Hiring a freelancer GetRealtorWebsite
Hiring a freelancer or a managed agent website: a project, or a service that keeps going.
A good freelance designer can build you an excellent site, and for a one-off project with a clear brief that is often the right call. The difference shows after launch: who adds the next listing, who fixes a broken plugin, who writes the weekly article and who answers when the freelancer takes on other work. A managed agent website makes all of that part of the monthly fee.
What this comparison is really about
The launch is the easy part of a freelance project
Most agent sites built by freelancers look good on launch day. The trouble arrives in month four: a listing needs adding, a form stops sending, the freelancer is busy. It is nobody's fault; a project ends and a website does not. That is the gap a managed service is built for.
Hiring a freelancer and GetRealtorWebsite, factor by factor
Twelve things that decide how an agent website performs and who carries the work. Where we describe Hiring a freelancer, we keep to what is generally true or what the provider states itself.
| Factor | Hiring a freelancer | GetRealtorWebsite |
|---|---|---|
| Speed and Core Web Vitals | As good as the freelancer's build and the hosting you choose. | 90+ Google PageSpeed on every page, guaranteed in the terms; we fix any page that drops below it because of our work. |
| SEO control | Depends on the freelancer's skills and the brief. | Done for you: titles, descriptions, headings, canonicals and one page per area you serve. |
| Schema and JSON-LD | Included if the freelancer adds it. | JSON-LD matched to each page (business, service, FAQ, breadcrumbs), added and maintained by us. |
| AEO and GEO readiness | Included if the freelancer writes for it. | Answer-first copy, visible FAQ blocks, an llms.txt file and consistent entity data on every site. |
| Hosting and security | Usually arranged separately, by you or the freelancer. | Cloudflare edge hosting with SSL, CDN, DDoS protection and unmetered bandwidth, inside the monthly fee. |
| Maintenance burden | On you, or paid per change after the project ends. | None for you. Updates, security and hosting are on our side. |
| Who does the work | The freelancer during the project; after that, whoever is available. | We build it, then make every change you request: 5 revisions a month, done within 2 to 5 working days. |
| Content and blog | Usually extra, or on you. | Researched, cited articles every week on every plan (2 a week, 3 on The Portfolio). |
| Design quality | As good as the freelancer; can be excellent. | A custom-coded, type-led design built around your name and your areas, checked on a phone before launch. |
| Accessibility and compliance pages | Depends on the brief. | Privacy, terms and cookie pages, consent that gates scripts, an Equal Housing notice and an accessibility-minded build. |
| Cost model | A project fee, then hosting and paid changes. | One flat monthly fee from $137, plus a $797 build fee invoiced only after you approve the live site. |
| Lock-in and ownership | Often full ownership of the files, if the contract says so. | Your domain is registered in your name. On exit we transfer it free and export your content within 14 days. |
When Hiring a freelancer is the better fit
You have a freelancer you trust who will stay available for changes.
You want to own every file and are ready to manage hosting.
You need one very specific custom feature built once.
When a managed agent site wins
You want the site kept current every month, not just built once.
You want 5 changes a month included, completed within 2 to 5 working days, from a team rather than one person.
You want hosting, a domain, articles and, on higher plans, AI lead handling in the same fee.
Switching, or running both
If you already have a freelancer
A freelancer's work does not have to be wasted.
Brand assets, photography and copy from your freelancer become the brief for the new site.
We rebuild the site on our platform, point your domain at it and redirect old addresses.
Your freelancer can stay involved in your brand work; the website's running is ours.
From an agent who switched
“Most questions are about the building, not the unit. The chat answers the common ones and hands me the buyer who is ready to see a place.”
Illustrative sample review, not a statement from a real client. How we handle reviews
Our side, in full
Everything a managed site includes, by plan
Every feature, and the plan that carries it. The Territory and The Portfolio include everything in the plan before them.
| Feature | The Listing$137/ month | The Territory$297/ month + usage | The Portfolio$747/ month |
|---|---|---|---|
| The website | |||
| Pages built for an instant open | Included on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| Listing pages that read like a real estate site, not a template | Included on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| The legal and compliance pages a real estate site needs | Included on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| Catching every lead | |||
| Inquiries routed straight into your CRM | Included on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| The AI Engine: chat on your site | Not on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| An AI receptionist for the calls you cannot take | Not on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| AI replies on SMS, Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs | Not on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| Being found | |||
| A site structured around the areas you serve | Included on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| A managed Google Business Profile | Not on The Listing | Not on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| SEO, answer engines and AI assistants, built into every page | Included on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| Content that keeps publishing | |||
| Researched articles, published every week | Included on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| The Content Engine | Not on The Listing | Not on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| Run for you | |||
| Hosting, security and speed, managed | Included on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| A move from your current site that keeps what it earned | Included on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| Revisions and a portal built for how you actually work | Included on The Listing | Included on The Territory | Included on The Portfolio |
| The terms | |||
| Researched articles a week | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Live in | 7 days | 10 days | 15 days |
| Revisions a month | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| One-time build fee, after launch | $797 | $797 | $797 |
AI usage on The Territory and The Portfolio is billed at what our provider charges us, with no markup. SMS carrier fees are passed through at cost. Every feature, explained
Questions about Hiring a freelancer and GetRealtorWebsite
Is a freelancer cheaper than a managed website?
Up front, often it looks that way: one project fee. Over a year, add hosting, paid changes and your time. Our plans put the build, hosting, domain, revisions and weekly articles in one monthly fee, with the build fee invoiced only after you approve the site.
What happens if my freelancer disappears?
With a freelancer, you look for someone new who can work with what was built. With us, a team handles changes through your portal, and a person replies to email within one working day.
Do I own the site if a freelancer builds it?
Often yes, depending on the contract. With us your domain is in your name and we export your content if you leave. The design and code stay ours, which is how the monthly fee covers the build.
Can a freelancer build area pages like yours?
Certainly, if it is in the brief. The difference is keeping them current: adding an area, updating listings and linking new articles every week.
How fast can you launch compared with a freelancer?
7 days on The Listing, counted from the onboarding call. A freelance timeline depends on their schedule.
Can I request unlimited changes?
5 revisions a month are included with no limit on how large one is. After that, each extra revision is a flat $20, never hourly.
Will you write content, or do I?
We do. Every plan publishes researched, cited articles every week, linked to your area pages.
Can I hire a freelancer for something extra later?
Yes. Brand design, photography or a campaign landing page from a freelancer can link to or sit alongside your managed site.
This page compares a category of provider, not a named company. GetRealtorWebsite is not affiliated with any provider described here.
See the managed version, built for your areas.
A 30-minute walk-through of the site you would get, on your screen. Plans from $137 a month, the $797 build fee invoiced only after you approve the live site.