Building a real estate website is essential for establishing a strong online presence, but not all websites are created equal. The choice of platform can significantly impact how much control, customization, and ownership you have over your site. In this post, we'll explore the differences between owning a website built on Wix and using real estate-specific platforms like Placester, Chime, or even your brokerage's provided website.
1. Ownership Level: Do You Really Own Your Website?
Wix (General Website Builder)
When you create a website using Wix, you have greater ownership over your online presence. You can purchase your own custom domain (e.g., "yourname.com") and control your content independently. While Wix hosts the website, you maintain ownership of your domain and the content, and if you stop paying for Wix services, your website will still be live, you will just wont be able to use your own domain.. So you still own it, just update your payment! With you're able to embed your IDX (if needed) and property listings as well.
Placester or Chime (Real Estate-Specific Platforms)
These platforms are designed for real estate agents, offering built-in tools such as IDX integrations, CRM functionalities, and property listing options. However, you're more "renting" the platform than owning it outright. If you stop paying for the service, you could lose access to the website and its features, meaning you are dependent on the platform.
Brokerage Website
Many brokerages offer websites for their agents, but these sites are usually branded with the brokerage's logo and styling, limiting your control over customization and content. When you use a brokerage-provided website, you typically don’t own the site. The brokerage may have restrictions on how you can use the website, and if you ever leave the company, you’ll likely lose access to it. There's no point in blogging on this website as you will be lost on google because there are 100's if not 1000's of agents on the same server.

2. Customization: How Much Freedom Do You Have?
Wix (General Website Builder)
Wix allows for extensive customization within its drag-and-drop editor. You can modify design elements, add custom features, and create a site that aligns with your personal brand. Although Wix has some limitations with backend access, it offers more freedom than real estate-specific platforms or brokerage-provided websites.
Placester or Chime (Real Estate-Specific Platforms)
These platforms come with templates and tools tailored specifically for real estate, such as IDX integrations and automated follow-up systems. However, customization options may be limited to pre-designed templates or specific features. You might not have the freedom to adjust the design fully or integrate third-party tools outside of the platform’s offerings.
Brokerage Website
A brokerage-provided website often has little to no customization beyond basic content changes, such as updating your bio and adding listings. The site usually follows a standard template set by the brokerage, making it difficult to stand out or create a unique brand.

3. Content Ownership: Who Controls Your Content?
Wix (General Website Builder)
When you use Wix, you own the content you create, including text, images, and videos. The platform’s terms of service don’t claim ownership over your content, allowing you to transfer it elsewhere if needed, although migrating to another platform may require some adjustments.
Placester or Chime (Real Estate-Specific Platforms)
You usually own the content you upload, but exporting it may not be straightforward. The design and structure of your site may be lost if you switch platforms. Because these sites often rely on proprietary features and integrations, moving your content elsewhere can be challenging.
Brokerage Website
Your content may be owned or controlled by the brokerage, especially if it's stored on their servers. Additionally, if you leave the brokerage, you may lose access to all the content and data hosted on the website. The branding and overall layout will likely follow the brokerage’s standards, limiting your ability to personalize the content.


4. Hosting: Who Controls Your Website's Home?
Wix (General Website Builder)
While Wix hosts your website on its own servers, you still maintain control over your domain. If you decide to leave Wix, you can transfer your domain and even rebuild the website on another platform. Wix’s hosting setup gives you more flexibility compared to real estate-specific platforms or a brokerage-provided website.
Placester or Chime (Real Estate-Specific Platforms)
These platforms host your website on their servers, meaning you’re tied to their hosting infrastructure. If you stop paying for the service, your site may go offline, and transferring the site to another host would likely require starting over.
Brokerage Website - A brokerage-provided website is hosted entirely by the brokerage, and you don’t have control over the hosting environment. If you ever leave the brokerage, you will lose access to the site entirely, along with any blog post, data or customizations you may have made.

5. Platform Dependence: Are You Locked In?
Wix (General Website Builder)
With Wix, you have more freedom to manage your domain and content. Although Wix is a proprietary platform, you can export your data, manage your domain separately, and even transfer your site’s content to a different platform, though it may involve some rebuilding.
Placester or Chime (Real Estate-Specific Platforms)
These platforms are more specialized but come with greater dependency on their services. If you leave, you may lose essential features like IDX integration and CRM functionalities, and your site might need to be rebuilt from scratch on a different platform.
Brokerage Website - Using a brokerage-provided website ties you to the company’s web infrastructure. Leaving the brokerage usually means losing the website altogether. You would have to start from scratch or migrate to a different platform without being able to transfer the existing website.
6. Best Use Cases: Which Option is Right for You?
Wix - Wix is ideal for real estate agents who want a flexible, customizable website that reflects their personal brand. It’s a great choice if you prefer DIY website management and if you require built-in real estate features like IDX, theres also an option. You get more freedom and ownership over your content and domain.
Placester or Chime - These platforms are suitable for agents who need built-in real estate features such as IDX search, CRM integration, and automated marketing tools. They are great if you’re okay with some customization limits in exchange for real estate-specific functionalities.
Brokerage Website - A brokerage website works well for agents who are just starting out or prefer to have minimal website management responsibilities. If you plan to stay with the brokerage long-term and don’t need a unique website, it may be a cost-effective option.

Key Differences in Ownership and Control
Website Flexibility: Wix offers more customization and flexibility, while Placester and Chime provide real estate-specific features with more platform dependency. Brokerage websites offer the least flexibility and customization.
Transferability: With Wix, you can more easily manage your domain and potentially migrate content. Placester and Chime make transferring your site more challenging, and brokerage websites typically can’t be transferred at all.
Hosting Control: Wix gives you more control over your domain and content hosting, while Placester, Chime, and brokerage sites keep you tied to their infrastructure.
Conclusion
Choosing between Wix, Placester, Chime, or your brokerage’s website depends on your priorities. If you want more customization, flexibility, and control, Wix is a better fit. If you need real estate-specific tools built in, consider a platform like Placester or Chime. If you prefer a hands-off approach and don’t need a unique online presence, a brokerage-provided website may work for you.
Understanding these differences will help you select the right platform for your real estate business, ensuring you have the level of ownership, customization, and functionality you need to succeed online.
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