What is a widget?

A widget is a portable chunk of code that can be installed and executed within any separate HTML-based web page by an end user without requiring additional compilation. Basically, it is cool tool that you can place on your blog by simply copying the code from another website and placing it on your site. They are great ways to easily and freely add features and functionality to your site without having to hire a web developer to build it for you.

See the new widget in the sidebar here at RSS Pieces: it shows SEO news feeds!  It's pretty cool and relevant to the content of the site and you'll probably find it useful.  That is exactl ow you want visitors to feel about each and every widget you place on your site.

Where do I find widgets?

There are about a million places to get widgets, but these are my favorite widget directories:

www.widgipedia.com

www.widgetbox.com

www.yourminis.com/minis

Where do I place widgets on my real estate blog?

You can put them anywhere from the posts to headers/footers. However, the most common places for widgets are in the sidebar.

What kinds of widgets are appropriate for a real estate blog?

OK, you don't want to go widget crazy and place every neat widget you find in your sidebar! Be discriminating in your widget selection and always ask yourself "would this widget be helpful for the consumer coming to my site to buy or sell a house?" If the answer is "no" step away from the widget, no matter how cool it is.  Widgets are there to improve the user experience and keep users coming back to your site, therefore they MUST be useful and related to the overall context of your site.

Eppraisal Widgets: Wow, these ones are just COOL.  See the widgets on the home page- Current Month's index, Most expensive zip codes, new feeds, education, etc... They are pretty and really useful to the consumer.  You can completely customize these tools if you sign up as a professional with Eppraisal.

Trulia Widgets

Trulia Stats: Shows a graph of the median or average listing price and listing volume for any location you choose.

Trulia Map: TruliaMap is a free tool to help real estate professionals showcase their listings on an interactive, easy-to-use map on their Websites.

Mortgage Calulators and Mortgage Rate Tickers

Vflyer Mortgage Payment Calculator Designed for real estate agents, the Mortgage Payment Calculator lets visitors determine what their mortgage payments will be based on the loan amount, interest rate and any taxes.

Mortgage Rates Live rates for mortgages, home equities, CDs & autos.

Zillow Home Value Finder: Want to sell a house - find what you can get, Want to refinance - find what you can get, Want to buy - find what the home is worth.

Home Staging RSS Feed: Home Staging Ideas and examples

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