical user interface.
Rich
Richard Iarossi, Crofton MD Real Estate, Annapolis MD Real Estate (Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.) Richard...thank you so much! I will check it out!
Hi Jim,
I am using www.Wordpress.com and also ExineArticles.com - I've heard this week on the conference call
from few agents in Washington DC who love www.Blogger.com
It's great that you know so much about technology... I'm learning a lot about it and it's amazing how
FAST things CHANGE. I've been told that the best thing is when you can use something under your own
name so you can never lose your content if the company decides to change or goes down. Good luck
with your decision. It was great to see you and Ellen the other day. I love all the sharing we did.
Thanks, Dagmar Sands - World Class Real Estate Broker
Jim, if you have time please give us novices a better explanation of what you are talking about. Thanks. Go Dawgs.
Huh, I will have to see how to do that.
Dagmar Sands -Blogger is not very good for what I am trying to accomplish. It is not very good for SEO. I tried it for a while and the results were not very good. I've not heard about "ExineArticles.com," but I will check into it. It is hard trying to find the right tools to keep ahead of the curb. I think Wordpress has the answers.
Yes, it was great getting together and talking about real estate and online marketing. This is a market we have to stay on our toes.
Tom Bailey (At Waves Edge Coastal Real Estate) Tom, I've been building very successful websites with great SEO for years. I now believe the best platform is a Blog Platform, and preferably a WordPress one that is integrated with IDX. So right now I am in the process of choosing a versatile theme that will allow me to accomplish my goals.
Jane Peters Los Angeles Living, Los Angeles Homes (Boulevard Realty) You can access it from your admin, but if you have someone maintaining your site, talk to them first.
Jim I thank you whole heartedly for asking this very question because I have been considering adding another site and could not find much about Agent Press from actual users.
I have used Open Realty for quite a while but the SEO benefits of a Wordpress based site are so appealling. Do not get me wrong I love OR but if something else works better....
If you do decide to go with AgentPress I will be very curious to hear your honest opinion about it, from the ease of use, IDX integration and results with traffic/SEO.
Please consider blogging again on this topic.
Jim,
Good topic. Have you tried GoSmart Solution's Listing plug in? As far as themes, thesis I know always seems to draw the winning votes. I am curious about Agent Press....would like to see more discussion.
** THIS POST IS FEATURED IN THE E-PRO INTERNET MARKETING GROUP**
Mark Brian (Silver Star Real Estate LLC) Well, I went in a different direction...I purchased a real estate template at Studio Press. I am just now experimenting with it at:
http://real-estate-blog.atlantabesthomes.com/?page_id=12
This there is not as wide as I hoped it would be!
Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant (Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision) I actually think there are a lot of free themes that offer more choices. I have downloaded and played around with a few of them. Thanks for the feature. This is definitley a learning event for all!
Thanks I will check these out. I will check out your template.
Wordpress or any CMS (Content Management system) if done correctly will provide as Jim stated a great start for "on page" SEO (search engine optimization). I dont think any theme will provide everything each realtor or business will want or need. The AgentPress or Agent theme are great starts for realtors, but you can also use any theme and convert it to a real estate theme that will act the way you want.
I have been helping business with wordpress for many years, so if you have any questions about wordpress SEO or Social Media please don't hesitate to ask me.
Great topic
Brian Austin
Boost Internet Marketing
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Hey Jim,
Just looked at your posted link, I would suggest going into your css file and revising your columns to help widen your template
Great Start
Spokane Washington Real Estate - Ross Quintana 509-362-1966 (Team Quintana Real Estate - Keller Williams Realty Lic#3015) It is pretty good.
brian austin - Thanks!
Brian Austin (Boost Internet Marketing) Brian, I am not that advanced! I'd probably mess it up!
Jim - I have bookmarked and will follow this thread. I too was looking at Agent Press. I have used both WordPress.com and self hosted through WordPress.org. Nothing but good things to say but I too am looking for the right "bang for the buck". Best of luck. ~ Doug
What great information. I just recently moved my blog / website into WordPress. Definitely a learning experience. I too will stick around to follow the comments.
Doug Anderson (Executive Brokers, sm) So far I like what I see.
Kryste Adams - Central Oregon Real Estate (Fred Real Estate Group *Bend-Redmond-Sunriver-LaPine-Sisters) I have been a webmaster for years and do my own HTML. This is different, but I like learning new things, and overcoming the challange.
Hey, Jim,
I've been kind of lurking around the edges of this myself--thinking that I liked the design of a lot of the Studio Press themes and thought they'd lend themselves well to real estate.
Thesis has gotten so much press over the last period of time, Genesis is getting a lot lately, and I, sadly, don't remotely know how to judge or weigh what'" built for optimum seo" vs. what just looks good to me.
One of the IDX folks I talked to said that if you chose a Studio Press design, that they were more IDX friendly than most.
I looked at Agent Press too--do they seem to be a variation of a Studio Press theme sort of "prestarted" for real estate agents, and with a support forum?
I wish ignorance really was bliss? Probably will plunge into whatever looks visually best to me,
For you, it's probably going to be not so big a learning curve! So, c'mon, Jim--PLEASE take the plunge so you can do your usual wonderful sharing back how-to's for the rest of us!
Sorry Jim - Left a comment under my wife's account! If you get a chance can you give me a further update with the AgentPress? I am ready to pull the trigger this week. Thanks again. ~ Doug
Doug Anderson (Executive Brokers, sm) No problem Doug. I am satisfied with the template I purchased from Studio Press. I did not buy agent press.
Thanks for the reply Jim. Have a great day. ~ Doug
If you're looking for cutting-edge aesthetics, highly functional navigation, and well-constructed blogsites streamlined for SEO, I would recommend a Tomato Blog from The Real Estate Tomato. Let me know if you want more info....
Doug Anderson (Executive Brokers, sm) Anytime Doug!
Rich Jacobson Your Kitsap County WA Real Estate Agent (Windermere West Sound, Inc.) Thank you Rich...I've heard a lot about them.
I see you made your decesion. I have an Agent Press template. I guess it's OK. There is no IDX solution yet. And, I hate it when people mess with my business, Agent Press merged with Genesis and now I am considered an "orphan". I still get support, but I'm outdated already! OY!!!!
Tigard Oregon Homes for Sale>> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) I plugged in my own solution for IDX. I hate that too!
just got agentpress a few days ago. love it! will be implementing idx this weekend with idx broker.
http://www.easttexashomesandland.com Keep in mind this is brand new and I have a lot of work to do
I was researching this about 6 to 12 months ago and was in love with several Revolution themes (also from Studio Press). Your post inspired me to begin researching again and apparently "Revolution" is old news! LOL
I wasn't able to find any "live" examples of Genesis, but I would probably lean towards AgentPress to ensure that it would be easy to incorportate idx.
I know you are a do-it-yourselfer, but do you think you might hire someone to get it set up and/or customized for you?
M Reynolds (National Agent Network) Let us know how it works out!
KERRY LUCASSE - Your Intown Atlanta Real Estate Consultant (Keller Williams Peachtree Rd) I still prefer to do it myself because it is so easy to set up. The rough part is the research. One Blog Template I really likes became totally corrupt when I added a plug in. I will have to remove the entire Blog, leave it dormant or start another one. The big thing is that it does not take too long to do, I get instant results, and it is all created on the fly. Blogging is very fluid.
Here's a good example of AgentPress integrated with IDX that's being hosted on a custom subdomain (for SEO purposes).
Did you ever make a decision? I'm using the Genesis framework with an Agent Press child theme (which by the way I upgraded for free from the original AgentPress) & IDXBroker. There's a new plugin from IDXBroker than makes updating your site a lot easier (or at least updating the wrapper around the IDX Broker pages). I have several 'sister' sites that I have set up the same way with links between them and duplicate content where it's appropriate.
www.JuliaOdom.com
www.ChattanoogaHUDHomes.com
www.ChattanoogaRelocationGuide.com
IDX Broker - Integrated IDX (IDX, Inc.) Wow! How come I cannot get my site to look like that? Excellent example! Thank you for sharing!
Julia Odom, Chattanooga Real Estate (Select Realty Professionals) I did purchase Agent theme by StudioPress My sites look no where as professional as yours! You did an excellent job!
Thanks! If you need any (very basic) pointers I'd be happy to help. Forewarned: I'm no expert...
Hey all,
I'm just getting started on this and was going to use the Genesis framework with Agent press Child theme. Does anyone know if the Diverse solutions IDX works well with them?
Thanks,
Shayne
Julia Odom, Chattanooga Real Estate (Select Realty Professionals) Thanks. Will keep it mind.
Hi Jim. Did you move forward with AgentPress afterall? I started using it myself about 2 months ago, with the Diverse Solutions IDX. Mine's most definitely a work in progress, but you can check it out at www.Redmond-Washington-Homes.com. I think it's pretty easy to use (it's my first wordpress blog, and I'm new to maintaining my own website), and I'm figuring things out at a decent pace. I'm told it's supposed to be one of the better ones for real estate SEO, and I thought the template was pretty, and that's why I chose it. Give us a link to your new site once it's up and running! :) By the way, I used to live in Athens GA, and am always happy to connect with someone from the region.
Shayne, Yes, you can use both the Diverse Solutions IDX, and the Diverse Solutions IDXPress plug-in for wordpress.
Marie Bumback - Evergreen Global Real Estate (RSVP Real Estate - Greater Seattle Area) I went with Agent Theme by Studio Press. Wow your site looks incredible. Did you do it yourself?
Jim, you're being way too kind! My template is pretty much out-of-the-box with standard widgets. The only thing that's customized is the header, which I paid to have done. In looking at other agents sites listed in the responses, many really have a nice custom look to them. Wish I knew how to make buttons 'n such.
Have fun with your new website! I'll check it out in a bit. Always happy to share ideas and brainstorm web marketing with other enthusiastic like minded agents. :)
Marie Bumback - Evergreen Global Real Estate (RSVP Real Estate - Greater Seattle Area) Maria it looks great! Very professional. Mine I guess are used more for SEO than anything else, so I really do not need much customization, just results.
Thanks everyone. This was very helpful.
Robert Nichols (Bentley Real Estate Group) You're more than welcome!
Hi Jim, I just caught this post, and its funny I have Agent Theme for my own website, but use AgentPress quite a bit for my client sites. I think its helpful to note that AgentPress is a great theme for showcasing listings and/or communities, and Agent Theme I think is great for showcasing blog content. I think the lay-outs are different in that way.
That being said I love all the Studiopress themes, and IDX Broker has amazing tools and plug-ins for IDX that work fabulously well together.
I'm wondering what your final thoughts have been on your Agent Theme?
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Laura Monroe (Creative Agent Solutions.com (916)343-3823) Well I have a number of Blogs, and what I have found is that it probably does not matter which theme you choose, just do it. WordPress is the key to a lot of web exposure!
Hi Jim,
Thanks for the post, it just download wordpress child theme and am having a hard time with it. I going to email Brian Austin with Boost.
This is more of an open questions for those that use the AgentPress theme. How do you find conversion and lead generation per thousand visitors?
There's the ongoing debate of forced registration vs open information. We all have websites to generate business in the end. Any thoughts or comparative data on lead generation?
Cindy Roeschen (Keller Williams Preston Center, The Trinity Group) It is actually pretty easy once you get used to it.
Tom Lyons Making You Findable (makingyoufindable.com) Conversion is very low these days. It is the uncertainty about the economy and jobs. I never use forced registration it does not work. I would rather use limited information so they have to contact me.
We are looking into Agent Press for our office to provide each agent with a website. It might be cost-effective and be a great investment.
I think that's a brilliant idea. Combining new local information with IDX is what I do. It will place your company on the map!
Jim: Thank you for the tips!
Olga Fragoso (Coldwell Banker Prime Properties) Thanks...actaully I should be thanking everyone here because I am the person that is learning.
I'm a real estate web designer and one of my more recent clients has opted for the AgentPress theme which I've customized for her. You can view it here. She is using dsSearchAgent for IDX. If you have any questions regarding the features of the theme or anything, please let me know. I'd be glad to help!
I came across Agent Press and really liked the format - crisp & clean. I have my main site on Point2Agent but like the SEO benefit of WordPress. At the 1st of the year they offered a 25% discount which I took advantage of and I'm gald I did - the online forum / support is great and easy to understand tuturials. I also have IDX Broker which has an WordPress plug in, once my wordpress site is further developed I will be moving it from my Point2 site.. www.HunterdonCountyHomes to it's new home. Happy to have found this thread, I was looking for someone with real live sites.
Patty: I have been doing a major search and study on WordPress for several months, now... and feel that Agent Press is an excellent choice. I think I am going to go with one of their "Child" Themes. If you like, I would be glad to email you some links that I have found that have really added to my knowledge about the choices available, and some of the active sites using Agent Press.
It is very different from Point2... and there is NO comparison as far as the SEO possibilities of WordPress.
Also... have you been following the multi-post series of WordPress by Active Rain's own Marti Garaughty ? Here is a link to Marti's series. The Art Of Marketing You . He has about a fifteen post series on WP. Here's another link: Installing WordPress (updated)
Patty, I just looked at your Point2 website, and I like it. If you could afford it, I just might keep it, and also do the WordPress Agent Press site. Multiple sited DO work. Then, just put links to each, on the other. Just a thought.
ps... Thanks, Jim.
Patty Mortara CRS, ABR, ePro | Hunterdon Realty Group (NJ) (Hunterdon Realty Group, LLC) I would do the Wordpress in addition to a website! I agree with Karen Anne Stone
To clarify, Genesis is a package from Agent Press which can be used alone or with added templates like AgentPress. You must have Genesis installed to add AgentPress. This is an exampe of a heavily customized AgentPress website I did. So the sky is the limit if you can get the customizaton done. I don't recommend using the IDX plugins with Wordpress as they tend to conflict with java script plugins in Wordpress. It is not terribly difficult for a developer to do your IDX page without the plugins. Here is my Genesis/Agent Press Site. http://www.phoenixhomesandscottsdalehomes.com
Dennis Reed - This is an excellent job! Did you do it yourself? I would be ashamed to show you my sites. Very well done! For IDX I do inline frames, and they work great!
Jim - Here's our StudioPress/Genesis/Agent Press site: Rich Real Estate LA If you like it, feel free to contact our VA at: vaandsocialmedia@gmail.com
Wow! Looks like this thread has more idxbroker/agentpress experts than idxbroker or studiopress put together.
Here is my problem.. I did a simple cut and paste of the header and footer from my agentpress site into the control panel of idxbroker.. all is well with the exception of the following:
1. visit http://www.kefferrealty.com and mouse over any of the dropdowns several times.. all is well..
Click on the Basic Search drop down and you will be taken to the subdomain www.kefferrealty.com and the search page.. now mouse over any dropdowns and you will get a one time dropdown but if you mouse over again without a click the dropdown will not drop again..that is using IE7.
If using firefox, you can get the dropdown to drop over and over, but none of the other drop downs are functioning now.. only the first one you selected..
I have disabled fancy menus with no change.. it appears to be a conflict between my css and some css that was added to the page by idxbroker on the fly.. has anyone else experienced this problem/
If you have a cut and paste header and footer in the control panel of idxbroker, can you show me your url so I might look at the source code to see if there is any difference.
Thanks in advance.
OOPS! sorry the site is http://kefferrealty.com vice http://www.kefferrealty.com
since the www. is the subdomain where the idx is located and the main site is nonwww.
Hi Tom - You can enable your FancyMenus now. Tech Support has replaced the JavaScript library file (Prototype) used in your IDX Broker global wrapper, with the latest version of that file. We have tested this change in IE and your menus appear to working fine now.
You are smart to use the www as your custom subdomain!
Hi Jim - It's almost 1 1/2 years later that I'm on the WP theme bandwagon. I bought AP over the weekend, spent all day Monday trying to figure out how to even begin customizing.Googling and see where I found myself.
I'm slow, real slow - aren't I? But I'm glad I found this place. I found what I considered as DA BOMB real estate website. Kerry Lucasse's. i've never seen such a beautifully visually appealing as well as information-loaded web.
Loreena Yeo, Realtor®| Frisco TX Community Ambassador (214)783-2210 (3:16 team REALTY ~ Locally-owned Frisco TX Real Estate Co.) Wordpress is incredible. I love the results, and I have published several new WP blogs.
I just started my first word press with the Genesis Agent Press theme. I am still trying to figure the in's and outs of how it all works and am finding it kind of confussing. Hopefully, the holiday weekend will allot me the necessary time to get all the kinks worked out.
Christine McInerney- The McInerney Team Knoxville TN Homes For Sale (The McInerney Team with Keller Williams Realty) I love them! What theme did you buy? I have all of them, but really prefer the Streamline one. Below is an example:
http://real-estate-blog.atlantabesthomes.com/
http://www.homesdunwoodygeorgia.com/