Could not agree more! My biggest gripe is the reluctance to put price points to the units. Yes, I know I could go to your building and get the tour and the whole sales pitch, but, odds are, I'm not going to if I don't have SOME idea that the building is in my range.

It defeats the whole purpose of the Internet. You want people to visit? Actually tell them what you have and what they can expect to pay!

I'd like to know how much these developers are paying for these terrible sites. I'm an interactive designer myself, and I wish I could sit them all down and give them a stern lecture on why flash intros needs be declared a crime against humanity. Nobody wants to sit through some animation–no matter how brief–of random stock photos floating around on the screen showing happy, ethnically diverse 20 somethings enjoying their lattes or sharing a laugh about nothing in particular. And why do developers put stock photos in their promotional materials of interiors that will be nothing like the actual unit interiors?

All I can say is that I dread clicking on those sites. All I want to see are some rendering and photos and floorplans with the basic amenities. I don't need to see all the extraneous crap they foist on you while searching for it.

I don't click on them, either - they still act as though their sites should be more like a TV commercial. And their insistence on completing a long and tiresome registration procedure is mind -numbingly dumb. My past career was spent trying to convince potential advertisers that less was indeed more in many cases, particularly concerning the net.

Well said Danny. My favorite was Museum Park: all pearls, skimpy dresses, huge boobs and champagne.

Yes, life is like that and we all believe it.

plus I can't view flash sites on my iPhone.

These people design their websites as an afterthought…I have had many conversations with the decision makers regarding the proper way to present their buildings, but many are stuck in their antiquated ways. I sincerely believe these people would be happier if the MLS were still books. Further compounding this situation, many of these decision makers are copycat kings, which is why I am convinced the same floorplan is replicated throughout the city. This copycat phenomenon invariably leads to several crappy websites that have the same bad navigation and terrible intro…

Well, they have to sell the sizzle along with steak, right? And since Museum Park is where our sizzle-loving Mayor and family live, there's a method to their madness…

Couldn't agree more, Joe. As one who visits at least ten of them each week to prepare the report for our blog, ChicagoCondosOnline.blogspot.com, I am appalled that I can't even find such basic information as the address, number of units, or (on many) the price range. Those who want facts without fluff are invited to search the 11,000+ Buildling Profiles, including renderings and floor plans, on ChicagoCondosOnline.com.

Heads up:

I still provide some net consulting to groups in town. I called X/O and suggested they streamline their site - I was then told that their site WON a national design award from some real estate organization. WOW.

I was visiting another developer about CondoPerks, but when they learned of my heavy dot com background, they asked me for a proposal to help them rethink their site - so I did.

After submitting the proposal, this well known, high end developer asked me the following question:
'What can you do for $1,000?' For anyone in the web space, providing a full length strategy for 10 sub domains, is quite a bit of work.

What does this show me? When it comes to making something better for the consumer/end web user, developers still don't get it.