In a move that could forecast sweeping changes to popular real estate websites, online property listings service MyHouseDeals.com launches new website to meet the demands of a changing Web
HOUSTON, Jan. 25, 2010 — MyHouseDeals.com just launched a new version of its popular real estate investment website. The site was redesigned to offer new features that are aligned with the latest Web trends. We map out Web trends and how MyHouseDeals.com is responding to them.
Web Trend #1: User-Generated Content — The popularity of social media websites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Wikipedia has turned users into webmasters, allowing them to provide the content. At MyHouseDeals.com, users have long been able to generate content by posting their own properties for sale. The new site enables users to expand upon those listings by making public comments about them.
Web Trend #2: Simplicity — Most websites are moving to more streamlined, user-friendly design. This often means telling less and showing more. For MyHouseDeals.com, this meant removing dozens of paragraphs that explain property listings and replacing them with the actual listings. It also meant making the most valuable content on the site, the properties, viewable within one click instead of four.
Web Trend #3: Community — Today's most popular websites offer a community experience by encouraging users to publish content and interact with each other. According to Doug Smith, founder of MyHouseDeals.com, "Our new site is the beginning of a strong online community for real estate investors. It allows investors to contact each other and share information. Everything happens so fast in real estate you must have a channel to stay current and connected to other investors 24/7."
Web Trend #4: Free Content — To remain relevant, modern websites must offer rich, unique information for free. This generates the word-of-mouth buzz that propels many websites to new heights. "We believe the biggest differentiator for our new site is free access to investment properties. You just don't see that available elsewhere," says Mr. Smith. "Investors are now able to view — and profit from — our properties without ever paying us a dime."
Web Trend #5: Transparency — Because Web 2.0 sites rely on users to keep the community alive, it's more important than ever for businesses to be open about their practices. This leads to greater trust and customer loyalty. "Our goal has always been to be as transparent as possible with our users, and our new site takes that to a new level because it hides nothing. The properties and user comments are now free for all to see, which is exactly what users want," says Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith concludes by saying, "A change in the way information is distributed on the Web is happening before our eyes. We're seeing that on today's Web, information begs to be free, unique, and controlled by the public. We couldn't resist being a part of that revolution." If the changes adopted by MyHouseDeals.com are any indication, we should see these trends applied to other real estate websites.
About MyHouseDeals.com
MyHouseDeals.com provides a listing of investment property. Residential real estate investors use the website to purchase properties at up to 50% off market value. Since 2005, MyHouseDeals.com has provided information on over 42,700 investment properties. To gain free access to the listings, just go to MyHouseDeals.com, click into your city, and create a free account.
Contact:
Alex Soares, business manager
(713) 942-0703
Email
http://www.myhousedeals.com
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Latest Web Trends Begin to Influence Real Estate Websites
In a move that could forecast sweeping changes to popular real estate websites, online property listings service MyHouseDeals.com launches new website to meet the demands of a changing Web
HOUSTON, Jan. 25, 2010 — MyHouseDeals.com just launched a new version of its popular real estate investment website. The site was redesigned to offer new features that are aligned with the latest Web trends. We map out Web trends and how MyHouseDeals.com is responding to them.
Web Trend #1: User-Generated Content — The popularity of social media websites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Wikipedia has turned users into webmasters, allowing them to provide the content. At MyHouseDeals.com, users have long been able to generate content by posting their own properties for sale. The new site enables users to expand upon those listings by making public comments about them.
Web Trend #2: Simplicity — Most websites are moving to more streamlined, user-friendly design. This often means telling less and showing more. For MyHouseDeals.com, this meant removing dozens of paragraphs that explain property listings and replacing them with the actual listings. It also meant making the most valuable content on the site, the properties, viewable within one click instead of four.
Web Trend #3: Community — Today's most popular websites offer a community experience by encouraging users to publish content and interact with each other. According to Doug Smith, founder of MyHouseDeals.com, "Our new site is the beginning of a strong online community for real estate investors. It allows investors to contact each other and share information. Everything happens so fast in real estate you must have a channel to stay current and connected to other investors 24/7."
Web Trend #4: Free Content — To remain relevant, modern websites must offer rich, unique information for free. This generates the word-of-mouth buzz that propels many websites to new heights. "We believe the biggest differentiator for our new site is free access to investment properties. You just don't see that available elsewhere," says Mr. Smith. "Investors are now able to view — and profit from — our properties without ever paying us a dime."
Web Trend #5: Transparency — Because Web 2.0 sites rely on users to keep the community alive, it's more important than ever for businesses to be open about their practices. This leads to greater trust and customer loyalty. "Our goal has always been to be as transparent as possible with our users, and our new site takes that to a new level because it hides nothing. The properties and user comments are now free for all to see, which is exactly what users want," says Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith concludes by saying, "A change in the way information is distributed on the Web is happening before our eyes. We're seeing that on today's Web, information begs to be free, unique, and controlled by the public. We couldn't resist being a part of that revolution." If the changes adopted by MyHouseDeals.com are any indication, we should see these trends applied to other real estate websites.
About MyHouseDeals.com
MyHouseDeals.com provides a listing of investment property. Residential real estate investors use the website to purchase properties at up to 50% off market value. Since 2005, MyHouseDeals.com has provided information on over 42,700 investment properties. To gain free access to the listings, just go to MyHouseDeals.com, click into your city, and create a free account.
Contact:
Alex Soares, business manager
(713) 942-0703
Email
http://www.myhousedeals.com
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