Real Estate
What Out-of-State Buyers Look For on an LA Agent's Website
By the LA Web Design team5 min read
A buyer moving to Los Angeles from Chicago or Austin can't drive neighborhoods on a Saturday or ask a friend who to call. They pick an agent almost entirely from what they find online, often months before they arrive. That makes relocation buyers one of the few groups where your website does nearly all of the early work.
They need a map before they need listings
Out-of-town buyers don't know that Pasadena and Glendale are different trade-offs, or why someone working in Santa Monica might rule out living in Santa Clarita. Listings don't help them until they understand how the city fits together. A page that compares a handful of areas side by side, with typical commutes to the big job centers, what the housing looks like, and what's walkable, is more useful to them than another search box.
Be specific. “Easy commute” means nothing to someone who has never sat on the 405. “About 35 minutes to Century City midday, often over an hour at 8 a.m.” is the kind of detail that earns trust, because it's obviously written by someone who drives it.
Explain how buying works here
California's process is unfamiliar to many people coming from other states: escrow companies, the disclosure packet, contingency timelines, and since August 2024, a signed buyer agreement before an agent can tour homes with you. A plain-English page walking through each step, with a realistic timeline, answers the questions relocation buyers are embarrassed to ask and shows you as the person who'll guide them through it.
Show you can work from a distance
Many relocation buyers make offers on homes they've only seen on video. Say how you handle that: live video walkthroughs, recorded drives through the neighborhood, digital signing, and a way to reach you that works across time zones. If you've closed for buyers who weren't in the state yet, say so and show it. A short testimonial from a family who bought from across the country says more than any claim you could write.
Make the next step fit their timeline
Someone moving in six months isn't ready to book a showing. Give them a lower-stakes next step: a relocation guide they can download, a short intro call, a weekly email of new listings in the areas they're considering. A form that only offers “Schedule a showing” loses most of them.
Why these pages are worth the effort
Relocation pages tend to rank well because they answer specific questions the national portals don't. They also attract a buyer who's motivated, has usually sold a home somewhere else, and needs an agent more than most. They pair naturally with neighborhood pages and with the rest of what we build for real estate agents.