Field Notes: Elevating Homebuying Experience with Custom Inventory Search

Field Notes: Elevating Homebuying Experience with Custom Inventory Search featured image

In the rapidly evolving world of real estate, having an online presence that is both engaging and functional is paramount. Travisso, a master-planned community in Leander, TX, faced a common challenge among thriving communities—its website did not mirror the fluidity of the real estate market or the vibrancy of its own community. Built on a rigid template, the site struggled to update content quickly, hindering its ability to match the pace of potential homebuyers’ needs. Recognizing the need for a transformation, Travisso turned to Seventh Scout for a comprehensive digital strategy overhaul.

Our partnership with Travisso, dating back to 2017, is a testament to the enduring relationships we build with our clients. As our longest-standing client, Travisso’s journey encapsulates the challenges and triumphs of adapting to Austin’s rapidly evolving real estate market. Faced with a website that could not keep pace with the fluidity of homebuying trends, Travisso trusted us to reimagine its online presence. 

Our collaborative efforts led to creating a website that showcases real-time inventory through flexible and dynamic tools and mirrors the market’s dynamism, making it a breeze for potential buyers to find their dream homes. This transformation has enabled Travisso to fully control its website management through our platform, marking a significant milestone in our ongoing journey together. Our work with Travisso reflects our commitment to meeting and exceeding our client’s expectations, fostering a stronger relationship with each passing year.

As the Owner and Chief Strategist at Seventh Scout, I am immensely proud of our latest accomplishment: the complete redesign and enhancement of the Travisso website. Our journey with Travisso began in its early days, and this project has been a pivotal milestone in our partnership. Previously, our ability to update the Travisso website was limited to its blog section, which posed significant constraints in showcasing the full spectrum of new homes available. Our team at Seventh Scout was committed to transforming this experience.

Previous Travisso Website

Reinventing Travisso's Digital Presence

Understanding the unique challenges and objectives of Travisso, the Seventh Scout team embarked on a journey to redesign its website with a clear focus on user experience and functionality. Travisso’s old website was not built on a content management system, which meant that content updates needed to be done via FTP. The old site also didn’t integrate with the homebuilders’ new homes inventory in any way. Our primary goals were to provide searchable and filterable home inventory functionality, and also ensure that the content of the new website could be easily edited and maintained. To that end, we built a sophisticated online inventory search system that could seamlessly handle data aggregation from multiple sources and paired it with a WordPress website and blog.

Website Redesign Goals

  • Create a website that prioritizes the customer journey in the home purchasing process.
  • Make a path for finding and purchasing a new home that is more accessible and more intuitive.
  • Focus on selling new home inventory by leveraging mobile-first design principles, catering to users seeking information on new homes in master-planned communities.

Custom Inventory Search Feed

At the heart of Travisso’s new website is a custom database designed to aggregate real estate listings from multiple builders within the community. Our team, led by our innovative website designer, Rodrigo Macazaga, developed a real-time inventory feed that updates daily, ensuring potential buyers can access the latest available homes at Travisso. 

One significant challenge was integrating the three different builders’ inventories into this one custom data feed. Rodrigo developed a system integrating three XML inventory feeds to update daily, ensuring all listings are current and uniformly displayed. Additionally, this inventory system presents current home listings in multiple formats, including a daily inventory PDF with QR codes for convenient access on the go.

This user-friendly, searchable available homes inventory system represents a significant leap forward in how users interact with real estate websites, providing homebuyers with a seamless and intuitive search experience.

Inventory Search Page

Downloadable PDF Version

In architecting the backbone of Travisso's Inventory website, my focus was not only on aggregating real estate listings from diverse builders but also on normalizing this data to ensure consistency and coherence across the platform. This involved developing a mechanism that integrates and refines three distinct XML inventory feeds. By applying data normalization techniques, I ensured that disparate listing information was standardized, facilitating a seamless and intuitive user experience. This approach guarantees that despite the listings' varied origins, each property is presented uniformly, enabling potential buyers to compare homes effortlessly and make informed decisions.

Redesigned Information Architecture

The website redesign went beyond aesthetics; it involved a thoughtful reevaluation of the site’s information architecture. We aimed to create a logical, user-friendly structure that guides visitors through their home-buying journey with ease. By reimagining the navigation and content organization, we’ve made it simpler for users to find the information they need, whether they’re learning how to buy a home or exploring what life in Travisso is like.

I'd gained a good understanding of both the community and the needs of the client over the years of working with Travisso, which made their outdated website all the more frustrating as it wasn't reflective of the vibrancy of the community. I relished the opportunity to rethink the website's information architecture and user experience and am thrilled with the end result!

A New Website That Grows With Travisso

The newly launched Travisso website reflects the community’s dynamism and the fluid nature of the real estate market. Fully optimized for mobile devices, it allows users to explore home inventory wherever they are, catering to the needs of both local and newcomer homebuyers. This project underscores the power of thoughtful website redesign services and the importance of a custom, integrated approach to online inventory search capabilities in the real estate sector.

Seventh Scout's can-do attitude and persistence transformed our website, innovating an industry stuck in the past on how to connect with prospective homebuyers and delivering a product beyond my expectations. Seventh Scout knocked it out of the park.

New Travisso Website

Transforming Homebuyer Access

The relaunch of Travisso’s website marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to excellence and innovation in real estate digital marketing. By fully optimizing the website for mobile use, we’ve ensured that the vibrant community of Travisso and its vast home inventory are accessible to all, reflecting the diverse needs and backgrounds of today’s homebuyers.

Our efforts have positioned Travisso as a premier choice within a competitive market, showcasing the community’s unique offerings and lifestyle to both local residents and newcomers alike. The redesigned website not only enhances the user experience but also sets the stage for Travisso’s continued growth and success.

The ability for home buyers to download, print, and explore these listings at their leisure, coupled with QR codes linking directly to builder websites, offers convenience and accessibility. This enhancement is more than a technical achievement; it bridges the gap between builders' offerings and home buyers’ needs, facilitating informed and efficient decision-making. I am incredibly proud that Seventh Scout could deliver a solution that elevates Travisso's digital presence and significantly contributes to the journey of finding a forever home. This project is another example of our team's dedication, technical prowess, and understanding of our clients and their customers' needs.

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Top Pages Relate to the New Home Inventory Page

SEO

Organic Search is the Largest Driver of Traffic

We invite you to explore the new Travisso website and discover the ease of searching for your perfect home with our custom inventory search functionality. 

As we look to the future, we are confident that the impact of our work will resonate, fostering a seamless journey for homebuyers and strengthening Travisso’s presence in the real estate landscape. This project underscores our dedication to pushing the boundaries of what is possible, leveraging technology and creativity to connect people with places they’ll love to call home.

At Seventh Scout, we’re more than just a digital marketing agency—we’re your partner in navigating the digital frontier. Let’s create something extraordinary together. Explore other Field Notes and see the impact Seventh Scout can make on your digital marketing strategy.

Picture of Jennifer Forsmann

Jennifer Forsmann

Jennifer Forsmann is a content manager at Seventh Scout. She is an avid lover of stories, so it's no surprise she finds herself curating the videos, photos, and articles in the Scout's Journal.

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