It's trite but true: Web site design and programming costs vary based on your pocketbook and the level of interactivity you want. Still, we created a budget sheet with the able help of design expert Kristina Morrison of Advanced Access, Anaheim, Calif. Tallied here are some of the expenses you'll incur if you a hire a professional to create and maintain your site.
| Starter site up-front costs | |
| Design (basic graphics included, 2–4 hours of programming time at $35–$75/hour) | $70–$300 |
| Domain registration, good for two years | 70 |
| Hosting services ($35/month) | 35 |
| Search engine registration (Some designers include this service in the monthly hosting fee. If not, do it yourself with such services as SubmitIt.com for $59/year) | 59 |
| TOTAL | $234–$464 |
| Next-generation site (with a few bells and whistles) Up-front costs | |
| Design time (8–12 hours) | $280–$900 |
| Virtual tour services (base price per tour about $100, usually provided by another vendor. This assumes three tours in a month.) | 300 |
| TOTAL | $580–$1,200 |
Do-it-yourselfers, please note: Rather than the design fees, you'll need to account for the cost of Web authoring software, roughly $150–$200, and the value of your time to maintain the site.
| The maintenance | |
| Updates/troubleshooting/additional programming | $35/hour |
| Ongoing hosting charges | $35/month |
Christina Hoffmann has covered real estate and homeownership for two decades, including as REALTOR® Magazine managing editor and HouseLogic.com’s content manager, with added expertise as owner of a demanding 100-year-old house. She is currently a senior speech writer at NAR.
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