NOTE:  As of 7-23-08, the CyberhomesPro smart frame is still not working as one would expect.  I won’t track this product any further. 

As of 6-30-08, CyberHomesPro is showing a listings search in the framed solution.  CyberHomesPro has committed to eliminating this “bug”.  In addition, CyberHomes announced that it would remove the school information provided by GreatSchools.net, while they “reevaluate” participating in a framed solution that includes their content.  I hope CyberHomes can get these issues resolved quickly.  This was such a great idea!

You may be familiar with the CyberHomes website.  It is a public-facing website that provides searches for homes for sale, home valuations (like Zillow) and community and school information.  Using CyberHomesPro, you can frame the same information onto your website.

I haven’t seen reviews of CyberHomes information.  At least, there’s not the same level of buzz as there is about Zillow.  CyberHomes gets its information for providing home pricing based on “property tax records and recent comparable sales”.  I tried to look up reviews of CyberHomes, but I got bored trying to get past all the other products and services named cyberhome, so I gave up.  If there was a lot of buzz about the site, I would think it would be more visible on the search engines.

I’d like to know what you think.  To me, it looks like a nice package of information for real estate websites.  Getting community information and school information can be difficult.  If the information is anywhere near accurate, using the Cyberhomes search in a frame on your site could be a great addition for you and your visitors.

The only thing I would like to see done differently is the width of the site.  If you plan to have the site framed into individual websites, it would be better if the width were more fluid.  As you’ll see in the example in the link below, it was necessary to remove all other information to get the majority of the site to appear without scrolling.

To check it out, visit this example of a framed CyberHomes search.  And, if you want to get some searches of your own, visit www.CyberHomesPro.com.  You can use as many searches as you’d like, so it would be possible to have a different one for each of your key neighborhoods, for example.

I’d be interested to know if you like it, hate it, if you think it’s accurate, not accurate, etc.  Don’t be shy!

PS – Don’t forget to take a few seconds to complete the Internet Marketing poll in the left column!!

Are You Proud of the Neighborhood Information on Your Real Estate Website?

Providing useful neighborhood information on your website can be a challenge.  You can try to keep updated information on your site yourself, but that requires more time than most agents have to spend. 

You can also provide links to other websites, but that sends your visitors away from your site – never the best solution.  And, just linking to other sites is not the most professional way to make your site a true hub for real estate information.

Here’s an Answer: Offer Neighborhood Information and Get Leads at the Same Time!

If you’re not familiar with Neighborhood Scout, you need to evaluate this service as a way to provide very unique neighborhood information, and as an irrestible offer that will turn visitors into leads.

Neighborhood Scout is more than just a compilation of neighborhood statistics, it is a neighborhood search engine. 

• Your visitors can use that search engine to find neighborhoods that meet their lifestyle, whether they’re looking for a good family neighborhood, a place friendly to young singles, or good places for first-time homebuyers to look, among other things.
• If you work with transferees, they’ll enjoy the search that lets them find a match for their current neighborhood in your geographic area.

Neighborhood Scout Can Be Integrated Into Your Website

The best news is that Neighborhood Scout offers a version just for real estate professionals that you can frame into your web pages to keep your visitors on your website.   And, unlike some other services like Onboard, this company’s fees make it reasonable for you to put the search on your individual website.

The search is also set up so that the visitor is offered some useful information just for doing a search.  But to get the complete story, registration is required.   Anyone who registers on your site is your lead and you can then follow up with them.

If you give Neighborhood Scout a try, let us know what you think!