With 1,600 associates and 50 offices, Fred Sands Realtors is the nation's sixth-largest real estate company -- certainly a significant accomplishment by anyone's standards. But Sands' household-name recognition beats all of his competitors. While Sands has been making a name for himself in California since 1969, when he opened his first office in Brentwood, his reputation as a top Realtor really went national in the aftermath of the O.J. Simpson trial, when Sands obtained the listing on the fallen football star's Brentwood estate. Simpson was, of course, just the latest in a series of celebrity sales for the company, but the transaction's high-profile status pushed Sands' reputation beyond state borders to consumers throughout the country. While Sands probably will never live down his reputation for high-end properties and exclusive and secretive clients, he also sells plenty of mainstream properties throughout California, as well, which will come as news to many of his star struck admirers.

The Fred Sands Realtors Web site demonstrates just how carefully the man at the helm has grown his company from that single office in 1969 into the real estate empire it is today -- including a New Homes Group, International Estates division, the Fred Sands School of Real Estate, International Relocation and Corporate Services division, and Commercial Brokerage division, among other services. The site's home page displays the company's vast array of services in a clear, concise format and provides plenty of helpful advice for both buyers and sellers. Whether you're an actress seeking to sell your vacation home discretely -- or your family is planning an upcoming move to California -- this Web site demystifies the Sands persona while conveying the message that you'd be hard-pressed to find any need this company can't accommodate.

A "Buying and Selling Info" link is probably the best aspect of the Web site, including two sub-links for buyers and sellers, respectively. The buying sublink contains "10 Steps to Home Ownership," "Frequently Asked Questions," "Understanding Escrow," and a "Glossary of Financial Terms," creating a and adequately addressing a summary of buyers' foremost concerns, such as the amount of agents' commissions, how to determine what you're able to afford, and the best ways to find homes in your desired price range. The "10 Steps" section walks buyers through the home-buying process, carefully explaining every stage of the process.

The selling sublink is even more impressive, with sections on "Property Preparation for Potential Buyers," "Effective Marketing Strategies," "Determining Property Values," and "Understanding the Real Estate Marketplace." The "Property Preparation" section passes along helpful hints for creating just the right atmosphere in your home when a prospective buyer comes to visit. Who among us would have ever stopped to consider that simply making sure your outside doors have doormats in front of them creates a more inviting appeal to buyers? Believe it or not, it works. And it's here -- along with many other "Why didn't I think of that?" tips such as placing higher-wattage bulbs in your lamps, setting your dining room table, and placing fresh logs and pine cones in your fireplace.

Consumers seldom find a real estate company Web sites that describe in detail the marketing strategy that company plans to take when selling your home. Too often, it's up to the consumer to ask the agent, and many of us are met with a puzzled expression or a pause in response. Fred Sands Realtors lays it all out here -- exactly where and when your home will be marketed, a combination of direct mail, advertising/public relations, and industry promotions, each category comprised of multiple forms of media designed to sell homes both quickly and at maximum cost. The straightforwardness of this information is a major selling point for the company, and should make consumers question why other companies don't follow suit.

A dazzling "Estates" link is the highlight of Sands' Web site. Stressing the confidential nature of its transactions with an elite clientele, the Estates International division invites Web users to take an estates tour. An estate of the month is highlighted with a color photograph, and depending upon your computer's technology, you may also take a virtual tour of a Fred Sands estate property -- an experienced enhanced by multiple color photographs, audio streaming, chamber music, and a professional voice tour.

For those of us with slightly more shallow pockets, however, a "Find a Home" link enables users to enter their desired price range and amenities, then locate available Fred Sands properties throughout Northern and Southern California.

An "In the News" link touts Sands' status as an advisor and consultant on real estate, providing interviews for "Good Morning America," "The Today Show," "McNeil-Lehrer News Hour," and many others. The truly curious Web user may chronicle the growth of this company by checking out the site's backlog of news releases, most of them announcing the company's new offices throughout California.

Real estate companies everywhere, take notes. While Fred Sands' Web site caters to those of us who have read with voracious appetites about his celebrity sales, indulging us with a little armchair tour of his estate properties, the site is also informative and approachable. There's something for everyone here.

Published: July 22, 1998

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.