Problem
People moving to Vermont have to choose a town before they can choose a house.
Most agent sites open with listings, so the town decision happens somewhere else.
Overview · Relocation realtor website example, Burlington, Vermont
Concept · not a live site
Unsolicited concept by Zenlyx. Not commissioned by, affiliated with or endorsed by Jenn Brayden.
A local-expert website for a Burlington realtor that helps people moving to Vermont pick a town first, then a house, and book a call with Jenn
Problem & solution
Solution
The site starts with four towns and explains the street behind every listing.
Every number names its source. Every page ends at one step: a 20-minute call with Jenn.
Book a call/02
Problem and approach
Buyers moving to Vermont pick a town before a house. Most agent sites put listings first, so that choice happens on someone else’s page.
4 design moves, each one a screen later on
- 01/04Towns before listingsNeighborhoods is the first menu item. Four towns, compared side by side.Screen: Neighborhoods
- 02/04The street on every listingEach home links to a note on its neighborhood and a full town guide.Screen: Listing detail
- 03/04Numbers that name a sourceEvery stat carries a source line. Blanks wear a dashed TBC tag.Screen: Market reports
- 04/04One next step, everywhereEvery page ends at Book a call. Email is enough; no phone number needed.Screen: Book a call
Research
6 real inputs
// method
A concept project, so no survey and no interviews. Each input is a public source or a gap the design had to handle.
- 01/06Zenlyx briefTown before houseBuyers from out of state choose a town first. A hypothesis, still to test.Design response: Neighborhoods leads the menu.
- 02/06Public factFour areas, four livesA lakefront city, a suburb, a mill town and mountain villages, all in one service area.Design response: One page per area, plus a comparison table.
- 03/06Public ruleAirbnb is limitedSince May 2023, a Burlington short-term rental must be the host’s primary home. $110 a unit a year, plus 9% city and 9% state tax.City of Burlington, Jan 2025Design response: A plain FAQ answer.
- 04/06Public ruleFair housing, every pageHUD’s advertising guidance uses the Equal Housing Opportunity logo or statement.Design response: Logo and statement in every footer.
- 05/06Data gapNo MLS numbers yetMedian price and days on market need Jenn’s NEREN MLS data.Design response: Source lines, and a dashed TBC tag on every blank.
- 06/06Data gapNo reviews yetA new site has no client reviews to show.Design response: An honest empty state, never invented quotes.
/04
Persona
The line that drives the design
“I can’t judge a street I’ve never walked down.”
Can work from anywhere. Has never lived in Vermont. Has a few weeks to choose a town before the lease ends.
Goals
- Pick a town before touring any homes
- Understand commute, streets and feel
- Talk to one local person, on their own time
Frustrations
- Sites show houses, not towns
- Market numbers with no source or date
- Contact forms that want a phone number first
Dana asks forTowns compared. Streets explained. One local person to ask.
Dana
Morales
Relocating buyer
working assumption05/12
Empathy map
What Dana says, thinks, does and feels
From the Zenlyx brief
Says
- “I just need the right town first.”
- “Is South Burlington too quiet for us?”
- “I don’t want a sales call yet.”
Thinks
- Am I choosing a town from photos alone?
- Are these numbers current, and whose are they?
- Will an agent push me to buy fast?
Does
- Opens one browser tab per town
- Checks commute times on a map
- Saves listings without contacting anyone
Feels
- Overwhelmed by four similar town pages
- Cautious about giving out a phone number
- Relieved when someone local answers
Dana, choosing a town
PainsTown pages sound the same. Numbers have no source.
GainsA shortlist of 2 or 3 towns. One local person to ask.
/06
User journey map
01Deciding to move02Comparing towns03Shortlisting04Viewing homes05Booking a callActionsSearches towns, not houses.Opens one tab per town and reads each.Narrows four towns to two.Saves 3 listings in one town.Picks a 20-minute slot.Thoughts“Which town fits how we live?”“They all say great schools and a lake.”“What is the street actually like?”“Can I see it this week?”“Will I talk to Jenn herself?”EmotionPain pointsSearch results lead with listings.No side-by-side view. Numbers with no source.Listings never describe the street.Forms ask for a phone number first.Unclear what happens after booking.Opportunity → screenAsk “What brings you here?” first.→ HomeCompare the four towns in one table, sourced.→ NeighborhoodsJenn’s notes on vibe, getting around, homes.→ Area pageBook a showing on every listing. Email only.→ Listing detailName who calls. List the 3 next steps.→ Book a call
/07
User flow
Three goals, three paths. All of them end at the same 4-step booking.
Start, endPageDecisionConversion
/08
Information architecture
5 menu items, towns first. 2 tools stay in the header. Book a call is one click from every page.
Global, on every page
Header
5 menu items, the Home value tool and a lime Book a call button. Brokerage named under the logo.
Mobile tab bar
Home, Areas, Book call, Listings, Reports. Book call sits in the centre, raised in lime.
Footer
A closing call to action, the monthly report signup, Equal Housing Opportunity and the brokerage disclosure.
/09
Responsive
Same content, re-ordered. On phones the header actions move into a bottom tab bar, with Book a call in the centre.
03Long-term rental
04Fixer-upper- 1440
- Full nav, Home value tool, 3 path cards in a row
- 1180
- Nav condenses
- 960
- Two-column grids stack. Menu button appears
- 768
- Bottom tab bar replaces header actions
- 640
- Area tile labels wrap
/10 Visual solution
Design system
Clonix, tuned for Jenn. Square controls, rounded containers, one lime accent. Text on lime is always ink.
- Familjen Grotesk 500 · headings
- Inter 500/600 · body and buttons
- Instrument Serif · one accent word
- JetBrains Mono · sources, TBC tags
- Know the town
- H1 · 80
- South End
- H3 · 34
- Street-by-street advice from an agent who lives here.
- Lede · 18
- Older homes, small shops, close to downtown.
- Body · 16
- Ink
#041414Text, header, hero, footer - Teal
#0A292BCards and image frames - Lime
#E4F04BPrimary action, // mark, focus ring - Off
#F4F6F5Light sections. Cards sit on it in white
- Badge.
- Only real states: New, Price drop, Open house.
- Price.
- Familjen Grotesk, the first thing read.
- Area.
- Neighborhood before town.
- Numbers.
- Always Beds, Baths, Sq ft, so cards scan in a grid.
Zenlyx Studio
12 · Jenn Brayden
Thank you.
Running a realtor site that leads with listings? Ask Zenlyx for a free site audit.
Book an audit at zenlyx.ccConcept prototype by Zenlyx · not a live client site · not commissioned or endorsed by Jenn Brayden
What this build shows
Town pages that answer what relocating buyers search before they look at houses. See how we approach local SEO for real estate agents and agent websites.