More than 100,000 Canadian Realtors can now sign up for $99 Internet Data Exchange-integrated websites from Toronto-based real estate startup WebsiteBox.
WebsiteBox has signed a data access agreement with the Canadian Real Estate Association, the company announced today. The National Association of Realtors’ equivalent in the north, CREA provides its members with a national IDX feed that can include listings from CREA’s 96 local real estate boards at the discretion of individual brokerage owners.
The non-exclusive agreement opens up WebsiteBox’s websites, which include full IDX integration, to CREA’s 106,000 members and boosts the company’s coverage to 262 MLSs and associations in the U.S. and Canada.
In addition to offering IDX integration, WebsiteBox’s websites, launched in January, include responsive design; search engine optimized, ready-to-publish content customized by real estate specialty; lead capture and customer relationship management tools; an all-in-one control panel; a branded email address; and free lifetime website hosting — all for what the company says is the lowest price on the market: a one-time payment of $99.
“We are excited to see the impact our remarkable and affordable IDX integrated websites will have on the way Canadian Realtors do business,” said WebsiteBox CEO Peyman Aleagha in a statement.
“As word spreads regarding our effective, innovative technology designed specifically for the real estate industry, it’s only a matter of time before the majority of real estate professionals stop fearing the $99 price tag and make this powerful website solution their own.”
WebsiteBox’s IDX product is fully integrated with client sites, which is a significant advantage over companies that offer “framed” IDX results, Aleagha said.
“Most real estate tech vendors either specialize in IDX or websites. They usually don’t do both. They usually add the IDX solution to the site using an iframe,” he said.
“The problem with iframed IDX solutions is that they won’t get indexed by search engines such as Google. Our IDX solution is fully integrated with our client sites and therefore Google will index them as part of our clients’ sites.”
WebsiteBox was a finalist for this year’s Inman News Innovator Award for “Most Innovative Real Estate Agent App, Tool or Vendor.”