A real estate agency website that wins instructions, not just clicks
Buyers will find most of your listings on the big property portals. Your own site exists mainly for sellers and landlords deciding who to instruct: they want local knowledge, evidence of sales and an easy valuation request. A real estate agency website should serve both, but put sellers first. Anticode can build that and hold listings in a CMS you update by hand; it has no portal or MLS feed.
Who your site is really for
Portals are where buyers and tenants browse; your website is where a vendor checks you out after seeing your board on their street. That changes the order of the homepage. Lead with the areas you cover and a valuation request, then show proof (recent sales, properties let, how long you've worked the patch), then current stock.
| Visitor | Looks for | Page that answers |
|---|---|---|
| Seller or landlord | Local expertise, fees, how marketing works, a valuation | Valuation page, Selling or Letting page, area guides |
| Buyer or tenant | Current properties, viewing times, contact for each listing | Listings collection with one page per property |
| Someone relocating | What the neighbourhoods are like | Area guides with schools, transport and housing types |
The valuation request is your most important form
Ask for the property address, type, number of bedrooms, the reason for the valuation (selling, letting, just curious), the timescale and the best way to get in touch. Don't pretend to give an instant valuation from a postcode; sellers know a real figure needs a visit, and an honest "we'll come and look" sets you apart from the instant-estimate sites.
Those fields need a custom form tied to a site function (up to 30 plain-text fields), since the standard contact form has only name, email and a message. Anticode saves each request and can email it to the branch, add it to Google Sheets or Airtable, or send it to HubSpot as a contact so it lands in your pipeline. The route enquiries workflow shows how to send sales and lettings requests to different people.
Listings in a CMS collection, by hand
Anticode's CMS gives you per-project collections with typed fields, edited in the dashboard. A properties collection could hold address area, price, bedrooms, bathrooms, property type, status (available, under offer, sold, let), a description and key features. Each property gets its own page at /properties/<slug>, and the collection index lists them all.
Be clear-eyed about the work. There's no automatic import from your CRM, a portal or an MLS, so every new instruction, price change and "under offer" is a manual edit. That's practical for a boutique agency with a dozen properties; for a branch network with hundreds, keep listings in the system that feeds the portals and link to your portal profile, or use your CRM's own listing pages, while Anticode carries the brand, area guides and valuation route.
Viewings and area guides
For viewings, a request form on each property page (preferred days, name, phone, whether they're chain-free or need a mortgage) is usually more useful than self-service booking. Anticode's booking calendar takes one booking per slot at six fixed times a day (Mondays skipped), so it doesn't fit 15-minute open-house slots; it suits a single valuation visit or viewing that you then confirm, and it doesn't sync with negotiators' diaries or assign staff.
Area guides are where an agency can show it really knows a place: the streets people ask about, typical house types, schools, stations, the high street, what a parking permit involves. Written from experience, they're useful to buyers and persuasive to sellers. Keep them in their own collection so you can add one area at a time.
Rules and wording
Property advertising often carries legal obligations, such as stating material information, fee disclosure, energy ratings or tenancy rules, and they vary by country and region. The agency is responsible for its own regulatory wording on listings and fee pages. Anticode writes a starting Privacy Policy and Terms from what the site collects; check them against your obligations.
Design that lets the photos work
Generic generated agency sites stack a skyline photo, a search bar that doesn't search anything, and invented sold counts. Use your own professional property photos, keep the type clean and let the images carry the page. Swiss (Inter Tight) or Editorial (Geist) give a crisp, information-led layout; Luxury (Jost) suits prime and country homes. Every image needs alt text before the design gate will publish, which also helps visitors using screen readers.
Where you'll need another tool
- No portal, MLS or CRM feed. Listings are entered by hand.
- No property search with filters. The collection lists properties; it doesn't run price or bedroom search. Link to your portal listings for that.
- No saved searches, alerts or buyer accounts. Published sites have no visitor logins; collect buyer requirements with a form instead.
- No tenant or landlord portal. Use your property management software.
Questions people ask
Do agents still need their own real estate agency website if they're on the portals?
Yes, for sellers and landlords choosing an agent. Portals show stock; your site shows expertise, fees and a way to book a valuation.
Can I mark a property as sold or under offer?
Yes, with a status field in the properties collection. You change it in the dashboard; the property page updates when you save.
Can valuation requests go straight into my CRM?
HubSpot, Airtable, Google Sheets and any webhook are supported connectors. Each submission is sent once, as it arrives.