Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has had any luck with using one of those real estate investing “systems”. For example, I just found one that will create my website, give me a toll free number, pass leads to me, etc etc.
I’m new to the world of REI so a system like this appears to be beneficial.
Thanks for the advice.
Jerry
Where does this system get leads from them? Are the leads sent to 500 other investors? Are these filtered leads where the site owner gets all the good ones and you get the passed over and picked over garbage? Do yourself a favor and generate your own leads.
What does a website have to do with real estate? What does a toll free number have to do with real estate?
I found them by doing a google ad, so I assume that’s where some of the leads come from. No sure on who gets the “good” leads and who gets the “bad” leads. I know they want $1300 start up (create website-set up phone number,etc) and $49 a month.
It’s a service that sets up and host your (my) business website for my real estate business.
Thanks for the help.
Jerry
Sounds like a waste of money. You can start your own web site and host it for about $10.00 a year. You can get a 1-800 numbers for about $.05 a minute, and a few dollars per month.
For about $25.00, make 3000 business cards. Call every agent you see on a sign and tell them what you are looking for. Knock on some doors.
That $1300 will get you a lot more if you play it wisely, use it for gas to make new contacts, and pound some doors, drive around looking for fixer-uppers, etc.
Good luck.
I would agree. Save your money. You can set up a website a lot cheaper if you wanted too. Although I am not sure why you would want too set one up unless you are trying to sell something.
Check out this webiste: www.smartinvestorpro.com. It’s a totally comprehensive software package that includes help with setting up your website and free web hosting.
Tammy, two of your 4 posts have been about smartinvestorpro. What’s your affiliation?
spend the money on direct mail trying to find motivated sellers…
too many times i see investors spend a crap load of money on a website that is sold to the masses
dont do it!
amen to that. I spent shitload of money on junk stuff to setup my business and brand it and now out of money to buy more houses till I sell one of the houses I got.
Find a website you like, download it and change it a little. go to 1and1.com and sign up for a hosting for $3/month and you’re done.
If you want to allow prospects to submit, then search the web for form2email.php or something like that… find a college kid that does php and give him $40 to set it all up for you.
see my another post that i gave some good tips and recommendations
I am going to have to disagree with the consensus—the right landing page with the right message read by targetted traffic is an effective way to get an internet strategy to work and pay for itself.
For many, the internet serves as the primary source of information gathering—get the SE user to find you when he is looking for “it” and you now have a prospect in the early stages of the decision process.
Regards,
Scott Miller
i would have to agree with scott…
you have to provide relevant content …since the consumer is gathering information to make his next move…
become the trusted advisor and you have at least one foot in the door… not to mention that you position yourself as the expert
Although there are lots of opportunities for marketers to screw up any promotion, saying websites don’t work for real estate investors is going against a tidal wave of experience in our Internet age. In the interest of full disclosure, I am president of EJW Associates, Inc. (http://www.ejwassoc.com), a small marketing communications firm with one foot in traditional print-based media, and another in the Internet.
While we don’t offer “all-in-one packaged websites”, we have a lot of history with clients who successfully sell in the REI market, including…
http://www.atlantainvesting.com
http://www.bluefieldscapital.com
http://www.phillyinvesting.com
Our experience enables us to provide cost-effective internet marketing services to savvy marketers who know what happens with the $1/month web site hosting account, and a web site developed on the cheap by their favorite relative. Let’s get real. If anyone knows of a PHP developer who’ll set up a site for $40, I’d sure like to hear from him or her!
Can you make a big expensive mistake with a web site? Indeed, you can. Can you also have a web site that is the engine for your success? Certainly!
Here is my take.
A website is like a 24 hour a day online piece of direct mail, but that direct mail is on steroids.
So treat it like direct mail. If it isn’t producing leads, then your website, well “SUCKS”. If you sent 1000 pieces of mail and you got 1 call, you would redo your mailings. I suggest the same here.
Do you let a “college kid” do your marketing?
What does a website have to do with Fast Food Burgers? Then why does every fast food company have one? Not only that, they are professionally done and branded.
A website is a useful tool if treated as such. It allows you to market, it is easily updated with current information, and allows you to gather information from a potential seller, buyer or private investor.
I am not backing either doing a site on your own or a “pre-packaged” system, but whatever it is, treat it the same you should all your marketing. Measure the return and modify it, tweak it, and keep making it work for you.
Do you really want a web site that uses the same layout and verbiage as everyone else? Where is your unique value add going to come from?