Most estate agent websites open with a search box over a stock photo of a living room. It looks professional, but it asks the visitor to do the work before showing them anything. A buyer wants to see what is for sale and what it costs. A seller wants to know what you would price their home at. Neither is helped by a search box.
An estate agent website works best when it gives each of these visitors what they came for, quickly. This guide covers how to do that, and why a property developer's website is a different job.
Two visitors, two jobs
Almost everyone who visits a local estate agent's site is one of two people:
- A buyer or tenant, looking at what is on the market in your area. They want to browse, filter and compare, then book a viewing.
- A seller or landlord, deciding which agent to use. They want to know if you sell homes like theirs, what you would price it at and what you charge.
Buyers bring traffic. Sellers bring income. Most agents earn their fees from sellers, so the seller side of the site deserves as much attention as the listings.
Price, beds, baths and area before the photos
When buyers browse, they scan for a few facts: price, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, floor area and location. Show those on every listing card, before anyone opens a photo gallery. A wall of homes where each card shows the price and key details lets a buyer rule properties in or out in seconds.
Each property should then have its own page with:
- Price, and whether it is freehold or leasehold, where relevant
- Bedrooms, bathrooms and floor area
- Full photo gallery and floor plan
- A short, factual description
- Location, with a map and nearby transport and schools if useful
- Any required information, such as energy rating or council tax band, depending on your country's rules
- A clear way to book a viewing or ask a question
Write descriptions plainly. Buyers have learned to skip phrases that every listing uses. Facts about the home, such as a south-facing garden, a new boiler or a ten-minute walk to the station, are more useful.
Filters that work in place
Filtering should feel instant. When a buyer taps "3 bedrooms" or "flats", the listings should update on the same page, without a reload or a new search. Keep the filters simple: property type, number of bedrooms, price range and perhaps area. Most local agents do not have enough stock to need more.
Show sold or let-agreed properties too, clearly marked. Buyers and sellers both find it useful to see what has sold recently, and it shows that your agency is active.
The seller side: a valuation form
The seller is deciding between you and other agents. Help them by making the next step obvious: a valuation request.
A good valuation form asks for:
- The property address
- Property type and number of bedrooms
- Whether they are thinking of selling or letting
- Their timeline
- The best way to contact them
Put a clear call to book a valuation on the home page, on every listing page and in the navigation. Next to it, explain how you work: how you price homes, how you market them, how often you report back, and your fee structure if you are willing to share it.
Recent sales in the seller's area are your strongest argument. A short list of homes you have sold nearby, with the type of property and how long it took, tells a seller more than a general claim about service.
Area pages
Buyers moving to a new area want to know what it is like. Sellers want to know whether you know their street. Short pages for each area you cover help both, and they also help you appear in searches such as "estate agent [area]" or "houses for sale [area]".
On each area page, include:
- A short description of the area, written by someone who knows it
- Typical property types
- Transport, schools and shops
- Your current listings in that area
- Recent sales in that area
Developers are a different site
A property developer's website has a different audience. A developer is not selling individual houses to the public in the same way. They are asking landowners to trust them with land, investors and lenders to trust them with capital, and planning authorities and communities to trust them with a scheme.
A developer's site should show:
- Current schemes by stage, from land acquisition through planning to construction and completion
- A track record: schemes delivered, homes handed over and years in business
- Individual project pages with the number of homes, floor area and completion year
- How they work with landowners and investors
- A contact route for land and capital partners
Setting up Freehold
Freehold is a free Framer template for a local estate agent. It puts the price first. Every home on the listing wall shows its price, beds, baths and floor area before anyone opens a photo, and tapping a property type or bedroom count narrows the wall in place. Each property gets its own page. It also gives the seller side its own path, so a homeowner can ask what you would price their house at.
To set it up:
1. Replace the demo listings with your current properties, including price, beds, baths and area.
2. Add photos and floor plans to each property page.
3. Update the filters to match the types of property you list.
4. Connect the valuation form to your office email and test it.
5. Add your office address, hours and contact details.
6. Add any information your local rules require on listings.
For property developers, Kinross ($49) is built around a pipeline of schemes by stage and a record of what has been finished. It includes eight sample project pages on the CMS, a four-stage process, a partners section for land and capital, a contact form and a setup guide. See also our list of Framer templates for property developers.
Keeping listings current
A listing site is only useful if it is accurate. If you list on property portals, update your own site at the same time. Mark sold and let properties promptly. Remove withdrawn ones. Out-of-date listings frustrate buyers and make the agency look inactive.
A clear, current website does not replace the portals, which bring most buyer traffic. It is where buyers go to check you out after seeing a listing, and where sellers go to decide whether to call you. Show the price first, make filtering easy, and give sellers a simple way to ask for a valuation.