How to Create the Perfect Neighborhood Guide for Your Real Estate Website

The top real estate agents in the industry offer so much more than basic buying and selling services. The agents that become leaders are those who provide a continuous stream of value for their core clientele.

Bring Your Prospects Value

If you want to increase your number of commission checks, start thinking of ways to educate and support your community. Of course, you can pass on tips relating to the core elements of real estate like everyone else. But maybe there are other areas that you could provide insights on as well?

• Investment strategies for retirement
• Good debt vs. bad debt
• How to live a minimalist lifestyle
• The most exciting summer activities in your town

The options are nearly endless. You can record your own podcast. You could write an e-book. You could make weekly YouTube videos. If you can find ways to entertain while bringing value, the number of leads and referrals coming your way will drastically increase.

Neighborhood Guides Are Gold Mines

If you are looking to create a piece of valuable content, start with one of the classics that will always be searched online. Every real estate agent should have at least one neighborhood guide on their website. This will be an incredibly powerful tool to help convert prospective home buyers and sellers that are visiting your site.

Oftentimes, a potential client will do their own research before reaching out to a real estate professional. They want to get a vague idea of the area they plan on moving to before they take any serious steps of action.

Components of a Great Neighborhood Guide

A neighborhood guide will give these on-the-fence buyers the foundational information they need to start their home search. And because they found this valuable information on your website, you will likely be the first person they call. Ready to get started? You will need to focus on:

• Real estate statistics
• Demographics
• Services (schools, hospitals, etc.)
• Points of interest
• Local testimonials
• Start with housing

How Much Will It Cost to Shop in the Neighborhood?

The first thing people want to know about a particular neighborhood is if it's in their budget or not. After giving a brief introduction to the area, dive into some of the details that matter most. Average prices of homes. Average time to sell. New developments in the planning stages.

You don't need to write paragraphs about this particular section, but you should cover the basics. Have you recently created some content pieces on real estate market updates that include this area?

Condense all of the information you have into a single PDF or e-book and link to it in this section. Remember, many people prefer to learn in a visual way. If you are discussing the average price of a home in this area over the past 10 years, use a graph! Infographics are a real estate agent's best friend.

Don't Leave Out Demographics

After a potential client understands that they can afford to buy in the area (and that it's a smart investment), they will next want to know who their neighbors will be.

Demographics are one of the most important factors for a home buyer. Think about it. The parents who just had their second child want to live around other young families. Seniors may prefer a quiet neighborhood that attracts less traffic and late night partying. Demographics are so important, they should consider changing the classic real estate mantra.

"Location, location…demographics!"

Quality Schools and Hospitals Are Important to Buyers and Sellers

As a real estate agent, you already know the power of schools, churches, hospitals and other major services. Home buyers are getting pickier than ever. They want a school located within walking distance along a safe route, near clinics and local pharmacies.

Consider making an aerial view map that highlights all of the major services. This allows a prospective buyer to gain a solid understanding of what the neighborhood has to offer in a few seconds.

Homebuyers Just Want to Have Fun

Just like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, after the essentials are met, you can focus on the fun stuff!

When a potential client is reviewing a neighborhood, they will be playing out their future life in their head. What will they do after work? How will they fill their time on the weekends? What hobbies could they pick up? Are there fine-dining restaurants nearby?

Help your client visualize what their new life would be like should they decide to become part of their neighborhood. Create a video that highlights all of the local hot spots and actually show your prospects the details you've been describing. Talk to local government—they might also have a need for such a video.

Tell Them with Testimonials

If you have worked in this neighborhood for quite a while, you may be deemed a trustworthy source. However, most potential homebuyers want to hear the facts right from the mouths of those who actually live there. Gathering testimonials from residents is one of the most impactful ways to convince a client to reach out to you.

The best way to do this is through video. If you can find a few willing participants from the neighborhood, go out and interview them in the community, asking them about what they like most about the area.

If you have already worked with clients in this neighborhood, these testimonials can double as testimonials for your services. Just ensure the submissions are always genuine and don't come across as forceful or cheesy.

Local Leaders Show the Way

Creating neighborhood guides and real estate resources is just one of the ways that you can become the number one agent in your geographic area.

To view the original article, visit the Parkbench blog.