SaaS Real Estate Websites Are a Waste of Money in 2021

The SaaS Model For Agent Websites Is Broken!

You could own your custom WordPress real estate website fan investment similar to the setup fees for an SaaS Real Estate Website, and in 2021, you should!

Since 2004, we’ve being developing custom real estate websites at a price point similar to that of a template-based real estate website. Today, you’d be crazy not to own your real estate website. It’s all upside, with very little downside. Here are some of the reasons why:

What is Real Estate Saas?

Real Estate SaaS is an acronym for Real Estate Software as a Service. It refers to any software (like Microsoft Office) delivered to you as a service (you pay for it monthly, rather than buying the box).

Using Real Estate SaaS is similar to Renting vs. Owning A House

Real Estate SaaS has been an astounding coo for the real estate software industry. Instead of the capital expense of buying software, you can now “rent” all the real estate software you need to run your real estate business, including your real estate website.

Furthermore, at face value, the monthly fees can appear low.

The True Cost of SaaS Real Estate Websites

There’s usually a setup fee – let’s call that $500
Then there’s your monthly fee (IDX, Platform, CRM): $250

That’s $3,500 yearly.
By EoY 2, that’s $7,000
By EoY 4 that’s $14,000 SPENT –

Four years is about the length of time it takes to become established in your real estate career.

How often do Real Estate Agents Change Their Website Provider?

For agents using Real Estate Saas Websites, I believe, from my experience with our own clients, the average Real Estate Agents change their real estate website provider every 2-4 years. This is because they either outgrow the functionality of their existing website, or a new platform comes out with a brand-new set of features.

Although, I had one client come to use who had been through 5 providers in two years. That’s likely a record. I am also aware of the specific clauses these companies have in their service agreements. She had clearly breached those agreements, and not given any of these real estate website design companies a chance. She had clearly not committed to any provider, and they were all reputable. Frankly, this put me off wanting to take her as a real estate web design client.

What Happens When You Change Real Estate Website Provider?

Bad things can happen when you change your real estate website provider! If you’ve put any SEO effort into your website, you can lose all your hard earned progress.

Many of the SaaS Real Estate Website providers have custom URL structures. This means that when you switch between any of the Real Estate Saas website providers, this link structure will change. When the link structure of a website changes, without redirects in place, then all the links to that page on Google become invalid.

Link structure of IDX pages

Similarly, to your static website page URL structure, your IDX page links will change as your site moves, since each system has a different structure. If you’re also changing your IDX data provider, then your link structure for every listing page on your website will change.

Here are examples of the link structures for a property details page with the major IDX providers:

ShowcaseIDX:
https://yourorlando.com/properties/listing/stellar/O5941207/Orlando/5552-Minute-Man-Court

IHomefinder:
https://perceptionhomes.com/homes-for-sale-details/322-LARK-LN-ALAMO-CA-94507/40911888/2/

IDX Broker:
http://ridgwayco.idxbroker.com/idx/details/listing/a187/771680/1559-County-Road-5-CR-Ridgway-CO-81432

CHIME:
https://www.laexecsrealty.com/listing-detail/1048998579/319_24th_ST-Manhattan_Beach-CA?source=search&listingStatus=Active&listingSort=RELEVANCE&page=1&pageSize=3&isSearching=true&siteId=1969&mapSearch=false&zoom=14&threshold=10&key=Manhattan+Beach%2C+CA&keywordType=city&featureListingName=&timeStamp=1619976608936&requestId=1619976609.62-q49tydu0-ihig-v173-9ew5-tq22h6xcryhw&

Owning Your Real Estate Website

You could own your real estate website For an investment similar to the setup fees for an SaaS Real Estate Website., you can OWN your WordPress Real Estate Website.

Benefits of Owning Your Real Estate Website

1. You own it; therefore, it’s an asset to your business.
2. Fully customizable design
3. Lower costs
4. Choice of Real Estate IDX Vendor
5. Choice of CRM
6. Full access for SEO
7. Anyone can work on your website
8. No contacts
9. Choice of vendors
10. Millions of plugins
11. Integrate with other systems
12. Scale with ease
13. No limitations

The Cost Of Owning Your Real Estate Website

You could own your real estate website for an investment similar to the setup fees for an SaaS Real Estate Website, and you should!

Specifically, we have, since 2004, being developing custom real estate websites at a price point similar to that of a template-based real estate website.

I mean, you’d be crazy not to own your real estate website. It’s all upside, with very little downside.

Development Of A WordPress Real Estate Website That You Own Is Easy!

We build and deliver custom WordPress IDX Real Estate websites. This includes all content, and all images. You can host the site wherever you want, or we’ll host it for you.

Then, upon completion of the development of our custom WordPress real estate websites, the handover to our client is just a backup and restore. This is an easy process that takes about 15 minutes.

And, We’ll have all this done for you within about 7 business days.

So, if you’re interested in learning more about converting your SaaS website to one that you own, please schedule a free real estate marketing consultation with my team.