finally have my website up and running

[terri]

hi everyone,

well, it`s taken a while but I finally have my website (almost) finished. yahh!

http://www.queenwestrentals.com/index.html

but it`s not quite time to celebrate yet. It still needs some tweaking and........

I would love some constructive criticism to help improve it.

I`ve been having a hard time figuring out exactly what I want to to say and who I want to target.

Here`s a little background about me and what I do:

I love, love, love designing. What is so wonderful about this whole experience for me is that real estate isn`t helping me reach my Belize, it is helping me live it. I design and renovate every property that I buy and I love what I do.

I`ve targetted a great little pocket in Toronto called Beaconsfield Village, it`s an up and coming part of the already popular Queen West strip. It`s known as the gallery district because of it`s high concentration of boutique art galleries. It`s a vibrant area with bars and restaurants and shops, very popular with young professionals and very lacking in nice rental housing. That`s what makes this area so great for investing, it`s not student housing, it`s not low income housing. My tenants are young professionals with a good disposable income. They are lawyers, bankers, photographers, urban planners. They are fashionable and stylish and want a fashionable, stylish place to live. And I love creating these spaces for them. I live in the neighbourhood so I know and understand their lifestyle needs.

What I`ve been doing is buying up old houses (we`re talking 100 + years,) that have been converted into apts and not updated in a very long time and I renovate them into hip urban apartments. And.... since there is a lack of nice housing in the area, my places rent quickly and provide a good cash flow. Because they are nice they stay rented and are well cared for.

So for the past couple of years I`ve been very happily going along, buying, renovating, renting out, renfinancing the properties and pulling out money to do the next. Well, now I`ve run out of my own money and an ability to qualify for yet another mortgage without additional income. I`m ready for investors.

hence it`s time to advertise,

I think that it`s really important that my website convey the design aspect of my properties because that`s what sets me apart from the rest. What I do not need it to do is attract tenants, that`s not a problem, I have more potential qualified tenants than I do apts to house them. What I need is the fiancing to create more apts to house all these great tenants.

I included a for rent/for sale section for times when I do actually have an apt for rent or a property for sale, more for the possibility of bringing people to my site than thinking that this is how I would rent the place.

I think the photo gallery is very important because pictures say a lot. I may move this closer to the left side of the page

as for the investor section, we still have to include the text under each subheading but only about a paragraph each.

what I worry about is that I don`t have enough written content. Because my properties are hip and urban I`ve tried to convey that in my website. so it has the vibe or feel of what I`m about, what my properties are about. Because, even though I want to be professional I also need to be true to who I am. But maybe that`s not the right route. I look at all the new build condo websites in my area and they definately have a hip vibe to their advertising, but then they are attracting young first time home buyers not investors, they are selling a lifestyle, maybe I`m taking the wrong approach here.

I think I`ve re-written the copy under the about us section a hundred times because I can`t seem to find the right words.

My experience and strength is in design not in advertising so I would greatly appreciate any constructive critism or comments that anyone has to help me improve my site.

thanks,

Terri

www.queenwestrentals.com

 

[vandriani]

I like the website. It is clean and easy to navigate.

I would probably have some sort of maps to show where the area is in relation to other areas.

You could add comments by existing tenants on how great the apartments are.

Happy, hip people pictures also work well.

Also, keep in mind the securities aspect when advertising JV`s

 

[markl]

very nice Terri

 

[terri]

QUOTE (vandriani @ Nov 4 2008, 11:30 AM) I like the website. It is clean and easy to navigate.

I would probably have some sort of maps to show where the area is in relation to other areas.

You could add comments by existing tenants on how great the apartments are.

Happy, hip people pictures also work well.

Also, keep in mind the securities aspect when advertising JV`s

I think location thing is a good idea, I`ve been trying to find or set up links to restaurants, galleries in the area. I`ve seen it used on many of the condo development sites in the area. 2 ossington has a great one for my area, http://www.2ossington.com/flash.php. What I`m not sure about is the legal issues of linking to businesses in the area.

Question for you---I don`t understand "securities aspect" when advertising. Can you please expand on this? Do you that I might get responses from scammers?

thanks so much for your response,

Terri

 

[terri]

QUOTE (markl @ Nov 4 2008, 02:20 PM) very nice Terri


thanks Mark,

if there`s anything that you can think of that I should add or change please let me know.

Terri

 

[EdRenkema]

The website looks great, the designs even better, I might have you redesign my principal rez prior to selling it.
I see we both like bars and barstools, nice touch!

 

[GarthChapman]

QUOTE (terri @ Nov 4 2008, 04:50 PM) I think location thing is a good idea, I`ve been trying to find or set up links to restaurants, galleries in the area. I`ve seen it used on many of the condo development sites in the area. 2 ossington has a great one for my area, http://www.2ossington.com/flash.php. What I`m not sure about is the legal issues of linking to businesses in the area.

Question for you---I don`t understand "securities aspect" when advertising. Can you please expand on this? Do you that I might get responses from scammers?

thanks so much for your response,

Terri

Terri, very very nice. It evokes the tone intended and with style. I agree with Vandriani`s comments. His referral to Securities regulations is VERY important. It refers to your Provincial Regulations regarding under what conditions you are permitted to solicit funds from investors other than those you know relatively well.

It is quite a complex subject, one which I am not expert in. I suggest you do a search on this site for this and you will find quite a number of threads containing excellent posts detailing the issue. I think this is or will very soon be an area that the authorities will be digging into regarding Real Estate Investors - you need to be clear on what you are ok and not ok to do.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[terri]

QUOTE (GarthChapman @ Nov 4 2008, 07:03 PM) Terri, very very nice. It evokes the tone intended and with style. I agree with Vandriani`s comments. His referral to Securities regulations is VERY important. It refers to your Provincial Regulations regarding under what conditions you are permitted to solicit funds from investors other than those you know relatively well.

It is quite a complex subject, one which I am not expert in. I suggest you do a search on this site for this and you will find quite a number of threads containing excellent posts detailing the issue. I think this is or will very soon be an area that the authorities will be digging into regarding Real Estate Investors - you need to be clear on what you are ok and not ok to do.

Hope that helps a bit.

hey Ed,

I`d be more than happy to take a look at your place and give you some suggestions/ideas for your renovation.

Garth,

thank you so much for clarify my "securities" question. I really don`t know much about them, I will do my due diligence and look into it. In the meantime do you think that I need to get rid of my investment opportunites section? I haven`t finished it yet, only listed the subheadings but maybe I shouldn`t even have that?

I really appreciate the advice and help!!!!

Terri

 

[HeatherBrandt]

QUOTE (terri @ Nov 4 2008, 08:28 PM) investment opportunites


Hi Terri,

Looks good. Only thing I noticed is the typo under investment opportunities. the 2nd "opportunities" is missing the "i".

Regards,

Heather

 

[TodorYordanov]

Nice work Terri.

I love the photographs and the design. But you are right, the the website is, at this point, all about the lifestyle. And this is not what you need it to be.
I don`t see any information that would suggest that you are looking for investors or that an investors will need to have to make a decision.
If you were thinking about investing with someone and in making your decision you also check out their website, what information on that website will help you make your decision to invest with that person?

I really like the design and fluidity of the website. Make it full of information on why I should consider investing with you in the beautiful spaces that you create.

Todor

 

[terri]

QUOTE (HeatherBrandt @ Nov 4 2008, 09:20 PM) Hi Terri,

Looks good. Only thing I noticed is the typo under investment opportunities. the 2nd "opportunities" is missing the "i".

Regards,

Heather

thanks Heather, I don`t know how I missed that. I`ve temporarily removed any info under the investment op. section until I learn more about "securities"

thanks for catching that for me!!

T.

 

[terri]

QUOTE (TodorYordanov @ Nov 5 2008, 07:21 AM) Nice work Terri.

I love the photographs and the design. But you are right, the the website is, at this point, all about the lifestyle. And this is not what you need it to be.
I don`t see any information that would suggest that you are looking for investors or that an investors will need to have to make a decision.
If you were thinking about investing with someone and in making your decision you also check out their website, what information on that website will help you make your decision to invest with that person?

I really like the design and fluidity of the website. Make it full of information on why I should consider investing with you in the beautiful spaces that you create.

Todor

Hi Todor,

haha, it looks like it`s going to have even less content until I learn more about securities and the legalities of advertising for investors.

the Ontario Securities website is so confusing and poorly set up I can`t find any information so it looks like I will need to talk to a lawyer before I put up any info on investing on the site.

On the plus side, my mortgage broker is happy that I finally have something because with the lender`s tightening up recently we`ve been having a problem arguing my "above market" rents. he`s hoping the site will help in future.

thanks for the feedback,

Terri

 

[markl]

Hi Terri,

I think the thing that most of the posters have in common is we like your website but I think we are failing to understand the purpose is it to attract JV money or capital or is it designed to attract tenants to Queen West?

The Securities aspect while I am no expert is you cannot publish Return on Investment numbers for deals and advertising of deals as we are not licensed investment brokers this is kind of my limited understanding of the rules involved. For our website we have taken down anything to do with the investor and have dedicated it to tenants only.

Regards,

 

[ChrisDavies]

QUOTE (terri @ Nov 4 2008, 08:50 AM) hi everyone,

well, it`s taken a while but I finally have my website (almost) finished. yahh!

http://www.queenwestrentals.com/index.html

I think that it`s really important that my website convey the design aspect of my properties because that`s what sets me apart from the rest. What I do not need it to do is attract tenants, that`s not a problem, I have more potential qualified tenants than I do apts to house them. What I need is the fiancing to create more apts to house all these great tenants.

I included a for rent/for sale section for times when I do actually have an apt for rent or a property for sale, more for the possibility of bringing people to my site than thinking that this is how I would rent the place.

I think the photo gallery is very important because pictures say a lot. I may move this closer to the left side of the page

as for the investor section, we still have to include the text under each subheading but only about a paragraph each.

what I worry about is that I don`t have enough written content. Because my properties are hip and urban I`ve tried to convey that in my website. so it has the vibe or feel of what I`m about, what my properties are about. Because, even though I want to be professional I also need to be true to who I am. But maybe that`s not the right route. I look at all the new build condo websites in my area and they definately have a hip vibe to their advertising, but then they are attracting young first time home buyers not investors, they are selling a lifestyle, maybe I`m taking the wrong approach here.

I think I`ve re-written the copy under the about us section a hundred times because I can`t seem to find the right words.

My experience and strength is in design not in advertising so I would greatly appreciate any constructive critism or comments that anyone has to help me improve my site.

thanks,

Terri

www.queenwestrentals.com

Hi Terri,

I`ve got good news and bad news. The good news is your site is pretty, slick, and by designing it in flash or something similar, it`s easy to make it match your style. The bad news is your chances of being found in a search engine or other directory are approximately zero. Search engines rely on text, and as a rule can`t see the content in your flash pages. There are a couple of good options, including creating HTML pages which parallel your flash pages (one possible landmine here), or using a blog or building out other pages to create content. Currently all of the content on your site is found on one page (i.e. one URL), something you`re going to have to grow.

My day job is internet marketing and search engine optimization, so I`d be happy to point you in the right direction where I can. The best two recommendations I can make: set up Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics.

Please let me know if I can help.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[terri]

QUOTE (ChrisDavies @ Nov 5 2008, 03:02 PM) Hi Terri,

I`ve got good news and bad news. The good news is your site is pretty, slick, and by designing it in flash or something similar, it`s easy to make it match your style. The bad news is your chances of being found in a search engine or other directory are approximately zero. Search engines rely on text, and as a rule can`t see the content in your flash pages. There are a couple of good options, including creating HTML pages which parallel your flash pages (one possible landmine here), or using a blog or building out other pages to create content. Currently all of the content on your site is found on one page (i.e. one URL), something you`re going to have to grow.

My day job is internet marketing and search engine optimization, so I`d be happy to point you in the right direction where I can. The best two recommendations I can make: set up Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics.

Please let me know if I can help.

Cheers,

Chris

thanks Chris,

I may take you up on that in the near future. I`m still trying to sort out the "securities" issue that I have with what I can and can`t put on the site. If it turns out that I can`t advertise to possible investors then I guess it doesn`t really matter who sees it. haha. At least my mortgage broker is happy, he`s been having a hard time trying to validate my above average rents to the banks.

thanks again,

Terri

 

[terri]

QUOTE (markl @ Nov 5 2008, 09:39 AM) Hi Terri,

I think the thing that most of the posters have in common is we like your website but I think we are failing to understand the purpose is it to attract JV money or capital or is it designed to attract tenants to Queen West?

The Securities aspect while I am no expert is you cannot publish Return on Investment numbers for deals and advertising of deals as we are not licensed investment brokers this is kind of my limited understanding of the rules involved. For our website we have taken down anything to do with the investor and have dedicated it to tenants only.

Regards,

Hi Mark,

I know and I agree, that`s why I wanted to put it out there for feedback. It totally reads as though it`s marketing renters, but since I don`t know what I am allowed and not allowed to say re: investment perhaps I should leave it at that until I investigate further. It`s a weird one for me because up until now I haven`t really been that interested in persuing jv money so I haven`t concentrated on that aspect at all.

After the whole securities question came up I check out your site as well as a couple of site from other members to see how they deal with it and I noticed that you did concentrate on the rent to own tenant and there was no mention of investors. Do you find that you still attract investors anyway? Do you need your site to attract investors or just attract rent to own tenants. Do your investors come from your level 1 and level 2 connections therefore you do not need your website to attract them, just give them a place to go and read more?

I noticed as well that other member`s website`s do mention jv-ing, rrsp 2nd mortgages, etc. is that because they are licensed to do so?

The Ontario Securities office wasn`t of great help, they just told me to talk to a lawyer about it. I emailed Robert Di today so I know that I will get it cleared up soon. In the meantime I have pretty pictures on a site that no one will look at, possibly for the best, haha.

thanks so much,

Terri

 

[ChrisDavies]

QUOTE (terri @ Nov 5 2008, 02:24 PM) thanks Chris,

I may take you up on that in the near future. I`m still trying to sort out the "securities" issue that I have with what I can and can`t put on the site. If it turns out that I can`t advertise to possible investors then I guess it doesn`t really matter who sees it. haha. At least my mortgage broker is happy, he`s been having a hard time trying to validate my above average rents to the banks.

thanks again,

Terri

No worries. I know the vast majority of us who have JV partners don`t have websites for that purpose. I believe Russell still doesn`t have one. However, when it comes to working with a JV, your website can be a great way to help show your position as an expert in a field and give your tenants a touchpoint.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[mortgageman]

Nice pix! Did you shoot them, hire someone or are they stock? Great lighting in all of them.

 

[terri]

QUOTE (mortgageman @ Nov 5 2008, 11:48 PM) Nice pix! Did you shoot them, hire someone or are they stock? Great lighting in all of them.

thanks!!!

Actually one of my tenants is a fantastic photographer, so she shot most of them for me ( the good ones), I shot some, but I`m hoping to get her to reshoot those at some point. It`s all natural lighting. She did do some photoshopping, but I was surprised at how great they turned out, especially since the apts aren`t staged, it`s all the furniture of the people living there. I was so impressed to go in on "photo day" and see the apartments looking magazine ready. My tenants did a great job of decorating their apts and they were very excited to see the photos and be a part of this with me. I feel so lucky to have such great tenants!!

 

[margaretcowan]

Hi Terri

Like other posters have said, a very nice site visually! I love old houses!

For your headline for finding tenants, I`d rephrase it in a more positive way, "Looking for a hip, modern apartment home in Queens West?

The rest of your text runs fine after that. I suggest changing the colour of the letters from white to a more readable (for my 50 something eyes) colour. Black would work best but it doesn`t go with your colour scheme.

I`d also like to see some exterior building shots especially to give me an idea of any old house character remaining.

When you have your securities questions ironed out, please post again and I`ll be glad to comment on the text for your investor section. I`ve done lots of writing for my web site, always learning!

Ciao
Margaret