New Webinar Series – Optimizing MLS Integration
Using Web-Ex Live Remote Training, we will show you how to use custom MLS integration to import MLS data directly into ClickFORMS. Make retyping MLS data a thing of the past!
Webinar Dates/Times
- Friday, May 27, 2005 - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
- Friday, June 3, 2005 - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
- Friday, June 10, 2005 - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
The session lasts for one hour. Maximum of 10 people per session. Session will start promptly on the hour.
Reserve your seat today! 800-622-8727
Upcoming Tradeshows - Valuation 2005 in New Orleans and The Appraisal Institute Western Region Conference in Las Vegas !
Bradford Technologies will be exhibiting at several upcoming tradeshows. There are two coming up soon. We will be at the Valuation 2005 show in New Orleans from May 25 – 27 (http://www.valuation2005.com), and The Appraisal Institute Western Region Joint Conference in Las Vegas (www.appraisalinstitute.org), from June 8 – 11. If you’re going to be there, please stop by and say hello.
To find out more about this conference, click here (pdf format). You can also view the registration form here (pdf format).
The Internet Appraiser Part II – Building Your Website
Welcome back! In the last edition we discussed “web presence”; i.e., the benefits of having a website and what’s required to build it. In this edition, we’ll discuss how to build your website and your various options.
Fundamentally, there are three options for creating your website: a) do-it-yourself, b) hire a web designer, and c) use a pre-packaged website builder. There are pros and cons to all three choices. Remember that this is the now your business face to the world, so it’s important to make a good decision.
Do-it-Yourself Websites
Building your own website gives you a lot of freedom, however it’s not for everyone. If you’re going to build a truly professional-looking website – as opposed to a Yahoo GeoCities free website -- you’ll probably want to invest in a web design program like Microsoft FrontPage™. You can usually buy it for about $100 or so. So it’s fairly inexpensive.
Once you’ve purchased FrontPage, you now have to learn it. And, while it’s not as hard as writing html (basically the language of the web), it’s not for the novice computer user. The design of a very basic website will probably take about ten hours or so. These ten hours can be an enjoyable learning experience or a frustrating nightmare. And all points in-between.
Oh, and don’t forget that you still need to secure a domain name and a service provider, so that will add to the process.
Hire a Professional Web Designer
The second option is to hire a professional web designer. A good one can make your company website look like you are a multi-billion dollar international conglomerate. But they cost money. The best of these charge a minimum of $100 per hour (or more if there is a need for a database, etc). So if it took your designer ten hours to complete the design, you'd obviously pay $1,000 for your website.
When looking into hiring a web designer, obviously ask to see examples of their work. Then ask how long the examples took to build. Then, ask to talk to their customers. Good designers will have lots of references. Go on their websites and play around. Make sure all the links work. Does the site refresh quickly, or is it bogged down by a lot of flash demos? Your intuition will tell you a lot – if you like their work, they are probably pretty good. Remember, making something that is easy to use is usually harder to do than making something that is difficult to use.
Finally, judge the personality of the designer. Do they listen? Are they open to your ideas? If not, find someone who will. Remember, this is your business.
Use a Pre-packaged Website Builder
Many companies offer pre-packaged websites that are template-based and therefore easy to build. Bradford Technologies has one. While the pre-packaged sites may not have the flexibility of the do-it-yourself or the web designer, they are usually a *lot* easier and will save you a ton of time! You can usually set one up less than a half-an-hour.
Again, one pre-packaged option is from Bradford Technologies; it’s called AppraisalWorld Webhomes. Here is how it works:
To get started with AppraisalWorld Web Homes, you will need to create an Appraisal World account at http://www.appraisalworld.com
Once you create an account, you can try WebHomes for 30 days – if you like it, it’s easy to subscribe. Once you subscribe, we will register a domain name on your behalf, or you can transfer an existing domain name. Then, we will “link” this domain name to your Appraisal World account. Your website will be “live” in 24-48 hours.
To build your website with AppraisalWorld, it takes only 6 easy steps:
Step #1 – Choose a Floor Plan
Select a floor plan among 6 layouts
Step #2 – Choose a Design
Select a design among various layouts
Step #3 – Choose a Color
Select a color for your layout
Step #4 – Create Signage
Upload a company logo and/or create a text logo
Step #5 – Content
Here, you will customize the content of your website
Step #6 – Publish!
You’re done! Your changes are saved and will be live on the web.
In addition to our easy to use HomeBuilder, we have many additional features that will help your small business:
- Create up to 20 personalized email addresses (name@companyname.com) and check your email via the web or your favorite email client (such as Outlook).
- Create up to 10 FTP user accounts for your employees or clients for the transfer of files, such as appraisal reports
- Learn who is visiting your website by accessing your site statistics
Hope you find this helpful. Please give us a call and let us know how we can help.
Next issue: Part III of the Internet Appraiser – Marketing Your Website
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