Name of your website?HomesOahuHawaii
Your name?
Michael Hege
Your Location (city, etc)
Kapolei
Please give us a short summary of your website?
I tried to make a real estate site I would find useful if I was moving to Kapolei. Having recently moved from the mainland, I am very conscious of how different it is to move across an ocean compared to across the county or to a different state. I also recognize that many of the people who may be interested in the information are only going to be here for a week on vacation so I really tried to make my links useful for visitors as well as people moving. Kapolei is the fastest growing city in the state of Hawaii. As such, there are so many new projects going on and being announced that I started a weblog, Kapolei Today (http://www.KapoleiToday.com) to have a place to keep track of the changes.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I recently moved here from Kansas. I'd been a REALTOR, Broker/Owner, Sales manager and developer there and decided I'd just like to sell real estate again after I moved here. A website seemed to give me the opportunity to take advantage of my experience and to have a way to promote myself. It was also something that I thought I should finally break down and learn how to do. I have loved the learning experience and the "world" that it has opened up to me. Everyday, between the weblog and the website I learn more and more about how important it is for a REALTOR to have website. I also think it is valuable for me to have learned how to manage the site myself and to not be afraid to experiment.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
The website was born in September 2007 and has been a growing project ever since. This was my first website and the weblog was my first experience with that.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
I spent a lot of time on Go Daddy domain search seeing what was available and trying to come up with something that was both memorable and descriptive of what the site was going to be about.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
I think the weblog gives me the chance to express myself in some of the categories and to take advantage of my experiences in others. Having the weblog helps me to keep the website more business focused since I can be more personal and creative on the blog. I think the site is a little friendlier than some of the sites since I do not require registration to use the MLS searches, etc.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I'd like to build a solid client base of property owners and investors who find my services valuable. I also plan to use the weblog to share the experience of moving from Kansas to Hawaii to live on a boat and all that the family experiences from that lifestyle. There is the expression that on every boat, there is a book waiting to be written... so we'll see how that goes.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I'd have to say it's too soon to tell yet. I have spent a lot of time on the various sites, but I think it has been very valuable time spent. I've had some good contacts through the site already and am really just beginning to see how much potential is there.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would increase my budget in adwords on Google and probably explore other similar internet ads.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Between myself and the rest of the office, I'm sure the leads and traffic would have to get pretty large before it overwhelmed us. The site is intended to be niche marketed for the local area, and there is always the potential for referrals if I found myself unable to serve the leads myself.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
None so far. I have found it challenging to have the website become "page rated", but it is my understanding that that is a process that requires time and development more than anything else.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Driving the traffic to the site. I bet that is a pretty common answer.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
I've really had very good luck with advertising listings on Craigslist and having a link to the website in the ad.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It's been about a thousand percent funner than I thought it would be.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
3 months and I hope to have it indefinately.
What has been the hardest thing to understand about the Web?
How to improve your visability in the search engines.
What is your website address?
HomesOahuHawaii
