How much does a real estate website cost? If you are reading this it’s because you need to create or redesign your agency website and are looking for quotes.
At Inmoba we receive requests for quoting website designs almost every day. Some of these requests come with some kind of summary of what is expected from us but most of them are along the lines of “How much would a website for my real estate agency cost?”. We will try to explain here why it should not be done like that, and how to ask for a quote for a website as well as all that is to be gained if it is done well.
“How much does a house on the Costa del Sol cost?”
Imagine a client contacts your real estate agency and all he asks is that question. It’s impossible to answer and you probably go into a back and forth of emails and calls to simply find out what that prospective client wants. And let’s face it, many of those contacts will probably end up in the “waste of time” category. It’s as bad for us as it is for the prospect.
If you need to improve your web design or create a new one, it is essential that you spend a little time creating a good request for quotation/proposal. It will help you in many ways and will help the web agency in providing you with their best proposal.
How to request a proposal for your website.
A Request For Proposal for your website is nothing more than a clear, concise and straightforward document. Something that presents your company and its objectives in an informal way and that does not have to be technical or even boring. After all, it is your company, so the more dedication and care you put into it, the better. Think of this request as the first impression that a partner, as important as the web agency that will develop your online presence, will have of your company. You are not just buying something, you are looking for the best partner.
In your request you should include the following points:
- Project Summary
- Company background
- Main objectives
- Services you need
- Sitemap and requirements
- Timing
- Budget
- Selection criteria
1. Project summary.
Introduce your company and state in a straightforward manner why you are making a web proposal request. This tells the web agency what is expected of it and which concerns or problems you have with your current website.
Example: Our company is XYZ Properties, a real estate company with 2 offices on the Costa del Sol, working with clients mainly from the UK. We are looking to completely redesign our website as the current design is outdated and our competitors are overtaking us in markets where we were previously strong.
2.- Brief history of your company.
Describe briefly the history of your company. Tell your potential collaborator who you are and your position in the company, in which markets you work, since when and, above all, what your objectives are. For a web agency it is extremely important to know first-hand who they are talking to. If it is a veteran company, we will have to evaluate and take care of all the good things that already exist. If it is a new company, we will have to plan everything from scratch to enter the market and do it with a positive footing.
Example: At XYZ Properties we have been working for 10 years on the Costa del Sol, from Marbella to Malaga, mainly with English speaking clients. We are well known in the medium to high end sector but we are also aware that we need to improve our website to try to access a more exclusive and luxury market.
3.- Main objectives.
Think of your website as a tool from which you need to get results and indicate where your current website is failing and where you hope to improve with your new website.
Example: Our website currently produces nothing. We need the amazing listing work we do and our reputation for quality to be reflected in our online presence. In addition, we want our visitors to find it extremely easy to contact us and not end up going to our competitors XXX Real Estate or YYY Homes.
4.- Services you are looking for.
State simply what services you are looking for, in your own words, you don’t need to know technical terms. A single web agency does not have to offer absolutely all the services you are looking for, but knowing your needs from the beginning helps to adjust the project and give you more options or references of services that you would need from other professionals.
Example: We need a good web design that gives us the possibility to position ourselves also in search engines organically. Advertising on real estate portals or Google Adwords can also be an option.
5.- Structure and functionality.
Estimate the sections that you think would be necessary: if you are going to need a blog, what kind of search engines or sections you think are essential, etc.
Example: Our website must be unique, with its own design and not based on an existing template. We need it to have search engines for properties for sale and for rent, with special attention to be able to filter by beach and/or golf locations. Also an Our Exclusives section and an Agents Area. The website must have 3 languages (English, Spanish and French) with the possibility of including more languages in the future. We do not need to manage the content directly but we will need a blog. We are experts in the New Golden Mile of Estepona, so giving it special attention is also fine with us.
6.- Timing.
Creating a good website takes time. Tell the web agency if you have any events or deadlines for going online so that they can adjust the team that needs to be available for your project.
Example: We need to be online by the 1st of June as our flagship project will go on sale on that date. In order to generate demand, we would need the English version to be online at least one month earlier.
7.- Available budget.
Yes, in your application you should indicate the budget you have available for the development of the website and the budget you plan to dedicate annually to its improvement and maintenance.
Not indicating your available budget is like going to buy a house without telling the real estate agency how much you would be willing to pay for it. If you are looking to buy a house and your budget is 500.000€, your real estate agent will be able to do his job and offer you the best options according to your budget.
Example: At most we can spend €16,000 for the development of our website and €9,000 for its annual maintenance. For marketing/SEO we would need advice.
8.- Selection criteria.
Send the same form (exactly the same) to several web agencies and let them know in your request for proposal the criteria on which you will base your decision. Points to consider here would be experience, skills, team, portfolio, similar projects, reputation, etc.
Example: We will make our decision based on experience with similar projects, references you can give us and costs of each service.
And that’s it!
If you provide this information when contacting a web agency in the hope of finding the best travel companion to improve your results, we are sure that, at the very least, you will be able to make the best decision.
Wanna try? Get yourself at work, think on the future of your agency and get in touch with a wonderful request for your next powerful website!