This post outlines the market, my vision and thoughts about branding regarding the Fischer Real Estate Services website I will redesign for Geek Build 2012 to cover Fort Worth, TX. I love feedback and comments.

Market: Fort Worth proper is a competitive market organically, but lacks a technologically savvy brokerage (a void I look to fill). Many of the most popular neighborhoods consist of historical housing built around 1920-1950 and are located in or around cultural centers of the city. Remodels, renovations, and new builds are prevalent and attractive to buyers. The suburbs continue to grow rapidly due to a steady influx of industry and jobs, and are popular particularly for new residents to the greater Fort Worth area. The area is comprised of mostly new-construction homes. Proximity to shopping, jobs, and high-performing suburban schools drive the demand here.

Primary Goal: Establish Fort Worth positioning. Maximize requests for showings and listing appointments.

Vision: I envision the website as the go-to resource for Fort Worth real estate. I’d like to highlight as many neighborhoods as possible and provide relevant and easy to understand content for buyers, sellers, and renters. I want the website to be clean, professional, and easily navigable. The website should rank highly in search results and excel at lead conversion.

Branding: We bring an incredible level of service and local knowledge to the table. We want to highlight the use of technology in our business, especially in marketing (social media, IDX) and transaction management (e-signatures, CRM). I love Fort Worth and want my passion and knowledge for the area to shine. I plan to run the business as a boutique with a few agents and office staff and a strong positive culture. I want our clients to feel welcome and happy when they choose to work with us. I want the site to convey our high level of service, local expertise, and real estate knowledge.

Layout/Conversion/Design: The layout of the site is very important to me. I want users to be able to easily find information that they are looking for. There is a lot of content on the site, but I don’t think it is clearly navigable as I’d like it to be yet. Conversion is lacking with the current site, as I receive 75-100 unique visitors a day, with only 4-5 contacts a month. Ideally, every unrepresented buyer, seller, or renter should reach out to us. This area of development calls for the most drastic improvements. I want the design to convey our professionalism which means upgrading some of the basic design features. I am happy with the theme I am using, but hope to beef up and customize the site as much as possible.

Discussion points:

  • Layout – What are the “must have” topics/menus for a main brokerage site? What dropdowns/features must be included? How can we make it easier to use?
  • Conversion – What really drives conversion? Is it the right IDX? How can we maximize our contact with visitors to the site?
  • Design – What elements can be improved and customized? I really want to set us apart in this aspect (especially due to the low technological competition in my market.)

Note from the Editor: Not sure what Geek Build 2012 is? It’s building a few real estate websites from scratch publicly with the help of the Geek Estate Community and overseen by an experienced steering committee. Read more about Geek Build 2012 here, or view all posts related to Geek Build 2012 here.

**Geek Build logo designed by Dominic Morrocco at M Squared Real Estate.