Intro & Introduction
Björn:
My name is Björn Rosenboom. I am the owner and managing director of Rosenboom Immobilien, based here in Aurich in Friesland. We are an innovative real estate agency that specializes exclusively in the sale of real estate. In other words, we don't offer a wide range of services. We don't deal with insurance, financing, or even rentals—just sales. And we do this several times a week. Accordingly, we are quite successful. We have a great team of back-office staff, real estate agents, real estate brokers, real estate agents, prospective specialists, and ultimately help owners sell their property in a time-efficient manner and at the best possible price.
Lennart:
How big is your team?
Björn:
If I count everyone, there are 10 or 11 of us now.
Lennart:
And they're all permanent employees?
Björn:
No, we have independent sales representatives in sales, i.e., sales representatives according to HGB84. Independent real estate agents who have joined us because they understand the company as such and the concept behind it and benefit from it. And then we have back office staff, media managers, and, of course, cleaning staff who make sure that everything is always clean and tidy and that there are drinks in the refrigerator.
Lennart:
I'll come back to the sales staff in a moment, but first I'd like to know: Who are you exactly and what is your role in the company?
Björn:
I actually started in 2018 as a real estate agent in a franchise system. There are two big ones here in Germany, the red ones and the blue ones. I started as a real estate agent with one of them, also as an independent sales representative. That's why I know how it can work and what doesn't work. And then in 2021, I decided to start my own company, Rosenboom Immobilien, still as a sole proprietorship. But then it kept getting bigger. I started hiring an office assistant to take some of the load off my shoulders. And ultimately, people always approached me because they saw that it seemed to be working for me. As a result, I never had any problems growing on my own. I never had to place any major job ads; people just approached me. And that's exactly how we've grown over the last few years. The limited liability company as we know it today has only been in existence since the end of 2023.
Lennart:
So it's still relatively new, about two years old now?
Björn:
Exactly.
Starting point before Ynfinite
Lennart:
What was your website situation like before you got to know Ynfinite?
Björn:
Yes, well, as I said, I founded Rosenboom Immobilien as a sole proprietor and, especially in that market climate, I usually had five to ten properties in my portfolio. We had a very rapid turnover, with very high demand and little supply on the market, so I was basically working with a WordPress solution. That was also a time—I'll be completely honest—when I simply didn't have any money to hire a big agency to build me a website. So I locked myself away for the weekend, typed "How" into YouTube, and built my own website. It actually turned out pretty well and worked for a long time. People even approached me and asked who had created the website. Could I put them in touch with that person? I always found that quite charming.
The problem that arose at some point, especially with growth—when you have five to ten properties that you have to enter on the website—was this: I created a separate subpage for each property, entered all the key data, and of course it was an immense administrative effort. But it was important to me so that I had the various links to the pages and also brought traffic to my website. In the meantime, however, we are somehow managing—I don't even know anymore—70 or 80 properties at the same time. It would be impossible to do that if you had to enter everything manually. And so Ynfinite was actually the perfect solution for me.
Lennart:
Was there a moment when you said: From now on, I need a solution? Or how did it come about?
Björn:
Yes, at some point I just couldn't keep up with creating the individual pages for the properties. I was spending far too much of my own time doing it all. And yes, something had to happen. I knew we had to integrate it into our broker software. We needed some kind of interface so that when the real estate agent advertised the property, it would not only be uploaded to ImmoScout and the usual portals, but also to the website. There were already systems that I was familiar with. But I didn't like them in terms of quality, because I never wanted to have a website, a homepage, that was really just a business card. Instead, I always wanted people to enjoy visiting our website, to spend time on it, to be able to find useful information, and to simply realize that they were dealing with professionals.
Lennart:
And how did you find out about us?
Björn:
I don't really remember exactly. I guess it was an ad of yours on Instagram, but I'm not sure. Ultimately, I think that's how I got in touch with you. Then we had a really nice conversation. The huge advantage was that I had already built a website myself, so I understood everything you were telling me. And I was totally excited about how easy it could be. Yes, and then it became clear to me relatively quickly that we should take this step together.
Value for money
Björn:
In terms of cost, it was and still is very interesting for me. The price-performance ratio is right. We have great service. When I write to your info desk, I get a solution within 24 hours, and that's exactly what's important to me in the end.
Lennart:
Were there any specific criteria you used to make your selection, or was it more a case of "It has to be nice and it has to work"?
Björn:
No, there weren't any specific criteria. Price was always a huge factor, of course. I could go to an agency and have them set up a website for me. But if I want it done the way I want it, a website like that will probably cost me $30,000, $40,000, $50,000, plus support, which I have to keep booking because I can't change anything myself – which is a huge advantage with you guys. Most things are really drag and drop, so even if I've never built a website myself, I don't really have to do anything – you can do most of it yourself. And I think that's a huge advantage with you guys.
Decision-making process & onboarding
Lennart:
What was the decision-making process like? Well, you heard about it from me. I showed it to you. What happened next for you?
Björn:
What I really liked about you – without wanting to sound too complimentary – but I hate it when I talk to salespeople, and I talk to a lot of salespeople who want to sell me something. You can imagine that I don't get put through to them anymore when they put so much pressure on me during the conversation. And you didn't do that at all. Pressure creates counterpressure. You said, "Hey, take a look at this. We can do this, it costs this much, we'll deliver this for you. Think about it. Either you work with us or you don't" – that was your approach. Of course, in a charming way, and of course you're happy when people work with you, but you don't ask the question "Do we want to do it this way?" or "Here's the contract, you can sign it digitally" right away on the first call. For me, that's a red flag – then the matter is immediately closed for me. You didn't do that at all, no pressure whatsoever. You gave me my time, I thought about it. I don't think I had a long decision-making process. And exactly – accordingly, it has been a very pleasant collaboration so far.
Lennart:
Can you remember the moment when you said, "Okay, let's do this," and then the onboarding process began on our website? I mean, it's a new system, so it might be a bit confusing at first, but tell me, how was the process for you? How were you guided through it? How did it work for you?
Björn:
Exactly, we had the classic onboarding, which we didn't do together—or when? Was it that long ago? No, no. But as I said, it's relatively simple to use, from the dashboard to the content and pages—you can do a lot yourself. What I didn't do back then, but would do now, is book the service where you fill the website completely with all kinds of stuff. At the time, I was put off by the cost and, of course, I wanted to get to know you first, right? How long do you work together? I would do things differently now. I would have you take care of everything, because it took me a lot of time to do it myself. Looking back, I know that you would have done a great job. I would have done it differently now. And apart from that, the onboarding was kept relatively simple. The systems were up and running immediately. It also went quickly. I don't think I waited four to six weeks for it. Everything went relatively quickly. The interfaces with my brokerage software were set up. So everything was quite simple.
Integration into everyday work
Lennart:
Did you immediately recognize a favorite feature for yourself right at the beginning? Something you use very often?
Björn:
What I use a lot is advertising new properties. And that was actually the most important thing for me—that it works smoothly. And now I don't have to do anything anymore. So: the real estate agent has a new property and presses the button – and it's on the website. And it's also presented really well on the website.
Lennart:
How does Ynfinite integrate into your everyday work? Do you even notice that we exist? Or how is it – also your colleagues, your employees – how does it work?
Björn:
Yes, we notice it from customer feedback. Or from fellow real estate agents. I know many real estate agents, of course here in our region and also nationwide. And we notice from customers, of course, when we are with them to evaluate the property, for example, that our website – our entire presence, in general – comes across as very professional. And, of course, other agents have asked me who does it and whether I could put them in touch with them.
Lennart:
Yes, always do it!
Unexpected added value & SEO
Lennart:
Was there any surprising moment for you where you got more than you expected or suddenly noticed something you might not have anticipated?
Björn:
So, what we've revisited are the blog posts—AI-automated and the like. In my opinion, that's not quite ready yet. The articles themselves are good, and the automation processes behind them are also optimal. The problem at the moment, as you know, is image generation. The AI just isn't there yet.
Lennart:
We've just added something completely new—you can't know this yet—we've just added a whole new AI behind it. So you'll have to take a look. In fact, you can see a massive difference in the images on all websites because we've used a completely new AI.
Björn:
Okay, I'll take another look!
Lennart:
Yes, but in fact, we've received that feedback quite often.
Björn:
Yes, but that's obviously an issue, I've heard it from someone else too. So, the fact that you're tackling something like this—creating independent blog posts based on keywords that are currently being Googled—is obviously premium. And you can just see how the reach really goes through the roof. Of course, it's important to get feedback. Yes, and that's why I think it's good that you told us from the outset that you're not satisfied with it. Because only when we get feedback can we improve, right?
Björn:
Yes, it's a bit difficult in that regard—if you want to get to the bottom of that question. In addition to you as partners, we also have an SEO consultant.
Lennart:
Yes.
Björn:
And now, of course, it's relatively difficult to really measure that: What comes through our website, through you, and what comes through our SEO consultant, who also contributes to that – it's a bit difficult to differentiate, isn't it? If we didn't have him now, I could give you a little better information. But he's also very meticulous in his work. So, the combination of both is probably the recipe for success.
Lennart:
I know your SEO marketer, and I know he does a good job. So in that respect, it fits. Funnily enough, you can actually see roughly when he started – in the reach analysis. That means we can actually see a massive increase just from the website alone. And then, when he came on board, there was another push effect, so to speak. And of course, it's all connected somehow. But he definitely contributed to it as well.
Measurable success & lead generation
Lennart:
So that means measurable success—if you're talking about it now—you save time somehow by "listing properties," and you already have more reach, but it's not entirely clear whether that's down to us or the SEO marketer?
Björn:
Yes. And a super-professional appearance, right? That's the biggest added value.
Lennart:
Nice.
Björn:
And cost-effective, I have to say. You have fair prices—at least that's how I see it.
Lennart:
What about the others—your employees—have they given any feedback on the website?
Björn:
Yes, they're actually not that involved in the topic – and that's deliberate. They're independent real estate agents. It's not their job. My job here is to provide the infrastructure so that everyone can work efficiently in their day-to-day business. Accordingly: They don't really have that much contact with it. They only hear about it from customers—who think it's great how we showcase the properties, with our own photographer and then the website. So the whole structure behind it, right? That's what I hear from them.
Lennart:
Do you get specific customer inquiries via your website?
Björn:
Yes.
Lennart:
How many?
Björn:
Definitely—wow, I'd have to lie. We have the tool on our website, which almost every real estate agent—not every one, but many—has: "How much is your property worth?" or the classic. Of course, some come in through that. What we also have a lot of are prospective buyers – i.e., buyers of real estate who create a search profile with us in order to receive preferential treatment or be among the first to see new real estate listings. And we already have quite a few who come via the website. Yes, definitely.
Return on investment & utilization
Lennart:
Return on investment – can you actually put that into figures or say that it's worthwhile having a website with us?
Björn:
Yes, return on investment – I would have to know what the return is, so to speak. And that's just too difficult to measure, right? But the pricing structure you have is simply super attractive. So, whether I get a return remains to be seen. But the investment I've made simply to have a professional website is return enough for me. So, that would be enough. I don't need to get owner contacts or leads or anything like that – for me personally, I can only speak for myself, it's already worth it for me to have that. Otherwise, I would have to make a selection, compile statistics on what comes in via the website. But as I said: absolutely worthwhile for me.
Lennart:
Yes, that can actually be measured very, very well. If you're interested, I can show you how to track it. You could actually check it out and see... Well, we always try to make it as vivid as possible and show how cool it actually works.
Björn:
Well, that's one thing anyway—I assume that I'm only using maybe 40% of what you guys can do. Simply because we've had such tremendous growth at the moment that I didn't really have the capacity to delve into it any further. I have to do that. We've just hired two new colleagues – one of whom is taking some of the load off my shoulders so that I can concentrate on things like that again. But I think that even with the broker software, we're not yet making full use of many of the functions your website offers. So there's still room for improvement there.
Recommendation & market environment
Lennart:
Would you recommend us to others?
Björn:
Yes, I would recommend you—but for a very specific reason: because you're so good. Of course, I'm not interested in brokers here in my region or beyond offering the same quality and professionalism to the market as we do— and have similar websites. But that's the only reason. Of course, I would wish for you, I would wish for you guys, to continue on your growth path, and I'm confident that you will succeed. So yes, theoretically, I would of course recommend you – but: A lot of what we do is copied because we seem to be doing a lot of things right. In social media, for example, or other advertising campaigns that we implement—they are often simply copied and pasted. We do that too. And if that were also the case with the homepage, it would hurt me a little—but: of course, go ahead.
Future plans and ideas
Lennart:
Thank you. And then just one last question – and this is really just out of interest, I'm simply curious: private or business – so not necessarily for the camera.
Björn:
Yes.
Lennart:
Do you have any plans for the future? Like, where you say, "Hey, wait a minute, there's kind of a next level," or "I'd really like to do this and that with my website," or "This and that— i saw or heard that it's possible, but I haven't implemented it myself yet"?
Björn:
The topic of landing pages is another issue that is integrated into the website. I would like to have a landing page that works with the tool "What is my property worth?" – but really just the page for that and a little bit more visually simple. One that really grabs the customer's attention, with a call to action behind it – that would be another point. I would follow up on that. Then it would be properly advertised with ads, really going on the offensive. We've done that before, but I don't think we were working together at the time. It was only semi-successful. We always run a few ads, but if we could somehow integrate that into the homepage or something – that would be another big project that I would like to implement.
Social media integration & automation
Björn:
Otherwise, yes, otherwise I don't have anything else at the moment. Except for something I think is really cool, which you already offer—as I said, we are very strong in the social media sector, and that has of course become a task, a job, where I could hire someone permanently because there is so much to do. We have new properties coming in every day, we sell one every other day,
and we post more or less everything, right? So every day there's a new post, a new property, then there are stories from the daily routine –&and you also have the function, theoretically at the touch of a button, I have it on the homepage and on the real estate portals and at the same time on Facebook, Instagram and probably even more far-reaching: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google My Business – really important for Google reach.
Lennart:
Yes.
Björn:
We do that too – but everything manually, right? And that's the thing, it would be super easy for me, and of course it would save on labor resourcesbut we have our own templates, and we can't integrate them into the website. At least, I don't know yet if there's a way to integrate them.
Lennart:
You can—there's actually a field at the bottom right called "Open Graph Settings," and that's where you do exactly that.
Björn:
Yes, okay. Then maybe we should talk about it again on the phone. We can do that. Because that's another point – it would make work so much easier if every broker did that themselves,not send the pictures to marketing, who would then insert them into templates via Canva and post them from Canva to the various social media profiles, but if it could be done at the touch of a button... that would be awesome.
Lennart:
Yes. I know you already do that, but I didn't know exactly how it all works.
Björn:
Yes, look—we're back to 40, 50%.
Lennart:
Yes.
Conclusion
Lennart:
Cool. Hey, but then: thank you very much for taking the time to sit down with us here. I'm very happy about that—and also that you're a happy Ynfinite user.
Björn:
Absolutely. I am. We are.
Lennart:
Great. Then I would say: I wish you continued great business success, and we'll be in touch.