Website Review - Multi-Property Angst

[Christine Kenyon]

Hello Deb and Paolo - what a lovely problem to have????!

Deb, I can remember looking at your site a few months ago. Then and now I thought it was gorgeous - well presented, good info and superb photos, particularly the internal shots (how have you taken those ... or is it just superb Lisbon sunshine that makes the difference?). I would think that the simple solution is to have a home page that sells Portugal and your historic homes - and then a Lisbon and non-Lisbon link as you have suggested.

Paolo, the gift of time is one of the most precious gifts you can give..... afraid I can't help at the mo. Sorry . What is the website address for your new properties?

I'm asking as we're starting to face a similar situation. We've been buying and selling over the last few months - sold a shop and one holiday cottage; kept a second holiday cottage; bought a bed and breakfast with a holiday cottage.

The B&B with holiday cottage and second cottage are about 1/2 mile from each other but have a different "character" when it comes to the location - the former is quiet and secluded; the latter is in the centre of the village. At the mo we have B&B and holiday cottage on one website (which we've inherited and I'm currently updating) and second holiday cottage on its own site, with links between the two. I suspect that I will keep it as two sites but will be interested to see what Deb and Paolo do.

[alexia s.]

I really like small sites. When someone from the forum asks us to look at their site & I see that it contains lots of properties my heart sinks. Each property seems so much less special when it is only one of many.
There must be lots of people who really like big sites, whose hearts sink when they stumble on one with only a handful of properties.

[Fraise]

I don't like the sites with lots of properties I'm afraid.I never know where to look first and I usually give up after the first one or two.I like sites with just the one property


www.thepetitmanoir.com

[debk]

Alexia, Fraise -

Thank you for your comments. Got my mind turning here with some new ideas that I must incorporate on the site-to-be!

I have another question if you've got the patience:

I agree with you about sites that represent lots of properties owned by different people and/or with a "non-owner" feeling. They instantly slide into the Property Management category in my mind and make me think of apt-hotels.

However, you both seem to be describing an adversion even greater than mine, from which I would love to learn. So...

We have 3 properties, all located off the same street in Lisbon. If they were on different sites, 95%+ of the info would be the same on each. (Interior photos, floor plan and a paragraph of interior description would be unique. Exterior photos, amenity list, neighborhood info, rental terms, etc, are the same.)

QUESTION 1: Would seeing 3 properties together in this situation make you go elsewhere?


Now we have another property in the Algarve. It's completely different in every way and could easily have its own site. My inclination is to put the 4 together because once I've found a website that I "trust", I prefer to stick with it. My goal, then, is to present this 4th property as the owner-managed/loved place that it is.

Perhaps this preference to stick with a trusted site, like decor and web colors, is a gap that can't be bridged... but I'm not quite ready to give up.

I really look forward to learning more from those with this point of view. Awesome place, LMH.
debk

[Fraise]

I would have the 4th property on a different site!!!
The 3 in one street is more unusual.At the risk of having cabbages or something thrown at me I would still prefer sep. sites but maybe just completly separate pages for each property would be good? Hey,if you are really well booked for the 3 most of the time then you don't need to worry about it!! I would still have number 4 on it's own site

[debk]

Christine -

Congrats on the buying/selling. I'm a tad envious, as husband and I do *love* a project.

And thank you very much for the comments. I agree with you and have added a Lisbon/non-Lisbon link. Based on the above comments from Fraise/Alexia, I'm now also thinking of some other ways to streamline.

As for the Lisbon sunshine, centuries ago the Dutch diamond traders swore that Lisbon was the best place in the world to evaluate gems due to the unique clarity and quality of the sunlight. Nowadays that same glorious glow makes Lisbon the best place in the world to vacation. Hope to see you here soon!
debk

[debk]

Hey, Fraise - no cabbages here. This feedback is so valuable!

Help me a bit more? Is a link to the fourth site ok? Or does that defeat the purpose of the separation?

Once I grab a guest, why not help them finish their vacation plans by offering another place that they will probably also enjoy? (eg, if I like Indian Restaurant A, I will probably enjoy Indonesian Restaurant B which is owned by the same person.)

Thanks much,
Beijinhos,
debk

[alexia s.]

Debk,
The 3 are fine for me but I'd definitely put the 4th one on its own (I think I could sqwallow 4 in the same place but here the 4th is outside Lisbon). With a link you'd have the best of both worlds.

[Alan Knighting]

I occupy the middle ground here.

I like the Rental Listing Sites for the wide variety of locations and properties they offer.

For me, personal Websites are those which offer the owner’s property(ies). They can be single property sites or, like Tansy’s, sites containing more than one property.

But, some personal Websites are not personal at all; they contain a relatively small number of properties, owned by various people and in various locations. They are more akin to mini Rental Listing Sites but without the wide choice and semi-automation of Rental Listing Sites.

I appreciate why a small group of owners would want to co-operate in this way and I don’t see anything fundamentally wrong in it. However, I do agree with Alexia and Fraise, if the properties are in entirely different locations or if they are of entirely different character it would be better if they had their own Websites, albeit with links back and forth.

Alan

[debk]

Fascinating.

My goal was to have one site with all the necessary info so that people who rent more than one of our properties can do so as conveniently as possible.

(This includes families/friends traveling together who rent more than one Lisbon home... which happens a lot. Also people visiting Lisbon AND the Algarve (a common destination combo), who will have an easy option to rent two very different properties from someone that they've come to trust.)

NEW QUESTION: I already own the domains CasaArmona.com and Casa-Armona.com (name of fourth house) so I can easily make a new site... but do I have to make the new site completely different in style?

If I don't, then how will someone know that it's a different site... versus just another page? Or am I missing the point?

No matter what the final design, these comments are helping me fill a paper with ideas for streamlining the main site. Thanks again.
debk

[Fraise]

A link is fine!!!!It makes commercial sense too of course! People need to read the new site as though they are looking at a unique property.

www.thepetitmanoir.com

[Alan Knighting]

Debk,

I think your approach fits in very well with my thoughts.

A range of properties in Lisbon is logical. A popular twin destination holiday is logical.

I don't see any logic in a one bedroom flat in Porto being on the same personal Website as a five bedroom villa in Faro. They would be addressing entirely different markets. By all means link them back and forth but don't include them on the same Website - I think.

Alan

[debk]

Alan wrote: I think your approach fits in very well with my thoughts.

Which approach? (I'm feeling quite dense.)

1) All 4 on one "VisitingPortugal" site that presents a common 'historical properties' theme

-or-

2) two different sites with all the common information (booking procedures, rental agreement, faqs, etc) repeated on each

[debk]

Fraise wrote: People need to read the new site as though they are looking at a unique property

Hmmm..... The Algarve property is unique (beginning with being located on a pedestrian-only island) but I think that dealing with one owner is an asset to a guest who rents both the Lisbon and Algarve places.

I was hoping to link back to the main site for all the duplicated info, as mentioned above (rental procedures, contact info, etc). I don't wish to hide the fact that we are the same owner for both places... I think it's a big selling point. We consistently have people asking us when we are going to buy more places.

Thanks again, to everyone, for all the generous help. The more input, the better for me, Christine, Paolo... Don't be shy!
debk

[Alan Knighting]

Debk,

The Lisbon/non-Lisbon approach is the one I had in mind.

Portugal doesn't have one single common "historical properties" throughout the country any more than any other country has. Do modern apartments in Lisbon have any "historical properties" at all? I don't know.

You say "the Algarve property is unique". Does it not deserve it's own Website? I don't know.

You asked for people's views and I gave mine - like it or not.

Alan