Case Study: How Rob Disbergen Makelaars Boosted Website PerformanceThrough Smart Funda Data Management
A Dutch real estate agency’s journey to faster property searches and reduced operational costs
The Challenge: Slow Property Pages Were Costing Sales
Rob Disbergen Makelaars (robdisbergen.nl) faced a common problem plaguing Dutch real estate websites: their property pages were loading too slowly, particularly during peak browsing hours when potential buyers were most active. With Funda data powering their listings, every page required fresh property information, but constant API calls through their Realworks integration were creating bottlenecks.
The numbers told a concerning story: page load times averaged 4-6 seconds during evening hours when most buyers browse properties. In Nijmegen’s competitive market, where quality properties attract significant interest quickly, slow-loading pages meant lost opportunities and frustrated potential buyers clicking away to faster competitors.
The Business Problem: Outdated Property Data Was Hurting Credibility
Rob Disbergen Makelaars’ main challenge wasn’t cost—it was speed and data freshness. Their existing system was too conservative with data refreshes, meaning visitors to robdisbergen.nl often saw outdated property information that could be hours or even a day old. During busy periods, this created serious credibility issues:
Outdated Listings: Properties that had already sold or had price changes were still showing old information, leading to frustrated potential buyers and wasted time for agents.
Slow Data Updates: When new properties came on the market or existing listings were updated on Funda, it took too long for these changes to appear on robdisbergen.nl.
User Experience Issues: Potential buyers were questioning the reliability of the information on the site, particularly during Amsterdam’s fast-moving market where properties can change status quickly.
Competitive Disadvantage: While platforms like Funda.nl showed real-time information, robdisbergen.nl felt outdated and unreliable in comparison.
After consulting with Realworks, it became clear that API usage wasn’t a concern—they had the capacity to refresh data much more frequently. The real issue was implementing a smarter refresh strategy that would keep the site current without overloading their servers.
The Solution: Intelligent Data Refresh Based on Market Activity
After consulting with Realworks and confirming that API usage wasn’t a limiting factor, Rob Disbergen Makelaars implemented a “business-hours aware” data refresh system that prioritizes fresh Funda data when it matters most.
Understanding When Fresh Data Matters Most
The breakthrough insight came from analyzing robdisbergen.nl’s visitor patterns alongside Funda listing activity. The data revealed clear patterns: between 7 AM and 7 PM, new listings appeared frequently, existing properties received updates, and potential buyers were most active. Outside these hours, both listing updates and visitor activity decreased significantly.
This led to a smart refresh strategy: instead of using the same slow refresh interval around the clock, they implemented dynamic timing based on market activity:
Business Hours (7 AM – 7 PM): Fresh Funda data every 10 minutes via Realworks Evening/Weekend Hours: Cached data retained for up to 1 hour
Emergency Override: Instant data refresh for urgent market updates
The Technical Implementation
Working with their development team and leveraging Realworks’ developer portal resources at developers.realworks.nl, Rob Disbergen Makelaars built a comprehensive cache management system.
The system included a custom dashboard where the team could monitor data freshness status and manually trigger immediate Funda data refreshes when they knew about important changes—like new exclusive listings or sudden price reductions—that shouldn’t wait for the next automatic update cycle.
The Results: Dramatically Fresher Data and Better User Trust
Six months after implementing their intelligent data refresh system, Rob Disbergen Makelaars’ results exceeded all expectations:
Data Freshness and Reliability
Data Currency: Property information on robdisbergen.nl now updates within 10 minutes during business hours, compared to the previous 2-4 hour delays.
Listing Accuracy: Outdated property information complaints dropped, with visitors now trusting that what they see on the site reflects current market reality.
New Listing Speed: New properties appearing on Funda now show up on robdisbergen.nl within minutes rather than hours, giving the agency a competitive edge in fast-moving markets.
Website Performance and User Engagement
User Trust: Bounce rates decreased by as visitors gained confidence in the freshness and accuracy of property information.
Property Exploration: Visitors now view more properties per session.
Mobile Experience: Mobile users particularly benefited, with faster data loading creating a more responsive browsing experience.
Operational Benefits Agent Efficiency: The Rob Disbergen team can now promote new listings immediately, knowing they’ll appear on their website within minutes rather than waiting hours for updates.
Market Responsiveness: During Nijmegen’s busy periods, robdisbergen.nl maintained current information while competitors showed outdated listings.
Manual Control: The instant refresh override feature proved invaluable for promoting exclusive listings and urgent price changes. listings rather than waiting. When competing with major platforms like Funda.nl directly, page speed becomes a crucial differentiator.
Better Funda Data Accuracy During Peak Hours
While competitors may cache Realworks-retrieved Funda data for hours to save costs, your 10-minute business-hours refresh ensures visitors see near-real-time property information when they’re most likely to take action.
Competitive SEO Advantage
Google rewards fast-loading websites with better search rankings. For local searches like “huizen te koop Amsterdam” or “appartementen Rotterdam,” faster Realworks-optimized Funda data loading can improve your visibility above competitors still using static caching.
Developer Portal Advantage
Access to Realworks’ developer resources provides ongoing technical advantages, including early access to API updates, comprehensive documentation, and professional support that helps maintain optimal integration performance.
Implementation Considerations for Other Dutch Real Estate Agencies
Rob Disbergen Makelaars’ success offers valuable lessons for other agencies wanting fresher Funda data on their websites:
Check with Realworks First: Before assuming API usage is a constraint, consult with Realworks about your actual limits. Many agencies are being overly conservative with refresh frequencies when they could be updating data much more frequently.
Analyze Your Market’s Pace: Rob Disbergen’s 10-minute business hours refresh worked for their Nijmegen market, but your optimal timing might differ. Study when new listings appear in your area and when your visitors are most active.
Consider Your Property Types: Different property segments have different update frequencies. New construction projects might need less frequent refreshes than competitive urban resale properties that change status rapidly.
Plan for Regional Differences: If you serve multiple markets, consider that different regions have varying market paces. Rob Disbergen’s Nijmegen-focused strategy balances the need for fresh data with the region’s market characteristics.
Implement Manual Override Capability: Having the ability to instantly refresh data for urgent updates proves invaluable during busy market periods when you need to promote new exclusives immediately.
Focus on User Trust: The goal isn’t just faster data—it’s building visitor confidence that your website shows current, reliable information. This trust directly impacts conversion rates.
Key Takeaways: What Rob Disbergen Makelaars Learned
Consult Your Data Provider First: The biggest revelation was discovering that Realworks had no issues with more frequent API calls. Many agencies operate under unnecessarily conservative refresh schedules.
Fresh Data Drives Trust and Conversions: Moving from 2-4 hour delays to 10-minute refreshes during business hours dramatically improved visitor confidence and conversion rates.
Smart Timing Beats Constant Updates: Rather than refreshing every minute around the clock, aligning data refreshes with market activity patterns proved more effective and efficient.
Manual Override is Essential: While automated refreshing handles most scenarios perfectly, having the ability to instantly update data for urgent listings proved invaluable during busy market periods.
User Perception Matters: The improvement in data freshness wasn’t just technical—it fundamentally changed how visitors perceived the reliability and professionalism of robdisbergen.nl.
Conclusion: Fresh Data as a Competitive Advantage
Rob Disbergen Makelaars’ experience demonstrates that optimizing Funda data freshness through intelligent Realworks integration represents more than just a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic business investment that builds user trust and drives conversions.
The agency’s dramatic improvement in data currency, combined with a 28% increase in website inquiries and significantly improved user confidence, proves that fresh, reliable property information can provide genuine competitive advantages in the Netherlands’ fast-paced real estate market.
For other Dutch real estate agencies struggling with outdated property information or questioning their current refresh strategies, Rob Disbergen’s case study offers a proven roadmap. The key insight is that many agencies are being unnecessarily conservative with data updates when their providers can support much more frequent refreshes.
As the Dutch real estate market becomes increasingly digital-first, agencies that provide the freshest, most reliable property information will continue to gain advantages over competitors showing outdated listings.
Rob Disbergen Makelaars continues to monitor and adjust their refresh strategies based on market patterns and seasonal variations. Their success demonstrates how strategic data optimization can directly impact business results in the competitive Dutch real estate market.