Market Snapshot®

10 Ways Real Estate Agents Can Stand Out Online
Thank you to iGuide for sponsoring this article on RE Technology: Social media has become an essential tool for real estate agents to connect with potential clients and showcase their expertise. However, with the increasing number of agents using social media platforms, it is crucial to find ways to stand out from the competition. In this article, we will explore effective strategies for real estate agents to differentiate themselves and maximize their impact on social media. Define your target audience Understanding your target audience is the first step to standing out on social media. Identify the demographics, interests and pain points of your ideal clients. By tailoring your content to their needs, you can establish yourself as a trusted resource and attract the right audience. Create high-quality content In a sea of social media posts, it is essential to produce high-quality content that grabs attention and provides value. Share informative blog posts, videos, infographics and professional photos of listings. Engaging content will not only attract potential clients, but also position you as an industry expert. Utilize visual storytelling Visual content is incredibly powerful on social media. Leverage platforms like Instagram and Facebook to showcase your listings through captivating photos, videos and 3D tours. Leveraging the imagery and virtual experience from the property's iGUIDE can help you showcase unique features and attract potential buyers. Use storytelling techniques to evoke emotions and make your audience visualize themselves in their dream home. The Faris Team really leverages Instagram to showcase their listings. Check out the Faris Team's profile here for inspiration. Be your authentic self Being your true self on social media is crucial. It's important to genuinely express yourself and not pretend to be someone you're not. Authenticity allows you to build genuine connections with others and fosters trust in the digital world. When you are true to yourself, your content becomes more relatable and resonates with your audience. Don't be afraid to show your unique personality, share your passions and voice your opinions. By embracing your authentic self on social media, you create a meaningful and authentic presence that sets you apart from the crowd and resonates in real life. Engage with your audience Building relationships on social media is crucial. Respond promptly to comments, direct messages and inquiries. Engage with your followers by asking questions, conducting polls and encouraging them to share their thoughts. Show genuine interest and establish a connection with your audience. KHaptive Design does a great job of giving prospective clients a genuine feel of the property with their photos and tours. Check out KHaptive Design's profile here for samples of their work. Leverage live videos Live videos are an excellent way to connect with your audience in real-time. Host virtual open houses, Q&A sessions or behind-the-scenes tours of your listings. This interactive approach allows potential clients to engage directly with you and get a sense of your personality and expertise. Billy Alvaro and the team bring their projects to life using video tours to tell the story of a property. Check out his profile to see how. Collaborate with influencers Partnering with local influencers or industry experts can give your social media presence a significant boost. Collaboration can help you tap into their existing audience, expand your reach and position yourself as an authority in the real estate industry. Use hashtags effectively Hashtags make your content discoverable on social media platforms. Research and use relevant hashtags that are popular among your target audience. This will increase the visibility of your posts and attract potential clients who are searching for real estate-related content. Use the #go_iguide to increase your chances of being featured on our @go_iguide Instagram account. Optimize your profiles Optimize your social media profiles to make a strong first impression. Use professional headshots, write compelling bios that highlight your expertise and include links to your website or blog. Consistency across platforms will help establish brand recognition and credibility. Monitor and analyze results Regularly monitor and analyze your social media performance to understand what works and what doesn't. Pay attention to metrics such as engagement, reach and click-through rates. This data will help you refine your strategy and make informed decisions to improve your social media presence continually. Standing out on social media as a real estate agent requires a strategic approach. By understanding your target audience, creating high-quality content, engaging with your audience, utilizing visual storytelling and leveraging various social media features, you can differentiate yourself from the competition and establish a strong online presence. Remember to consistently monitor and analyze your efforts to adapt and improve your strategy over time. Ready to learn how iGUIDE can help? Connect with an iGUIDE Specialist today to see how it can help improve your client experience. To view the original article, visit the iGuide

Elevating Real Estate Marketing: The Power of Live Streaming
In the dynamic world of real estate, staying ahead of the game is all about embracing innovative strategies that capture the attention of potential buyers. One such strategy that has taken the industry by storm is live streaming. So, grab your smartphone and get ready to dive into the exciting realm of live streaming in real estate marketing! Lights, Camera, Action: The Rise of Live Streaming Real estate agents can now give clients an immersive, in-the-moment experience with live streaming, bridging the gap between actual and virtual tours. The appeal is in its spontaneity because viewers get a real sense of the atmosphere, eccentricities, and charm of a place. The Personal Touch: Building Authentic Connections Relationship building and trust are essential when selling a home. Agents can communicate with potential customers in real-time thanks to live streaming, which humanizes the procedure. Not only should granite countertops and square footage be displayed, but also a personal connection should be made. Imagine answering viewers' questions live and providing anecdotes about the cool things in the area. Through this engagement, a sense of transparency is fostered, which increases client trust. From Virtual Tours to Reality: Tips for Incorporating Live Streaming 1. Choose the Right Platform - Select a live streaming platform that aligns with your target audience. Instagram Live, Facebook Live, and even YouTube Live are popular choices that offer real-time interaction and reach. 2. Plan Your Content - While spontaneity is encouraged when live streaming, having a loose plan can help avoid awkward pauses. To keep your audience interested, outline the key points you want to emphasize and prepare engrossing anecdotes. 3. Promote Before You Go Live - By announcing it on your mailing lists and social media channels, you can create buzz before your live session. This guarantees that when the time comes, you will have an attentive audience. 4. Engage with Viewers - Live streaming is a conversation, not a monologue. Encourage viewers to comment and ask questions in real time. They remain interested and invested due to this interactivity. 5. Highlight Unique Features - Consider what makes the property unique. Is that a pretty bay window? A dream kitchen for a chef? A backyard haven? The highlight of your live stream may be these features. 6. Showcase the Neighborhood - Remember, you're not just selling a home – you're selling a lifestyle. Take a stroll around the neighborhood and point out nearby parks, restaurants, and shopping centers. 7. Professional Presentation - While live streaming can be casual, maintain a professional demeanor. Dress appropriately and ensure your surroundings are tidy and well-lit. The Benefits: Why Agents Should Embrace Live Streaming 1. Wider Reach: You can connect with potential customers from all over the world by live streaming because it cuts across geographical boundaries. An online live stream can be viewed immediately or recorded for later viewing. 2. Time Efficiency: Without having to physically move between properties, you can give several tours in a single day using live streaming. You and your clients both profit from this time efficiency. 3. Cost-Effectiveness: Reduce costs associated with holding actual open houses, such as travel and staging fees. Live streaming reduces costs while maximizing output. 4. Data Insights: Numerous live streaming services provide analytics that reveal information about viewer engagement. You can use this information to improve your content strategy and mold it to the tastes of your target audience. In conclusion, streaming has revolutionized the way real estate agents market properties. It's not just a trend; it's a powerful tool that offers authenticity, engagement, and a personalized touch. By incorporating live streaming into your marketing arsenal, you're not just selling houses; you're selling experiences and forging meaningful connections with potential buyers. So, next time you're getting ready to showcase a stunning property, consider going live. Lights, camera, action – it's time to bring the charm and essence of each home right to the screens of eager buyers. Embrace the future of real estate marketing and make every stream a journey of discovery! To view the original article, visit the Transactly

Low Inventory Got You Down? 5 Tips for Finding More Homes for Sale
It's not news that housing inventory is low, but anyone who's been working as a real estate agent during the past couple of years can attest that it's more difficult than ever to find homes for sale! Listing agents are struggling to find homeowners interested in moving and selling their home, and buyer's agents have the challenge of finding a house for their buying clients, one that meets their needs and is within their budget. We've created an ebook in partnership with several companies whose bread-and-butter is helping agents find listings. You can download and read it here — and in the meantime, here are five more proven ways for you to try to find more listings as a real estate agent. 1. FSBO and expired listings This is a tried-and-true method for finding listings, and that's because it works! The red-hot seller's market that many areas were experiencing during the coronavirus pandemic and during recovery have now largely vanished, but there are a lot of would-be sellers who didn't get the message and who might be trying to offload their house without the help of an agent. A list of FSBO sales or expired listings can truly be real estate gold because you already know that the people who own that house are interested in selling it; you just need to understand what the barrier is (or was) to concluding that transaction. 2. Build relationships with builders New construction is an important part of inventory in many markets, and it's the only way to make a listing appear out of thin air, more or less! Builders want to focus on what they do best, which is build houses, not negotiate with a buyer. If there are developers or construction magnates in your area who aren't already working with a brokerage or a specific agent, maybe that could be you! 3. Find the landlords Making passive income by renting out a home can sound like a dream come true — but real estate professionals know that being a landlord can also be more of a nightmare scenario for some people. Who owns a home that they're currently renting out in the market where you operate? How long have they owned that home? Do they struggle to find quality tenants? Are they reaching retirement age or another life milestone that might cause them to reconsider their investments, both time-wise and money-wise, and make some different allocations? The landlords are going to want to sell that house someday, and if you know who they are and have been chatting with them about the pain points surrounding rentals in the area, then you might be the first agent to know about that listing. 4. Familiarize yourself with foreclosures Due to forbearance programs connected to the coronavirus pandemic, foreclosures have been mostly down nationally, meaning there haven't been as many in the past couple of years as we typically see. But now that the forbearance is ending and those programs are not available anymore, it's possible that we could be seeing more foreclosure activity in the near future. These homes can represent an opportunity in at least two different ways. First, you can reach out to homeowners who are facing foreclosure and offer to help them sell the house to pay off the mortgage. If that doesn't work out, then you can always try to represent the property on behalf of the bank if it doesn't sell at auction after it's been foreclosed. The bank doesn't want to keep the house; it wants to sell it to a buyer. Some agents specialize in REO (real estate-owned) listings and work directly with the banks to help represent and close transactions around those properties. 5. Knock on some doors With email and social media both prevalent ways of reaching out to prospective buyers and sellers, door-knocking has largely fallen out of favor. And that's a bit of a shame, because not every possible buyer or seller is active on social media, and one of the best ways to find listings is to learn who in the neighborhood might want to sell but feels like they can't for one reason or another. And how do you find those listings? Simple: You travel from door to door to introduce yourself to the occupants, ask if they own or rent, and then pose a few questions to them about their current situation and how happy they are. If it seems like they're dealing with a problem that you could help solve as either a listing agent or a buyer's agent, then you might have found yourself a new client! Low home inventory is a challenge for everyone in real estate. Buyers want more options for their ultimate purchase decision; sellers might be leery of leaving a house where they're comfortable because they're unsure they can find something comparable at a decent price. To generate more inventory for your own listings and for your buyers, sometimes thinking outside the box is the best approach. Want more outside-the-box ways to find homes for sale? Download our ebook