Noteworthy

Best blog platform for real estate professionals?

The most common question I get from agents during and after an internet marketing presentation is what blog platform should they start with.  I tend to give a soft recommendation for WordPress.com (since it’s free, easy and I use that service with 4realz.net), but there really are a bunch of other great options…

So, rather than recommend any one solution, I’ve started sending people to a wiki with a list of blog platform options for real estate professionals on wetpaint.

On the wiki, I separated the various options into the various types by (1) free vs paid, (2) hosted vs self-hosted and (3) general interest vs real estate specific blog platforms. However, my knowledge is really limited to the free platforms (such as Blogger, WordPress, and ActiveRain), so if I missed your platform or you want to add more details about a platform I included, please don’t hesitate to sign up for a free WetPaint account and update the information yourself.

UPDATE:

I recently took the “best” of the wiki and summarized the best blog platform option in the tool shed. Feel free to check out that resource and/or ping me in the comments if you have more questions.

Related posts:

  1. Inbox: How do I connect my blog with my website?
  2. Remodeling 4realz: Adding a library!
  3. Trulia Blog Platform?

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18 responses

  1. Ricardo Bueno Avatar
    Ricardo Bueno

    TYPEPAD!!! (I’m only joking with the emphasis. It’s just that I happen to be a typepad user).

    Reply
  2. Dustin Avatar
    Dustin

    I have so never understood typepad… (but I did include it!). I’d love someone to take over and tell me what they like about it… (especially if they were to compare it to WordPress!).

    Reply
  3. Steve Jagger - Ubertor Avatar
    Steve Jagger – Ubertor

    Hey Dustin,
    Thanks for including us. If any of your readers are interested in trying an Ubertor site they can do it right now and get the first 30 days free. It takes 90 seconds to do.
    http://order.ubertor.com/signup
    Any questions please contact me directly.
    Thanks
    Steve

    Reply
  4. Arefe Avatar
    Arefe

    thanks for the tip.

    Reply
  5. CJ in NELA Avatar
    CJ in NELA

    I ‘spose I kinda sorta qualify as a TypePad expert 🙂 And I think I can hold my own on WordPress.org, too.

    I have some in depth info on both systems on http://www.dablogmother.com but if you’d like me to come up with some kind of comparison summary ….. I bet I could probably do that if you don’t expect it real soon….

    Reply
  6. Linda Slocum - Santa Clarita Realtor Avatar
    Linda Slocum – Santa Clarita Realtor

    Also worth looking at are http://RealEstateBlogsites.com and http://blogsite.com – both are paid blog platforms.

    Reply
  7. Dustin Avatar
    Dustin

    CJ: If you do put together a comparison of the two platforms, I’d definitely be interested in learning from it!

    Reply
  8. Dustin Avatar
    Dustin

    Linda: Do you know much about either of those sites? I added them, but I’d love to see some of their sites in action! 😉

    Reply
  9. Tracey-Los Angeles Real Estate Talk.com Avatar
    Tracey-Los Angeles Real Estate Talk.com

    We use wordpress, it seems to be the most common.

    Reply
  10. Dustin Avatar
    Dustin

    Tracey: I agree that WordPress tends to be the most common for people setting up new blogs. Even many of the vendors listed under the “paid” section are using WordPress for their backend.

    Reply
  11. Phyllis Harb Avatar
    Phyllis Harb

    I use Go Daddy – any comments?

    Reply
  12. rhondaporter Avatar
    rhondaporter

    I’m a typepad user too…when I’m not writing at RCG. I’m trying to encourage the agents that I work with to start blogging (can you believe how many don’t?) w/Typepad only because it’s easier for me. WordPress seems more “technical” to me.

    Reply
  13. Dustin Avatar
    Dustin

    Rhonda… Do you find WP to be easier now that I’ve updated the backend, or is it still more technical?

    Reply
  14. Karen Goodman Avatar
    Karen Goodman

    Dustin – I’m really glad I found this post. I knew absolutely nothing about websites or blogs last fall, and was encouraged by my broker to set up a Point 2 site. I ended up upgrading from the (formerly) free template website to the paid Professional version mostly so I could get an integrated blog. I’ve figured out that with 8 months of reading everyone else in the blogosphere, I know more about the subject than anyone at my brokerage…so I really have no one to go to for advice.

    It’s been a great learning experience, but I feel like I’ve got a website/blog with training wheels, and I’m ready to move to the big bike! I’m not sure where to start. I don’t understand the issues between hosted vs self-hosted. I also don’t know the difference between WP.org vs WP.com. Everyone refers to WP, but which would be better for someone that is willing to learn a little, but isn’t really interested in learning HTML/CSS and becoming a IT specialist. I’m really just a full time real estate agent trying to use the tools out there, but am willing to learn enough to implement an effective site.

    I’m also interested in switching both my website and blog to one blogsite that allows for a MLS IDX search. Any suggestions?

    Reply
  15. Dustin Avatar
    Dustin

    Karen,

    I have all kinds of suggestions for you! 😉 and I actually designed a course just for agents in your situation.

    With that said, there’s more than a few solutions out there for someone like yourself, so I’m going to ping you with an email. It’s quite possible that some peole I know would be willing to design you a pretty slick website (with blog, IDX, analytics, etc. built in), at a pretty decent price point.

    Reply
  16. leigh ventura Avatar
    leigh ventura

    Dustin,
    I read you above post, having just stumbled onto your blog and am also interested in creating a website with the capabilities you mentioned. I jsut don’t know where to start or how much I could expect to pay for this. Can you e-mail me if you have suggestions on how to get started.
    THanks,
    Leigh

    Reply
  17. Dustin Avatar
    Dustin

    Leigh,

    I just sent you an email… 🙂

    Reply
  18. Architectural Design Services Avatar
    Architectural Design Services

    Blogs for real estate professionals are a great help to help business. WordPress is good and is also free. Will try TypePad too..

    Reply

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