To prove it, we’ll walk you through the basics of IDX real estate websites and how to build your own. We’ll cover terminology, strategy, themes, IDX plugins, and step-by-step instructions to build your own IDX real estate website in just a few hours. Important note: This guide covers how to build an IDX website using WordPress. If you’d rather use a real estate website builder like Real Geeks, check out our guide here: The 6 Best Real Estate Website Builders of 2022.

What Is IDX?

IDX, short for Internet Data Exchange, is the technology that allows Realtors and brokerages to display updated real estate listings from their MLS on their websites. 

Here’s how it works: Multiple times per day, third-party IDX providers take the raw listing data from your MLS and send it to the hundreds (or thousands) of real estate websites that have permission to display MLS listings. Whenever a listing is updated in your MLS, it is automatically updated on all the websites that display MLS listings through IDX. In 2022, most IDX listings are updated every 15 minutes. 

What’s an IDX Website?

An IDX website is any website that receives an automatically updated feed of listings from your MLS through a third-party IDX provider. That means that an IDX website will have listings just as fresh as your MLS’ website.

Potential buyers will have a very similar experience browsing an IDX website for new listings as your MLS’ site since the listings are updated with data from the MLS automatically. 

While many IDX real estate websites are focused solely on listings, others are full agent or brokerage websites with landing pages, About Us pages, agent profiles, mortgage calculators, a blog, videos, and everything else an agent, team, or brokerage might have on their website.

Do I Need to Use WordPress to Build an IDX Real Estate Website?

Absolutely not. There are many ways to build an IDX website, including coding it yourself or using another content management system (CMS) like Joomla or Drupal. Some third-party IDX providers can even send listings to Squarespace sites.

That said, WordPress is far and away the most popular CMS system on the market and has the most tutorials, support, and updates. This is why we strongly recommend that agents and brokerages use WordPress for their IDX website. Of course, if any of this starts to give you a headache or you just want help from the pros, Placester will build a full IDX real estate websitefor you starting at just $64 per month.

I give up, take me to Placester

How to Build an IDX Website in an Afternoon

Now that you know the basics, let’s go through the best way to build an IDX real estate website with WordPress.

Step 1: The Planning Phase

The most important (and most often avoided) stage in building a website is sitting down and figuring out exactly what you want from your IDX real estate website. While this might seem obvious at first (leads!!), you’d be surprised at what you can forget until you’re halfway through building your site. This will also make it easier to pick the right WordPress theme (more on this later) and IDX provider (ditto).

So take 10 minutes and write out what you want from your IDX real estate website. Think of features you’ve seen on other sites, like map search, video backgrounds, blogs, sliders, lead capture, home valuation pages, pop-ups, and the general aesthetic you want for your site. What would you like to offer your site visitors that will turn them into leads?

You don’t need to go crazy here; you can (and should) update and upgrade your site many times over the next few years. So don’t feel pressured to include absolutely everything now. Just take a few minutes to outline the big stuff before you commit to anything.

Study the Websites of the REAL Trends 500 & Take Notes

Before you dig in and invest the time and effort to build your own IDX website, take some time to research what it is you like about other real estate websites. To help speed up the process, we put together this comprehensive overview and ranking of the websites of the top 25 agents by volume for 2022 according to RealTrends (below).

What is it specifically about a top producer’s website that you like? Is it the overall look and feel, or something else? Does the site look great because they already had great branding they just plugged into a stock site, or is the overall design unique?

Navigation is another crucial element to consider. As you might imagine, most top producers’ websites have minimal navigation that leads visitors on a customer journey, so notice where and why you click on sites you like.

Step 2: Choose a Web Hosting Company & Domain Name

Before you even think about building a page for your website, you need to set up an account with a web hosting company. A web hosting company will provide a home for your website online and ensure it always loads quickly and reliably from any device.

For WordPress IDX websites, Bluehost is pretty hard to beat. Here’s why. First, at less than $3 per month, it is incredibly affordable, and second, it has a tool that lets you install WordPress with the click of a button. You also get five email addresses for you, your team, and maybe a few inside sales agents (ISAs), all for less than the price of a cup of coffee per month.

You can set up a quick account at Bluehost here and join us again later. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

Choose & Purchase Your Domain Name(s)

Luckily, choosing a great domain name is pretty straightforward. Just make sure it’s memorable, short enough to yell across a crowded restaurant, and ideally matches your name or personal brand. Unless you think you’re going to spend your entire career at your current brokerage, it’s probably best to avoid including your brokerage name in your domain name. After all, you’re an independent contractor, right? Be independent.

Generally speaking, .com is better than the alternatives, but if you have the perfect name, just can’t get the .com domain name you want, and no one else in your farm area is using it, then, by all means, go for another top-level domain (TLD) like .net, .bix, and so on.

Step 3: Install WordPress on Your New Domain

Now that you have a fresh new domain and web host, the next step to building an IDX website is to install WordPress. Since WordPress is open-source, it’s free to install and free to use. Not bad, right?

To install WordPress on your Bluehost account, log in to your Bluehost cPanel, click on the Website section, and then click on “Install WordPress.”

Next, click on “Marketplace” and find WordPress.

Then click on Install.

Next, you’ll be prompted to choose the domain name on which you want to install WordPress. Choose the domain name you purchased in the previous step, read through and accept the license and service agreements, and finally, click on “install now” to install WordPress on your site.

Congratulations! You now have your very own WordPress website ready to rock! Pretty easy, right?

Next, follow the prompts to connect to WordPress.com and create an account. Now that you have WordPress up and running on your web host, let’s move on to making your website look great and adding IDX so you can get MLS listings on your site.

Step 4: Choose Your Third-party IDX Plugin for WordPress

Before you get started building your WordPress IDX site, you’re going to want to pick out your IDX plugin—or at least research some good options. Luckily, with only a few IDX providers to choose from, your decision will come down to price, features, and compatibility.

What Is an IDX Plugin?

In WordPress, plugins are small add-ons that you can use to change how your WordPress theme looks or behaves. An IDX plugin translates the raw listing data from your MLS into code that WordPress can turn into attractive listings for your website. IDX plugins can also provide features like listings search, map search, widgets, lead capture, and more.

How Much Do IDX Plugins Cost?

IDX is a pretty inexpensive plugin for your IDX website. Generally speaking, you’ll pay between $50 and $99 per month for an IDX plugin. Most IDX providers offer much more than just a simple connection between your MLS and your website, so the cost is well worth it.

How to Choose the Right IDX Plugin

Since there is a lot of competition in this space, and only a handful of providers, take a quick run through the features each provides and then sign up for the one that suits your needs best. Here are the four most popular IDX providers for WordPress, along with some information to help you choose the best one for your needs:

IDX Provider Comparison Table 2022

Step 5: Choose & Install an IDX-ready WordPress Theme

Now it’s time to pick a WordPress theme that looks great, provides the features you want, and can work with your chosen IDX provider.

What Is a WordPress Theme?

A WordPress theme is a template or collection of templates that control how your WordPress site looks and acts for site visitors. If you’ve ever used a Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Google Slides template, a WordPress theme is pretty similar except that it’s far more powerful. Themes also generally include many different templates for everything from pages, headers, fonts, colors, backgrounds, and even lead capture and other advanced features.

How Much Do Real Estate WordPress Themes Cost?

Unlike your IDX provider, you don’t have to pay a monthly fee for your WordPress theme. Instead, you can just buy them. Good themes can run from $20 to $99. However, since this is a one-time fee, I would highly recommend not skimping here to save a few bucks. An extra $20 or $30 spent on your theme can make a massive difference in the quality and user experience of your website.

How to Choose the Perfect WordPress Theme for Your IDX Real Estate Website

Remember that back-of-the-napkin list of features and bells and whistles you want for your website? Well, here’s where it comes into play. Use the list of features you want to help you narrow down your choices when picking out a WordPress theme.

Here are a few critical (and not so critical) criteria to keep in mind when choosing a WordPress theme for your IDX real estate website:

1. Is It Compatible With Your IDX Plugins?

While most modern themes will be compatible with your chosen IDX plugin, it’s always a good idea to check.

2. Does It Offer Enough Customization Options?

One of the coolest features WordPress themes offer is templates with multiple page layouts and styles for different parts of your website. For example, a template might have four or more unique page designs just for the homepage, three for the About Us page, and three for the Contact Us page.

3. Which Plugins Come With the Theme?

While the vast majority of the plugins you’ll end up using for your IDX real estate website will be free apart from your IDX provider, it’s nice to get a bunch of useful plugins along with your theme. Visual Composer, Yoast, Mailchimp, Contact Form 7, and Slider Revolution are standard plugins commonly bundled with real estate WordPress themes.

4. Is It a Real Estate-specific Theme?

This one is less important than many people think. While real estate themes will commonly have agent pages, listings pages, and ways to set up listings, those listings will need to be manually added and will more than likely NOT work with your IDX provider. So don’t choose a theme based on whether or not it’s an actual estate-specific theme or not.

5. Check Out Reviews & Updates on Envato

Generally speaking, a great theme will have a good number of great reviews on the Envato market. It should also have a log of recent updates to ensure your site is always up to date.

Where to Buy Real Estate WordPress Themes

Here are a few places to check out and buy real estate WordPress themes.

Envato Market

Elegant Themes

Template Monster

Once you’ve picked out a theme you like with the features you want that support your IDX plugin, buy it, and then download the ZIP files for the theme.

Step 6: Install Your New WordPress Theme

Next, you need to install your new theme into your WordPress account. Here’s how to install it:

First, log in to WordPress, and then click on “Appearance” in the left column of your WordPress dashboard. Then click on “Themes.”

You should see the default WordPress 2022 theme already installed here. This is what The Close’s “Themes” page on WordPress looks like. Note that since we have multiple themes installed, there are a few other themes here besides the default WordPress theme:

To install your new theme, click on the “add new theme” button on the lower right side of the page. Then, navigate to the WordPress theme ZIP file you downloaded and install it.

Step 7: Install Your WordPress Plugins & IDX Plugin

Next, head back over to your WordPress dashboard and click on “plugins” on the left side menu, then click on “installed plugins” to check which plugins may have been installed with your new theme.

Make a note of which plugins are already installed, then click on “add new.”

Here you can search for and install any plugins that you want for your site.

A word of caution here: Since thousands of plugins are available for WordPress, it can be very tempting to load up on plugins. After all, more is better, right? Well, for WordPress, the opposite can be true. More plugins can = more problems.

Don’t worry; you’ll have plenty of time to find and experiment with plugins later on. This is half the fun of using WordPress. For now, here is a quick list of plugins you might want to consider that are useful for IDX real estate websites.

Yoast SEO (SEO Checker for Blog Articles)

With over 5 million downloads, Yoast is the most popular (and arguably the best) search engine optimization (SEO) checker for WordPress. Yoast reads the blog posts you’ve created and checks them for SEO best practices like keyword count, keyword usage, readability, and more. There is a limited free version of the plugin and a premium version for $89. Unless you’re very serious about SEO, you should be OK with the free version.

Download the Yoast Plugin (free)

Akismet (Anti-spam Plugin)

Akismet is a great anti-spam plugin for WordPress that protects against brute force attacks, and more importantly, spam in your blog’s comment section.

Download Akismet Anti-Spam (Free)

Contact Form 7

Contact Form 7 is a simple and easy-to-use contact form plugin that lets you create and edit contact forms on your website. You can use it to create lead capture forms for landing pages or general contact forms on your website.

Download Contact Form 7 (Free)

Mailchimp (or Whatever Email Marketing Service You Use)

Email marketing plugins allow you to use certain features of your email marketing software on your website. For example, you can include an email sign-up form right on your website to enroll site visitors to receive your drip campaigns.

Download Mailchimp (free-$17 per month)

Your IDX Plugin

Depending on what IDX provider you chose, you may or may not be able to install the plugin via the WordPress plugin manager simply. You will more than likely already have instructions from your IDX provider, but if you don’t, give them a call.

Step 8: Start Customizing Your WordPress Theme

OK, now you have a pretty-looking website set up, but it’s filled with dummy copy and stock imagery. The next step to building out your IDX website is to customize how your theme looks and behaves.

Unfortunately, most of these customization options are going to vary depending on what theme you chose. Here are a few basic things you can change with any advanced WordPress theme to get you started.

Your Logo

Once you add your logo to your WordPress theme, it automatically shows up on multiple pages on your website, and at the top of any new page you create.

Your Site Navigation

Like your logo, your site navigation will show up on every page you want it to and will also show up automatically on every new page you create. Even better, since you edit your site navigation in a single place, the changes you make there also get changed on every page on your site.

Your Footer

The footer area of your site will generally have social media contact information, phone numbers, and a sitemap, which is a list of all the pages available on your site. Like your navigation, your footer is universal and will show up on every page and any new pages you create.

Widgets

Widgets are small pieces of code that let you drag-and-drop site features like search bars, listings by price range, email capture, navigation menus, recent articles, and many more onto any page of your website.

Installing Demos

Most WordPress themes will come with multiple layouts called demos. Demos are fully finished design and layout variations available for your theme. Each one will make your website look very different. For example, the popular Houzez theme has 16 various demos with 16 unique layouts for your site.

Here’s a quick rundown of how to install a demo to change how your site looks. Go to your WordPress dashboard and click on “Tools,” then “Import.” Next, click on “WordPress” and navigate to the XML of the demo you want to install.

Change Hero Images, Slider Images, Logo & Contact Information

Once you’ve chosen a demo to install, you can start customizing it. You can change all of these site elements by going to your WordPress dashboard and clicking on “Appearance,” then “Customize.” Some themes might have different ways to customize site elements, so be sure to read the instructions that came with the theme.

Step 9: Start Building the Main Pages of Your Website

Now we’re getting somewhere. At this point, you should have a site that looks like you want it to and has your logo, images, and contact information ready to go. Next, we’ll start building the pages of your site.

Before we start, you need to understand the difference between pages and posts. Pages are the main pages of your site that don’t change very often. Things like about us, contact us, for sale, for rent, blog, and so on could be pages on your site.

On the blog page, you will have posts. Posts are the individual articles that are on your blog. For the most part, once you have your pages built, you shouldn’t have to change them very often. You should be adding new blog posts as often as you can. WordPress treats pages and posts differently, and you can set different navigation, sidebars, and other features for each.

Pages Every Real Estate IDX Website Should Have

Step 10: Write Copy for Your Website

Step 11: Set up Your Blog & Create a Content Runway

Step 12: Promote Your New IDX Real Estate Website

How to Use Your New IDX Real Estate Website to Get & Convert More Leads

Your website is the most powerful tool in your arsenal to both attract and convert leads. Even if you promote it all over your social media profiles, that’s still not going to be enough to get a decent flow of traffic to your new site.

In reality, you’re going to have to work hard to get people to visit your site and ideally leave you their contact information or reach out and call you. While we could write a book on all the ways to drive traffic to your site, just keep in mind that you now have a miniature Zillow with all the listings in your farm area. This is something that most people want to visit, so you’re really starting on second base.

Advertise New Listings on Facebook

Once you have your website with landing pages, it opens tons of new possibilities to advertise on Facebook. For example, you might advertise new or underpriced listings on Facebook and then send them to your search page or a landing page with your lead capture form on it.

Advertise Free Home Valuations on Facebook or Google

The best way to get seller leads on your own is to advertise free home valuations on Facebook or Google. You can then send the leads to your landing page with your lead capture form or sign up with a free automated home valuation service like Home Value Leads.

Advertise Free First-time Homebuyer E-books on Social Media

First-time homebuyers, especially millennials, are always looking for great educational content to help them navigate the homebuying process. To generate buyer leads, you can write an educational e-book or private blog post and then advertise it on social media. When buyers come to your page, they will be prompted to enter their contact information to download the content.

Over to You

What did you think of our guide on IDX real estate websites? Naturally, we had to leave a ton of information out—otherwise, this would have been longer than “War and Peace.” What are the topics that we missed that you think we need more coverage of? Let us know in the comments.

The post How to Build an IDX Real Estate Website in an Afternoon (2022) appeared first on The Close.

Of course, even experienced agents are having a hard time choosing which marketing materials to spend their hard-earned time and money on. That’s why we worked with our friends at SERHANT. to put together this definitive guide to the seven real estate marketing materials every agent needs to build a better personal brand in 2022. Whether you need Instagram Reels templates or business card advice, we have you covered.

1. Professional Pictures: One Headshot, One Lifestyle

One of the most important lessons that Ryan Serhant teaches in his Sell It Like Serhant: How to Build a Personal Brand course is that your personal brand needs to be curated and authentic. After all, people should want to work with YOU, not just “a real estate agent.” There are millions of real estate agents, but only one you. This is why headshots are by far your most important marketing material. 

  Pro Tip

For your lifestyle shot, pay particular attention to your body language. The goal is to look open and approachable, not guarded. You can see the difference in the two pictures above.

Your headshots literally put a face to your personal brand and are the only a that cannot be copied by other agents. So take the time to make sure your headshots are both curated and authentic. Ryan recommends creating two headshots to use in your real estate marketing materials: one professional headshot and one lifestyle shot. 

2. Professional Social Media Templates (Including Stories & Reels Templates)

When it comes to social media marketing materials, many agents make the mistake of assuming that bringing their authentic selves to social media means they need to create everything from scratch. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, that behind-the-scenes Reel you shot at your open house doesn’t have to look like a Hollywood movie, but it does need to look polished and professional. 

This is where professionally designed social media templates come in. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel every time you post on Instagram or Facebook, you can use templates designed for real estate agents by professional graphic designers. The difference between professional social media templates and generic templates from Canva is night and day. 

You can see examples of some of the best social media templates along with the best places to buy them here:

3. A Website That Shows Off Your Personal Brand

After your headshots and social media templates, your website is your next most important marketing material. It’s also one of the only brand assets you will truly own. After all, no matter how hard you work on them, you don’t really own any of your social media profiles, or even the shiny new website your brokerage provides for you. 

While you might be tempted to add bells and whistles to your website, like IDX listings, lead capture, landing pages, and a customer relationship manager (CRM), make sure it reflects your personal brand first. For a good example of a website that centers personal branding, check out Carlin Wright’s website above. Notice how she uses her lifestyle picture front and center? This was no accident. Her website is about her, not “real estate.” 

If you want a site like Carlin’s, you can hire her designer, Luxury Presence, to build and host your website starting at around $180 per month, plus design fees.

Visit Luxury Presence

Or, if you want more control and want to level up your own skillset, check out our guide to building a website using WordPress here:

4. Strategically Designed Business Cards

Even in the age of Realtor TikTok stars, there’s just something about a well-designed business card printed on quality paper stock that can’t be beat. Sure, popping up in someone’s social media feed once a week is great, but your business card might get pinned to a bulletin board, kept in a wallet, or sit on someone’s desk for months on end. Not bad for a 50-cent piece of paper, right?

Of course, like your website, your business cards should reflect your personal brand. So make sure to use your brand colors, fonts, and if you’re brave enough, your headshot. As far as strategy goes—whether you’re working with a designer or creating them yourself—it can be helpful to ask yourself, “Is this a business card I would keep? Why or why not?” If the answer is no, you need to go back to the drawing board.

5. A Facebook Business Page

Even though your teenage niece will probably tell you Facebook is like, SO over, you still need a business page, even if you never post on it. Why? Demographics. The average age of a Facebook user is a little over 40 years old, and a whopping 20% are over the age of 55. Sounds dull, right? Well, what if I told you that according to data from Zillow, the average age of a homeseller is 45? 

With demographics like that, a Facebook Business page is not optional for serious Realtors. It’s not all about demographics, though. If you want to advertise on Facebook or Instagram, you will need a Facebook business page. So even if you also think Facebook is like, SO over, you’re going to need to build one. 

If you don’t already have one, we have an easy step-by-step guide to building a Facebook business page here:

6. Postcards (That Look Like Instagram)

Want to get laughed at? Tell someone under 30 that you’re sending them a postcard. If they’re under 20, you might have to actually explain what a postcard is. Of course, while we have nothing against 20-year-olds, they’re not exactly the right audience for your real estate marketing materials. Not even close. 

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2021 Homebuyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, the average homebuyer is 47 years old. Take it from me, people our age like getting postcards and older people LOVE getting postcards. My mother is in her seventies, owns several homes, and sits down on her recliner every morning to go through her mail. You know where she’s not spending her mornings? TikTok!

But just because you’re sending postcards doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with them—assuming your personal brand is fun, that is. For example, check out the Instagram-inspired postcard from Coffee & Contracts above. Why use Instagram-inspired design for your postcards? Simple. Television ads and even ads in newspapers are inspired by online design trends these days. 

You can check out more real estate marketing templates from Coffee & Contracts, including Instagram Reels templates and memes, from The Broke Agent here:

Visit Coffee & Contracts

7. An Email Newsletter

Like postcards, email newsletters are another crucial marketing material that will make your niece roll her eyes. It also happens to be one of the best ways to market to your sphere. Why? Simple. You don’t own your social media profiles, but you do own your email list. 

Email is also much easier to scale than social media, and much less expensive than pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. The return on investment (ROI) for your time and effort is also better. According to statistics from Campaign Monitor, the average open rate (what percentage of your list opens one of your emails) is 21.7%. So as long as you keep growing your list, the number of people you reach with your content will continue to grow without any extra work. 

If you plan a content calendar for your email newsletter, you can keep your sphere engaged for years with just an hour or two of work per week. Here are a few easy real estate newsletter ideas to get you started:

Over to You

Do you think these are the right real estate marketing materials every agent needs to build their personal brand? If not, what would you include instead? Let us know in the comments.

The post 7 Real Estate Marketing Materials That Will Help You Build a Better Personal Brand appeared first on The Close.

Here are our picks for the best free real estate CRM platforms of 2022:

7 Best Free Real Estate CRMs of 2022

Now that we’ve explored who each CRM is best suited for, let’s dig into each one in a little more detail.

Best Overall Free Real Estate CRM: Insightly

Insightly is a real estate CRM that packs a ton of optimum features into its free product, many of which help Realtors organize contacts and leads, as well as set up email campaigns and an outreach schedule.

Free for solo users or teams of two, the Insightly system is contact-based and task-oriented, making it the perfect tool to create to-do lists for each of your contacts (something Insightly calls “projects”). Then you can start checking off those tasks.

Best Insightly Feature for Real Estate Agents: Robust Analytics

Where Insightly Comes Up Short: Overall Customization & Support

Insightly Upgrade Options

Final Thoughts on Insightly

There is a lot to do on Insightly’s free CRM platform—enough to keep most real estate agents busy for quite a while before needing to upgrade. Because Insightly is so dense with options, it can take a little time to get up to speed, but once you do, this is a free real estate CRM that boosts accountability and data-driven decision-making.

Check Out Insightly

Best Free Real Estate CRM for an Integrated CRM / Marketing Experience: IXACT Contact

IXACT Contact is a premium real estate CRM that is actually on our list of the best (paid) real estate CRMs of 2022, so why is it also here? Because IXACT Contact offers “rookie Realtors” SIX MONTHS FREE (to anyone who’s had their license for a year or less). Plus, IXACT offers a full five-week trial for anyone interested in trying the platform, regardless of how long they’ve been licensed. 

They are easily the most robust and sophisticated platform on our list, and the only reason they’re not our best overall choice is that they aren’t free forever. Still, if you’re a new Realtor and looking for a free CRM, you can’t get a significantly better deal than the one offered by IXACT Contact.

Best IXACT Contact Feature for Real Estate Agents: Keep In Touch Dashboard

Where IXACT Contact Comes Up Short: Only Free for a Limited Time

IXACT Contact Upgrade Options

Final Thoughts on IXACT Contact

Even though IXACT Contact isn’t free forever, it is definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re a new agent and looking for your first tool. They have a powerful, real estate-specific CRM. They offer many attractive features if you want to upgrade your experience, and you don’t need to sign a contract to use IXACT Contact. Also, if you’re going to try out the paid version for a month or two, you can do so without penalty.

If you want to read more about IXACT Contact, make sure you check out our full-length review, or just click below to visit their site and get started.

Check Out IXACT Contact

Best Free Real Estate CRM for Phone & Text: Freshsales CRM

Sometimes one of the most frustrating parts of a free real estate CRM platform is that communication options only start to ramp up when you upgrade to a more robust, paid plan. Not so with Freshsales CRM. You can send emails, SMS text messages, and even route phone calls to yourself and your team on this platform—all on their Free Forever plan (called “Sprout”).

Users have the option to upgrade their CRM to a paid version, unlocking a whole host of new abilities. As part of the Freshsales ecosystem, users can seamlessly integrate Freshsales into other products like Freshcaller, Freshmarketer, and Freshconnect.

Best Freshsales CRM Feature for Real Estate Agents: Email, Texting & Phone Integrations

Where Freshsales CRM Comes Up Short: No Communication Automation Options

Freshsales CRM Upgrade Options

Final Thoughts on Freshsales CRM

With so many ways to enhance this platform, whether they be paid add-ons or upgrades to the next level of services, users of the Freshsales CRM Free Forever plan have all sorts of room to grow in their business. But, that doesn’t mean that the free version of Freshsales CRM isn’t helpful, efficient, and easy to use.

Although this isn’t a real estate-specific CRM, it works very well in the real estate space and should be strongly considered by any real estate agent in the market for a new CRM.

Check Out Freshsales CRM

Best Free Real Estate CRM for Customization: HubSpot

HubSpot is another CRM with a buzz-worthy free option. Unlike the task-oriented platform of Insightly, HubSpot’s bread and butter are the ways it enables conversations with your contacts.

HubSpot’s communication focus really shines with its contact outreach options. HubSpot integrates with your email provider, allowing agents to email straight from a contact’s profile. You can schedule emails and use HubSpot’s real-time email analytics to track when your contacts are opening your messages, and what they’re doing with them after they open them.

With a paid upgrade, you can also make calls straight from your dashboard, take notes on all your interactions, and even invite your contacts to schedule appointments with you using their Google Calendar integration.

Overall, this is an excellent platform for agents who want a customized communication experience with each of their contacts. If you thrive on details, HubSpot is a great choice.

Best HubSpot Feature for Real Estate Agents: Customization

Where HubSpot Comes Up Short: Email Automation

HubSpot Upgrade Options

Final Thoughts on HubSpot

Overall, HubSpot is a fantastic product that would benefit any real estate business. We’re excited to have it on the list. Its free option gives real estate professionals many of the tools they need to execute on their goals. Is it perfect? No, but for a free CRM, you get a lot of value here.

Check Out HubSpot

Best Free Real Estate CRM for Pipeline & Deal Tracking: RealOffice360

RealOffice360 is a platform designed specifically for real estate agents, something unique among the offerings in the free CRM space. 

Their lead profiles are designed to ask specific questions real estate agents want to know the answers to—things like, “When did you buy your home?” and “Are you prequalified for a mortgage? If so, through who?” RealOffice360 also has a handy pipeline feature to visually track your clients’ progress and a Goals tracker specific to the real estate industry that is also very helpful.

Truth be told, RealOffice360 is a very helpful tool. While they aren’t doing anything necessarily innovative (we’ve seen every single one of these features before) and do lack some of the full-throated functionality of a paid platform, this is definitely worth looking at for the price.

Best RealOffice360 Feature for Real Estate Agents: Opportunity Tracker

Where RealOffice360 Comes Up Short: Virtually No Marketing

RealOffice360 Upgrade Options

Final Thoughts on RealOffice360

The RealOffice360 free real estate CRM is a unique offering in this space. Yes, this is a platform designed for real estate agents specifically. One of the challenges with many options on this list is that they are intended for general sales professionals and lack some specificity necessary for ideal functionality.

RealOffice360 is an excellent toolkit for tech-savvy real estate professionals who want a tool that can streamline their process. Its attractive platform makes it a pleasure to use. While it will do just fine as a database tool and even a pipeline management tool, it doesn’t provide many of the higher-level marketing functionalities most agents expect from a CRM in 2022.

But, since this platform has a completely free-forever-no-credit-card-required option, you can try it out yourself today to see if it works for you.

Check Out RealOffice360

Best CRM for Seasoned, Data-driven Agents: Agile CRM

CRMs that don’t adapt well to the real estate industry are often more trouble than they’re worth, but that isn’t the case with Agile CRM. The free version of Agile CRM is flexible and customizable thanks to all their dashboards and interfaces, where you can apply your own labels and create your own custom workflows.

However, it’s not all good news; this customization requires a lot of time and effort, something not every agent is looking for. 

That being said, the dashboard and interface are slick and modern, clearly designed with non-computer experts in mind. Agile CRM calls their interface “consumer-grade,” which translates to “everything here is intuitive and easy to use on day one.”

Best Agile CRM Feature for Real Estate Agents: Social Media Integrations

Where Agile CRM Comes Up Short: Confusing Features Availability

Agile CRM Upgrade Options

Final Thoughts on Agile CRM

Agile CRM is an ideal free product to kick things up a notch. Its many features really shine through in a real estate setting. However, the thing that most excites us about this product is upgrading it. Don’t get me wrong—there is a lot of utility in the free version—but the upgrade is so inexpensive and opens up so many doors. Agile CRM is a good choice for you if you’re growing and plan to take your CRM to the next level someday soon.

Check Out Agile CRM

Best Free Real Estate CRM for Teams: Bitrix24

If you’re on a real estate team, you know that teams need things like lead distribution and team accountability—things that individual agents don’t.

Bitrix24 is a team communication and collaboration platform that offers, among many things, a CRM that converts easily to the real estate space. This platform helps you keep your team moving in the right direction for clients, projects, contacts, even neighborhoods. 

On the free plan, up to 12 users can access almost the entire platform. The only limitation is online storage space. On the free plan, users get up to 5GB of storage on the Bitrix24 server—space that gets gobbled up fast since this is a software as a service (SaaS) provider, and nothing is stored locally.

Even though Bitrix24 definitely has outreach and marketing tools, it’s clear right from the get-go that Bitrix24’s main strength is as an INTERNAL CRM for your team to ensure everyone is in the right place, at the right time—and then some.

Best Bitrix24 Feature for Real Estate Agents: CRM + Internal Team Management

Where Bitrix24 Falls Short: 100% Cloud-based

Bitrix24 Upgrade Options

Final Thoughts on Bitrix24

The CRM for Bitrix24 is fairly basic compared to other inclusions on our list. However, nobody else provides such a unified, internally focused structure. If you’ve got a big team and you’re having a hard time getting them all to point in the same direction at once, Bitrix24 might be a good option to try.

Check Out Bitrix24

(Nearly) Free CRMs Worth Mentioning

OK, so they aren’t totally free, but the following three CRM options are really great and so close to free that you need to hear about them. You can also read our Best Real Estate CRM article for a full list of the best paid real estate CRMs, starting at just $25 a month.

LionDesk

Recently named The Close’s Best Real Estate CRM of 2022, LionDesk is a nimble, feature-packed real estate CRM that is easy to start using on day one. New LionDesk customers can try out their entire platform risk-free for 30 days to see if it’s right for them, and if they decide to continue as a client, plans start as low as $21 a month.

Check Out LionDesk

Propertybase

There aren’t many products that can stand up to the platform that Propertybase has built. With a starting price of $89 per month, Propertybase isn’t the cheapest CRM provider on the market, but in our opinion, it is definitely the best. It offers a two-week, full-featured free trial with no obligation or credit card required.

Check Out Propertybase

Placester

Most real estate agents know Placester as a purveyor of IDX websites. Many people don’t know, unless you read the fine print of your National Association of Realtors (NAR) membership docs, that anyone who is a part of the National Association of Realtors is eligible for a basic website and lead capture system from Placester.

If you want to upgrade to the first paid plan, there is a CRM included as well. We recently featured Placester in our article 5 Clever Real Estate Landing Pages That Convert Like Crazy. Check it out to learn a little more about what it has to offer.

Check Out Placester

Bringing It All Together

If you are ready to move beyond the limits of how many names and addresses you can hold in your head and into a new world of communication automation, contact management, and ultimately, a better bottom line, then you need a CRM. Of all the free CRMs we reviewed, Insightly delivered the best features with the most efficient systems and provided the greatest value.

Try Insightly

The post The 7 Best Free Real Estate CRMs of 2022 appeared first on The Close.

After each example video section, I’ll go over some tips and tricks to make your videos irresistible for your audience.

Educational Real Estate Videos (With FOMO Titles)

Educational videos with FOMO (fear of missing out) titles should be the bulk of every agent’s video content. Why? Simple. Everyone is afraid of making a mistake with a six-figure real estate transaction! The FOMO title will draw them in (since they’re afraid of making a mistake), and your educational content will put their fears to rest and show them you’re a real estate expert they can trust. Talk about a win/win. 

Here are five great examples of educational real estate videos with FOMO titles to help get you inspired: 

1. How To Spot Property Repairs & Issues BEFORE You Buy! (LeAnn Henri, Good Company Realty)

Why this video works: LeAnn’s title would increase FOMO in any buyer and the content is actually useful and actionable. 

2. AVOID These MISTAKES When SELLING a House (Jeb Smith, Coldwell Banker)

Why this video works: Who wants to make a mistake selling a home they probably sunk massive amounts of money and time into?

3. Should I Get a Home Warranty? (Peter Lorimer, Corcoran)

Why this video works: Home warranties are one of these things that most people think they understand but require some thought and explanation. 

4. How Do I Get the Seller To Pay the Buyer’s Closing Costs? (Javier Vidana, My Home Group)

Why this video works: Who doesn’t want to save money on closing costs in this market?

5. Do’s & Don’ts Before Closing Day on Your Home (Niki Luther, Palm Coast Real Estate)

Why this video works: Many newer buyers spend tons of time searching for homes and educating themselves about the buying process but are still nervous about closing. 

If you need some help writing great FOMO titles, check out our deep-dive guide to real estate copywriting below:

Tips & Tricks for Recording Educational Real Estate Videos That Get Leads

• Invest in a high-quality microphone
• Break up complicated topics into multiple videos
• Use simple graphics and charts when possible
• Write out your scripts before you start shooting

Listing Walk-through or Highlights Real Estate Videos

After educational videos with FOMO titles, the next type of videos agents should focus on making are listing walk-through videos. If there is one thing both buyers and sellers want to know, it’s how their home compares to other homes on the market. 

Sure, they can watch slick, over-produced listing videos from the listing agent on Zillow, but deep down they know listing agents are trying to sell them this home, not just a home! As a buyer’s agent, your walk-through video will seem more honest, because it will be. You can show homes warts and all, or just highlight beautiful or unusual features. If you’re the listing agent, you’re going to want to step up your production a bit to impress your homeowner. More on this later. Here are five example listing videos that include a little bit of everything: 

6. TOURING the PRETTIEST FiDi NYC Development! (SERHANT. New Development)

Why this video works: This is a super-professional tour of a new development, but the agents here manage to make it inviting and fun instead of stuffy and pretentious. 

7. 100 Hampton Walk (Glennda Baker, Glennda Baker & Associates)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Glennda BakerAtlanta REALTOR (@glenndabaker)

Why this video works: As Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” If you have genuine wins to show off to your audience, keeping them to yourself makes no sense. 

8. 145 Central Park North (SERHANT. New Development)

Why this video works: Ryan Serhant spent the last decade building the most recognizable personal brand in real estate. Everything he puts out, including this video, highlights that personal brand.

9. Just. Wait. Until. You. See. This….. (Andrew Jevin, Compass)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andrew Jevin | REALTOR | LA (@thesnappingrealtor)

Why this video works: If you come across beautiful or interesting home features during the course of your day, sharing them with your audience is a no-brainer. Sure, they can see this bathtub in the listing photos, but they would have to scroll through 20 images to see it. 

10. Love These Retractable Backsplashes (Peter Torkan, The Agency)

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A post shared by Peter&Paige The Agency Toronto (@petertorkan)

Why this video works: This video works well because it highlights a very cool feature of the listing that might not necessarily make the headline of the listing description, but is still something a general audience would be interested in. 

Tips & Tricks for Recording Listing Walk-throughs & Highlights That Get Leads

• Hire a pro (even if only for the editing)
• Have a game plan
• Invest in a stabilizer for your phone
• Invest in a high-quality microphone
• Write a script
• Shoot some practice walk-throughs
• Schedule your video for a sunny day

Agent Introduction Videos: Make a Memorable 1st (or 2nd, or 3rd) Impression

Even though you may try your best to answer every new lead with a personal phone call, reality can sometimes get in the way. You could be driving, at a closing, sleeping, or making your daughter breakfast. This is why a personal agent introduction video is another video every Realtor should have in their arsenal. 

One way to give your agent introduction video a little more oomph is to include testimonials from happy former clients. Check out Kate Terrigno’s video for an example of how to do this right. If you want to make your introduction video a little more relaxed, have your broker or another agent interview you like Sean Moudry did in his testimonial video. 

11. Kate Terrigno (Corcoran HM Properties)

Why this video works: Kate mixes personal and professional details to give prospective clients a better introduction. 

12. The Kristina Kremidas Team (Douglas Elliman)

Why this video works: Kristina starts off the video by explaining why she LOVES working in real estate. That energy is infectious. Who doesn’t want to work with someone who loves what they do?

13. Meet Cherise Wynn (Compass)

Why this video works: Cherise starts the video talking about the one thing every buyer wants to know more about—her farm area! 

14. A KW Homecoming: Mega Agent Sean Moudry Returns To Leave a Legacy

Why this video works: The interview format feels very informal and allows Sean to brag about his many successes over his 27-year career without sounding like a showoff.

15. Brenda DiBari (Brown Harris Stevens)

Why this video works: The professional video editing and soothing music are the perfect match for the luxury properties Brenda sells. 

Tips & Tricks for Recording Agent Introduction Videos That Get Leads

• Invest in a professional editor
• Don’t just recite your agent bio
• Talk about your family or personal life
• Add music
• Invest in a high-quality microphone
• Don’t improvise, write a script
• Have a friend or fellow agent preview your video before you post it
• Smile!

Client Testimonial Videos

Let’s face it, most people take anonymous, written reviews on sites like Zillow or Yelp with a grain of salt. After all, faking reviews is easy when you just need to write a few glowing sentences. In order to cut through the noise online and provide more direct social proof, try and record client testimonial videos whenever possible. 

16. Post & Company Real Estate Client Testimonial Video

Why this video works: This video has great music, starts off with their brokerage branding, and the testimonial itself is set up as a conversation between the couple instead of just one person talking at the camera. This comes across as more genuine. 

17. The Hawkins – A Testimonial Video | Mandy Saldana, REALTOR®

Why this video works: Like the Post video, this starts with the brokerage branding, has great music, and presents the testimonial as a conversation. They also start out telling their story rather than just praising the agent. Way more relatable. 

18. Client Testimonial – Realtor Megan Jones – LCT Team- Parks

Why this video works: While this video only features one person talking, the editor spliced in footage of the agent bringing them flowers and the home itself. This is a great way to show off your personality and listing marketing skills.

19. Real Estate Agent Client Testimonial Video | Scott Pridemore

Why this video works: This video seems to have it all. A couple telling their story, great music, footage of the agent at work, and pictures of the actual home she sold. 

20. Seattle Real Estate Agent Client Testimonial #22 | McDonald Real Estate Group

Why this video works: This former client is clearly very excited about his purchase and it shows. He also goes through how the agent helped solve his problem. 

21. Greg Guinto // Real Estate Agent Testimonial // Commercial // ALAS Media

Why this video works: Like the other testimonial videos on our list, this video features a couple telling their house-hunting story and how the agent helped solve their problems. Footage of the agent in action and pictures of the actual home round out the video.

Tips & Tricks for Recording Client Testimonial Videos That Get Leads

• Approach clients for a video testimonial a week or so after closing
• Consider combining your introduction video with some client testimonials
• Try to shoot all your testimonials in the same place
• Give them a script to follow when writing and reading their testimonials
• Combine three or four short testimonial videos into one

Over to You

What kind of real estate videos are you using to generate and nurture leads in 2022? Let us know in the comments.

The post 21 Real Estate Videos Top Agents Use To Generate & Nurture Leads appeared first on The Close.

In this article, we offer a host of great tools to help you write a new bio, including our exclusive, mad-libs-style bio generator, three free real estate bio templates, nine bio examples that we love, plus a list of industry buzzwords to help spice up your writing. Use our exclusive real estate bio generator as a starting point.

Real Estate Bio Templates

Our three free real estate bio templates were designed exclusively for our readers. Download these templates or copy them to your clipboard to make them your own.

New Real Estate Agent Bio Template

This template is perfect for new real estate agents without a lot of experience to lean on. Focus on your community ties, your excitement, and your enthusiasm, and show your potential clients who you are.

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[Real estate agent name] has been an active member of his/her real community for [years of experience] now, and is so excited to be turning that community focus toward real estate.

With a passion for service in the [your community name] area, [real estate agent name] is ready to help with your homebuying and selling needs. As a proud member of the [brokerage name] family, [real estate agent name] carries the values of hard work, integrity, and outstanding client service into everything he/she does.

When [real estate agent name] isn’t making homeownership dreams come true for his/her clients, he/she enjoys spending time [leisure activity 1] and [leisure activity 2]. [Real estate agent name] lives in [locality of residence] with [family members].

Successful Real Estate Agent Bio Template

Your bio isn’t written in stone; you should revisit it at least once a year to see what sort of tweaks you can make to sharpen your message. Here’s a real estate bio template perfect for those of you who are coming off a very successful year and want to further that momentum.

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[Your locality] and [your broader regional locality] are great places to live and work, which is why [real estate agent name] chose to call it home. With roots in [hometown], [real estate agent name] came to [your locality] in [date you arrived]. Real estate is a passion for [real estate agent name], and with his/her background in [former career or education], it is easy to see why more than [clients serviced last year] families in [year] called [real estate agent name] for help buying and selling.

[Real estate agent name] has been a part of the [brokerage name] family for [amount of time with the brokerage] years, but he/she isn’t just passionate about helping families find their next home. [Real estate agent name] has served on his/her local [charity organization] and loves being a part of other [your locality] community events.

A passionate [hobby], when [real estate agent name] isn’t in the office or volunteering, you’ll often find him/her at [location where the hobby takes place], enjoying time with his/her friends and [family members].

Long-form Real Estate Agent Bio Template

Sometimes you’ve got a little more room to write, but that extra space can be intimidating. Here’s a good bio template for times when you have room to really express yourself.

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[Real estate agent name], of [brokerage name], based in [your locality], is a [years in the business] veteran of the real estate industry and has represented clients all over [larger regional locality] in over [number of transactions] real estate transactions. [Real estate agent name] has built a solid foundation of clients in this community through her/his professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to always put his/her client’s needs first.

He/She studied [academic focus] at [school name], and afterward began work in [previous industry or “real estate”]. Passionate about [a particular aspect of real estate], [real estate agent name] has continued to leverage his/her know-how and experience to exceed his/her client’s expectations.

Active in the community, [real estate agent name] is a proud part of the [nonprofit organization]’s effort to [community initiative]. [Quote from real estate agent about their nonprofit community work.]

In his/her free time, [real estate agent name] is an avid [hobby] and [another hobby]. Spending time in the [location one of the hobbies takes place] together with his/her friends and [family unit] as well as his/her [pet name and type] is never something [real estate agent name] takes for granted. [Quote from real estate agent about how lucky they are to have the chance to do their hobby in this place.]

Download Your Free Real Estate Agent Bio Templates

9 Real Estate Bios We Love

Before you dive headfirst into writing (or rewriting) your bio, take a look at these examples of real estate bios from rock star agents and brokers from around the country. Find ways to incorporate their savvy strategies into your new bio.

Connecting on a Personal Level

1. Gentry Todd Radwanski, Realtor, The Boulevard Company

I’ve sold $40+ million in property the last three years, received sales awards, and grown my business’ metrics each year, but the number I focus on every day is the exact number of clients who have homes and investments currently in Charleston. My approach is deeply analytical and I work tirelessly to ensure my clients are up to date on their home and/or their investment.

Prior to real estate, I spent the first part of my career (and most of my life) in my family’s business, commercial construction, primarily building schools, hotels, and municipal buildings in eastern PA. Having been part of a building family, home flips and investment property came naturally. My career in general brokerage began by helping a few friends with their investment properties and snowballed from there into helping many more on my way to becoming a top-producing agent in Charleston.

Like everyone who falls hard for Charleston, I am a total foodie, outdoors enthusiast, and history nut. When I’m not hustling houses, you’ll find me around Charleston kayaking, biking, jogging, boating, exploring our nation’s best food scene, or at one of our dog parks or beach side. It’s easy to sell something when you have an absurd passion for it. It’s why many of my out-of-town clients get an itinerary to explore as many parks, restaurants, beaches, and historic sites as they do neighborhoods and houses. Along with my sidekick (my dog Brutus), I spend most of my free time reinforcing all the reasons Charleston is home!

What We Love About Gentry’s Bio

Gentry does a great job of talking about how his background prepared him for success in real estate. His real estate agent bio is laid-back but professional. He shares the activities that he enjoys and reasons why he loves his community. He also offers insight into what it’s like to work with him and what clients can expect.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Buyers and sellers want to work with a person, not a robot. Make sure your bio reflects who you are, your interests, and something unique about you. More prospects will turn into new clients if they can connect the dots between what’s important to them and what’s important to you.

Demonstrating Leadership

2. Brendan Bartic, CEO of the Bartic Group, Keller Williams Realty

As a Colorado native and a seasoned real estate professional, I recognize and value the trust my clients place in me, and I strive every day to exceed their expectations.

I have been a leading top producer for over 18 years. My sales consistently rank in the top 1% of all Keller Williams Teams internationally.

Prior to entering real estate, I served my country in the United States Army Infantry with multiple tours in Iraq and Kuwait. These experiences instilled in me the discipline it takes to build the most powerful real estate team in Colorado.

Outside of real estate, I take pride in giving back to the community and serve as a Board Member of Third Way Center, which helps high-risk, disadvantaged youth become successful adults.

What We Love About Brendan’s Bio

Most real estate agents write their bio in the third person, but Brendan takes a more personal approach by writing in the first person. His bio comes across as strong and effective—we can feel Brendan’s leadership qualities from reading his profile.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Leadership is an essential trait for any real estate professional. Your clients depend on you to lead them through one of the most important financial decisions of their lives, so make sure your bio communicates your leadership abilities.

Connecting to the Community

3. Suzi Farajiani, Realtor, Douglas Elliman

Coming from three generations of Realtors, Suzi grew up in a family of real estate developers. She specializes in residential buying and selling with an emphasis on marketing properties as well as consulting for investing purposes.

Suzi’s achievements include working with her family on buying and selling properties, renovating homes with her husband, and collaborating with developers to create new and unique construction projects.

When it comes to Los Angeles real estate, Suzi admires the city’s landscape and how it interacts with its architecture.

Suzi says, “I am certain that Los Angeles has everything that anybody could ever need in a home, and that’s what I love about the city—its abundance in style and neighborhoods.”

When it concerns her clients, Suzi believes in a philosophy of transparency. She says, “I feel creating something of value has to lead first with integrity, which then creates a solid foundation to do great business together.”

During her spare time, Suzi can be found soaking up the sun on the beaches of Malibu where she was raised. Organizations that Suzi has worked closely with include Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, The Boy & Girls Club, Alzheimer’s Association, Manna Worldwide, and Break the Cycle.

What We Love About Suzy’s Bio

Suzy does a great job of underscoring her knowledge and familiarity with her community and also why she loves living there. Her attention to detail lets local buyers and sellers know that she’s deeply connected to the community that matters to them.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Real estate is a local business. When writing your bio, remember that your audience is made up of residents of your local community. Make sure you’re identifying yourself as both a subject matter expert and an enthusiastic advocate for the place where you live and work.

Showcasing Expertise

4. Shannon McNulty, Realtor, McNulty Levac Realty Group

Shannon McNulty has been passionate about real estate since her earliest years growing up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Shannon always knew that she wanted to chart a path helping others and found her true calling in real estate serving her clients and guiding them through one of the biggest investments of their lives. Over the past decade, Shannon has been involved in the sales and marketing of $1 billion of real estate in Western Canada and has won awards including the President’s Club Award (representing the Top 1% of all Vancouver Realtors) and the Medallion Club Award. Shannon feels incredibly blessed to work with amazing clients who become her friends and a strong part of her network.

Passionate about real estate investment, Shannon is an active investor in Western Canada’s emerging real estate markets and shares this knowledge and experience to assist and educate aspiring investors with their goals. A long-term resident of the North Shore, Shannon enjoys spending her weekends in the forest with her Sheepadoodle Smudge.

What We Love About Shannon’s Bio

Shannon does a great job of keeping her agent bio local while at the same time trumpeting her accomplishments that span the region. The professional, third-person narrative adds sophistication and success while still sounding approachable.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Experienced and successful realtors can level up their bio by demonstrating proof of their success and positioning themselves as subject matter experts. There’s a fine line between sharing your successful track record and bragging, so tread lightly here, but if you’ve got accomplishments that are worthy of noting, note them.

Leveraging Past Experience

5. Stephanie Weitzner, Realtor, Realty Austin

As a child of real estate investors, Stephanie has been excited about real estate since she was a kid but took the long route when turning her passion into her profession. Stephanie’s interest in advocating for clients initially led her to law school, after which she spent years as a litigator in New York City, working for firms both large and small.

Moving to Austin and finding inspiration in this phenomenal city led Stephanie to realize that she wanted a career that was more connected to her new hometown. When purchasing her first Austin home, she found that she wasn’t ready to let go of the experience. Although she had already taken (and passed!) the Texas Bar Exam, she was hooked on real estate, and there was no turning back.

Stephanie feels fortunate to have discovered, through the peers and mentors who guided her, a unique way of working in real estate that aligns with her personal and professional values; working by referral means that she focuses on her clients and their needs with a long-term perspective, helping clients with real estate issues or questions wherever and whenever they arise. Moreover, she views herself not just as a Realtor but as an adviser, helping clients not only to buy or sell but to strategize toward long-term wealth building with real estate.

When she’s not running around town, you can find Stephanie at home with her husband, Sujan, and their super-cute kiddo, Zoe. Stephanie loves languages (help her practice her French, Spanish, German, or Turkish!) and aspires to someday learn to juggle.

What We Love About Stephanie’s Bio

Stephanie is a relatively new agent, but you don’t even notice because she’s given us so much rich background about her life and how she ended up in real estate. We’re hooked because she has fantastic life experiences, not because she has a certain number of years in the business.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: While we think this bio is a tad long, it offers us reasons to trust this agent with our business. Don’t be afraid to admit that you’re new to real estate, but include all of the ways you’re qualified, dedicated, professional, and whip-smart.

Engaging & Enthusiastic

6. Fernando Ventresca, Realtor, The Jennifer Rosdail Team, Keller Williams

As a long-time San Franciscan, I bring passion and excitement for the city to my approach in finding a home for you. I felt at home in San Francisco the moment I arrived and instantly fell in love with it. You probably fell in love with this place pretty quickly too—if you are like 90% of us and came from somewhere else—and now it’s time to put down some roots and stay a while.

I will help you obtain the San Francisco property you’ve always dreamed of by focusing our strategy on your individual style, needs, and budget. I enjoy keeping up with the latest restaurants, shopping, events, and “only in SF” attractions that make each neighborhood unique, and we will leverage that knowledge, the power of Keller Williams, and the experience of the Jennifer Rosdail Real Estate Sales team to your benefit.

What We Love About Fernando’s Bio

When we read Fernando’s agent bio, it’s his enthusiasm for San Francisco that shines through. If you’re a transplant like he is, you immediately feel a connection. His bio is brief, helpful, and positive—and did you notice you have no idea how many years he’s been a Realtor?

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Maybe you haven’t been in real estate a long time—or any career, for that matter. We all started out somewhere, and it’s OK to focus on your skills, your hunger to prove yourself, your love of your community, and not how many deals you’ve done.

Real Estate Agent Bios That Are Outside the Box

7. The Logan and Bernard Group, Real Estate Team, Compass

Real estate is a powerful thing. Where you live becomes the center of your universe: your “home base” and a place where memories are made. Even an investment property can have a profound effect on your life’s story—when chosen correctly, it becomes long-term financial freedom and a vital part of your well-diversified portfolio.

Anchored by Logan Link, Bernard Link, and Nicole Grinsell, allow the Logan and Bernard Group to guide you through the real estate process. Whether a buyer, a seller, or an investor, we think of our clients as family. Lean on us—we are here to keep the process fluid, successful, and as low-stress as possible.

Thanks to a combined 20 years as real estate professionals in Marin County, we are proud of our reputation for excellent negotiation skills, cutting-edge marketing, and invaluable connections, both locally and globally.

Not quite ready to buy or sell, but curious about neighborhood options, local schools, our techniques, or current real estate “buzz”? Don’t be shy—reach out to us (note: includes link to contact).

Think of the Logan and Bernard Group as your Marin County Concierge. If we don’t know the answer, we will find it.

What We Love About the Logan and Bernard Group’s Bio

This bio is unconventional, but it totally works. We love how it starts with powerful, emotional language; from the first line, you’re hooked and want to keep reading. This group bio takes an intimate, narrative approach that makes the reader feel connected to Logan and Bernard, thus making the conversion from prospect to client easier.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: The real estate bio is written about you, but for your clients. Crafting a narrative (even within your bio) that captivates your audience is a strong strategy. With every sentence of your bio, stop and ask yourself, “Is this serving my reader?”

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8. Aaron Seawood, Broker, Team Carte Blanche, Triplemint

Aaron Seawood has raving fans and an impeccable reputation as an advocate, partner, and confidant. “I’d call Aaron the Rolls Royce of real estate brokers. He’s hands-on with physical help and emotional support, which people so often need when taking the step of selling or buying their home. Hands-on, heart on, wisdom on. We didn’t expect to make a real friend from our broker, but we have. Aaron turns the business of selling real estate into an art” remarks one of his many satisfied clients.

A dominant force in the New York real estate market for well over a decade, Aaron formed Team Carte Blanche on the premise that when good people work together, good things happen. With that mindset, he vetted an all-star team that contributes their unique skill sets to each client, so they feel the impact of many with the singular focus of one.

Keenly aware of the nuances that make for a sophisticated real estate experience, he spares no expense to make that a reality for each client. Whether guiding first-time buyers through the complexities of New York City real estate or advising athletes and celebrities on their property plays across the country, Aaron’s level of commitment to his clients can only be described one way: “All-in.”

Prior to real estate, Aaron was an entertainment executive spawning collaborations with a roster of platinum artists and producers with notable stops at Virgin Records and Queen Latifah’s management company, Flavor Unit. Navigating high-stakes situations honed his skills as a negotiator, problem-solver, and artist advocate, which translated nicely into the rough-and-tumble world of real estate. Aaron has called New York City home for over 25 years, and lives in Brooklyn Heights with his wife, two children, and a rescue puppy, Knox. He loves cycling, photography, and the occasional cigar.

What We Love About Aaron’s Bio

This is another bio that is fairly unconventional, but we love it. While it’s definitely on the long side, we kept reading because Aaron almost leaps off the page with personality and confidence. He shares his fascinating background, and while it’s not all directly real estate-related, it’s pretty awesome and makes us want to know him better.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Consider including a testimonial in your bio. It can speak to who you are, but maybe more importantly, how others see you. Knowing that you’re trusted and respected by other people can go a long way in establishing your credibility.

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9. Katie Clancy, Sales Vice President, The Cape House, William Raveis

When we want the freshest oysters, we don’t go to the fish counter at the grocery store—we go to John, the East Dennis oyster guy. When we want a perfectly tailored suit, we don’t go to the mall—we go to Puritan Clothing in Hyannis. When we want the best chocolate this side of the Alps, we don’t go to the candy store—we go to The Hot Chocolate Sparrow in Orleans. When you want a home on Cape Cod, entrust your dream to me, Katie Clancy and The Cape House team.

What We Love About Katie’s Bio

We couldn’t resist including this short, pithy, very entertaining example, just to show you that there is no one way to do a bio. Katie’s sense of humor, local knowledge, and professional confidence shine through, and she doesn’t even talk about herself until the last sentence. This blurb is followed by a list of her accomplishments, awards, and local engagements, but really, she had us at oysters.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Be yourself and remember that the whole point of a bio is to show who you are. You can do that with a 3,000-word memoir or a brilliantly concise and memorable list of beloved local businesses.

Want to Outsource Your Real Estate Bio Writing?

If writing a real estate bio is high on your to-do list but you can’t find the time, consider hiring a freelancer to do it for you. Fiverr is a resource of professional writers willing and able to put together a killer real estate bio for you—for a price as low as five bucks.

Find a Freelancer on Fiverr

Real Estate Bio Toolkit: 4 Tips to Write a Great Bio

Ready to start writing a compelling real estate agent bio? Before you put pen to paper, review these tips designed to help you craft an engaging bio that will connect with readers and convert leads into clients.

1. Your First Sentence Is Crucial

Inspirational speaker Matthew Ferrara has said that many people will make up their minds about you in the very first sentence of your bio. Don’t use that sentence to meander your way toward your message. Jump right into demonstrating your value and capture your reader’s attention early.

2. Bigger Is Not Better

A longer real estate agent bio does not make you seem more impressive. In fact, it makes it less likely someone will even read it at all. Studies show that 50% of readers won’t read more than a single screen worth of text on their phone. Keep your bio to less than 200 words and make them captivating.

3. Social Media Links Are a MUST

A great bio will make a reader say, “I’d like to learn more.” Include links to your social media to give them that opportunity. However, if you don’t regularly engage with your audience on social media, including social links in your bio can be detrimental. Remember to only link to platforms where you spend time online.

4. Use Your Brokerage’s Clout to Build Your Own

Your brokerage has likely invested a lot of time and money in building its reputation in your community. You can leverage these investments to springboard your professional reputation—building on the good vibes they’ve already established. If their ideals run counter to your own, you’re likely at the wrong brokerage.

Spice Up Your Real Estate Agent Bio With These Buzzwords

Struggling with the perfect description for yourself and what you do? Here are some of our favorite buzzwords and descriptors:

Bringing It All Together

Someone who has chosen to read your bio is clearly interested in you. They want to see if you’re a good fit both personally and professionally and get a sense of what it would be like to work with you. Why not give them what they’re looking for? 

If you’re authentic and let your personality shine through, your real estate agent bio may serve as the very first step toward a new client relationship that could last for years. Please share any questions you may have about writing an effective real estate agent bio in the comments section below!

The post 9 Real Estate Agent Bio Examples We Love (+ Templates & Bio Generator) appeared first on The Close.

Get Free Infographic Template

97 Infographics Designed for Buyers, Sellers & Real Estate Agents in 2022

Our collection of infographics is designed to inspire you, giving you examples of how shared with clients can position you as a subject matter expert (especially if you use graphics customized for your market). They’re ideal for sharing with clients to explain the various processes involved in buying or selling a home. 

Have a client who’s starting the buying process? Send one about the mortgage process. Have clients who are thinking about selling? Check out the infographics on staging a house. We even have some humorous real estate infographics that only agents will appreciate.

14 Infographics for Buying Real Estate

6 Infographics for the Mortgage Process

10 Infographics for Selling Real Estate

4 Infographics for Closing

5 Infographics for Moving

14 Infographics for Homeowners

9 Infographics for Real Estate Marketing

10 Infographics Just for Agents

25 Non-Real-Estate Infographics for Inspiration

Why Real Estate Infographics Work Well for Realtors & Brokers

Are you not entirely sold on real estate infographics yet? Do you think your plain Jane emails and blog posts are going to work better? Well, here are a few extremely persuasive reasons you should be using infographics as part of your marketing arsenal.

Colorful Visuals Are More Engaging to Readers

Picture this. You’ve just spent a long day plowing through emails and sitting through endless meetings when you get an email from your real estate agent.

You like her, but you’re still not quite 100% sold yet. Curious, you open the email and are presented with a wall of text. Do you read it or quickly close the tab and jump back on Instagram?

If you’re anything like the rest of us, that text looked like homework. More to the point, it looked like totally optional homework.

Infographics Can Inform, Teach, Entertain, or Persuade

Here’s a helpful analogy to understand the power of real estate infographics: if your email is a book and your video is a movie, infographics are comic books. They’re handy instructions with useful diagrams: easy to follow and remember, and useful enough to save for later.

Infographics Can Go Viral & Help Build Your Brand

Savvy real estate agents are always looking for content to share—and what better than a colorful, helpful infographic. Here’s the thing, though. Most agents have no clue how to make one. 

How to Create Real Estate Infographics for Real Estate Quickly & Easily

Now that you’ve got dozens of sweet infographics you can share with your sphere, you probably think you’re all set, right? Not so fast.

While these real estate infographics are pretty amazing, they’re not helping your brand, are they? Many of them are promoting someone else’s brand. 

Well, as promised, here is our quick rundown for creating your own eye-catching infographics that you can brand as your own.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1. A good topic for an infographic. What common questions do you get that would make a compelling infographic? Think about what pain points your buyer and seller leads have and create something to help them.
2. A free account or subscription―around $10 per month―to an online design service like Canva. A subscription allows you to access more templates, images, fonts, and more. It’s a small price to pay for professional-looking infographics.
3. An outline of what big ideas you want to share and the background information you think your audience needs to know. 
4. About 20 minutes.

Canva is generally considered the easiest to use and is our pick when it comes to design options. However, all the sites listed here offer templates, tools, and other bells and whistles you might prefer.

• Visual.ly
• Canva
• Piktochart
• Infogram
• Visme (can embed videos)
• Snappa
• Venngage
• Animaker (can make animated infographics)
• Easel.ly
• Picmonkey

Once you have an account set up, choose a template, and start designing your infographic. Remember to keep your text small, but not too small. Otherwise, it will be tough to read on smaller monitors and phones.

Keep images and colors bright and eye-catching. You want your audience to read your infographic, but also save it and send it on to their friends.

Once you have a design you’re happy with that is in keeping with your branding (font, colors, etc.), add your logo and contact information to the bottom, and save your infographic as a PNG.

Remember to save a copy in Canva or whatever application you use so you can edit and update it later if your information changes.

6 Customizable Infographic Templates

You can also use these Canva templates to create your own custom shareable infographics. They are perfect for social media and even listing presentations. Clients will learn some real estate basics and you’ll look super creative and tech savvy. 

List with Me

Contract-to-Closing

Mortgage Pre-Approval Checklist

Staging Advice

Local Housing Market

Information on Your Brokerage 

7 Tips for Making Great Infographics

While the applications you need to make real estate infographics are relatively easy to use, making an infographic that will go viral and capture the world’s attention isn’t. Here are a few tips to make sure your designs not only look great but actually do their job.

1. Don’t Crowd Too Much Text in a Small Space

One of the biggest mistakes people make when creating infographics is to jam tons of information into too small an area. Unless you think your audience will have magnifying glasses handy, make sure you don’t use too much text.

2. Learn the Basics of Color Theory

Some colors just look terrible with other colors, so take the time to learn about complementary colors and the basics of color theory before you start designing.

3. Use Illustrations Instead of Photos

Illustrations generally work better than photos. First, because photos are rectangular and hard to place, and also because illustrations are easier to “read” at a glance.

4. Understand Sizing for Social Media Posts

Infographics will shrink to fit your social media feed which means they may not be legible when downsized, especially on mobile phones. There’s not much you can do about it, so just try to make them look sharp so people will want to click to make them bigger.

5. Don’t Try to Use Shapes Other Than Rectangles

Infographics are rectangular, so they fit onto mobile devices, including phones and tablets. If you try using large squares or horizontal rectangles, they’ll be too hard to scroll and read on both. 

6. Hire a Pro for Listing Presentation Infographics

Canva works well for infographics, but when it really matters, hire a professional graphic designer who can take your design and ideas to the next level. Of course, if you’re going to spend the money on a pro, you probably want to create evergreen infographic content that you can use again and again.

7. Make Sure They ‘Flow’

The best real estate infographics explain complex processes in a simple, visual way. Step-by-step instructions, for example, flow from one to the next and work well as infographics.

Where to Share Your Infographics for Maximum Impact

Want to share some of the infographics in this article or infographics you’ve created on your own? Here are a few places to share them where you’ll get maximum engagement.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a massive social media site and “visual discovery engine” with more than 440 million active monthly users (and counting!). It’s also 100% visual, so your infographics will be shared like hotcakes. Even better, Pinterest has a search function, which means other users will find your infographics if you add the right description and title.

Your Email List

Include infographics in your emails, and to increase your open rates, signal to your recipient list what they’re getting if they open your email. For example, if you want to share info about closing costs, a good email subject line would be: 15 Things Every Buyer Needs to Know About Closing Costs (Infographic).

  Pro Tip

Send the right infographic to the right segment of your audience. A 65-year-old homeowner will probably not be interested in a first-time homebuyer’s guide.

Twitter

If you want lots of retweets from coworkers and industry contacts, tweet your latest (useful, usable, and easily digestible) infographic.

Instagram

Because Instagram will likely replace Facebook and Twitter to become the social media channel of choice for millennials, your infographics will be a welcome change from the boring and repetitive listing photos your competitors are posting.

Your Blog

Using bold, colorful real estate infographics in your posts will greatly increase the chance your audience will read them. Even better, it gives them an excuse to download something from your website that also has your URL and branding on it. Now, instead of being in the back of their mind, your branding will be in their download folder.

Where to Find More Real Estate Infographics

Want more compelling infographics or don’t have time to make your own? Here are a few sources for impactful real estate infographics to share. However, don’t put your logo on them, as they are copyrighted content. 

• NAR.realtor
• Keeping Current Matters
• Florida Realtors
• Pinterest (don’t forget to follow The Close on Pinterest!!)
• Theclose.com

If you love infographics, then bookmark this page. We will be updating with new and awesome infographics periodically. Stay tuned.

Over to You

If you’ve made it this far, you’re either stoked about real estate infographics or bored. Either way, there is a 100% chance you have questions, and we have answers. So, go ahead and ask us in the comments section below.

The post 97 Real Estate Infographics + How to Make Your Own & Go Viral appeared first on The Close.

What Are Single Property Websites?

Single property websites are exactly what they sound like: websites dedicated to one listing and one listing only. Single property websites generally include beautiful photography of a listing, video walk-throughs, Matterport Tours, or anything else that won’t fit on your MLS or on Zillow. They can be a great way to impress homeowners or highlight a unique luxury or historic listing. Here are the top single property website builders we think are actually worth your time and money.

5 Best Apps for Building Single Property Websites

Rela

About Rela: Rela offers gorgeous single property website templates that will work perfectly for luxury listings and impressing homeowners. 

Pricing: $24 to $99 per month

Best features: Rela offers listing agents and brokerages great features like an easy-to-use site builder, CRM, integrated Facebooks ads, lead forms, 3D tours, lead routing, videos, and basic analytics. You can also connect Zoom, Facebook Live, and Google Hangouts to the site for virtual open houses. 

Drawbacks: While we loved the beautiful layouts available on Rela sites, they cost quite a bit more than Listing Unlimited or Cribflyer. If you really want to impress your homeowner or need a pearl in the marketing section of your listing presentation, Rela is a solid choice. Rela also has a lot of bells and whistles, we’re just not sure most agents will actually use them.

Example Rela website: Dax Template

Visit Rela

Listings Unlimited

About Listings Unlimited: Although their templates aren’t quite as nice as Rela’s, Listings Unlimited has a lot to offer agents and brokers.

Costs: $24.95 per month for one to 25 listings and 89 cents per listing after that 

Best features: You get 25 sites, a video builder, 3D tours, syndication to YouTube, a QR code generator, feedback tool, social media tool, flyer builder, and a CRM.

Drawbacks: While Listing Unlimited’s templates are fine, let’s just say they won’t win any design awards. The pricing is also prohibitive for single agents who just want one or two websites. You pay $24.95 per month even if you only need one website. 

Example Listings Unlimited website: Listings Unlimited Template

Visit Listings Unlimited

Cribflyer

About Cribflyer: Although they only have three templates to choose from, they look nice, and Cribflyer has some decent features for agents and brokerages. It’s also the most affordable for people who only need one site at a time.

Costs: $1.25 per site, per month (in bulk); $7 per site, per month (individual sites)

Best features: Cribflyer gives you 3D tours, printable flyers, SMS text codes, lead routing, pixel tracking, and social media tools.

Drawbacks: Cribflyer’s sites are not quite as nice looking as Rela’s and don’t have the bells and whistles Listing Unlimited’s sites have.

Example Cribflyer website: Zen Modern Home

Visit Cribflyer

WordPress Single Property Themes on ThemeForest

About WordPress Themes on ThemeForest: Even though dedicated single property website builders are great, they’re not THAT cheap, and if you’re already skilled in WordPress, you can basically build sites for free. All you need is some basic WordPress skills to customize your current template, or a few dollars to buy single property templates from sites like ThemeForest. The only catch is that you need a WordPress website to use them. 

If you want to get started building a WordPress site with IDX, check out our in-depth guide below.

Costs: $10 per year URL hosting, approximately $10 to $50 per template (one-time fee)

Best features: Affordable one-time cost, endless customization options, no monthly fees, many attractive templates, can integrate with your current WordPress site and CRM. 

Drawbacks: Steep learning curve

Example WordPress Theme website: Spacey Theme

Visit ThemeForest

Unbounce

About Unbounce: Another way to build single property sites is by using a landing page builder like Unbounce. Like the dedicated builders, Unbounce has an easy-to-use editor and you can build sites pretty quickly. Unbounce’s templates are also built for conversion, and even let you A/B test different versions of your site to see which converts better. You can also use Unbounce to build landing pages for Facebook ads, Google ads, or anywhere else you’ll need a landing page.

Costs: Starting at $81 per month

Best features: Lead capture, can build other landing pages, A/B testing.

Drawbacks: Not designed for real estate landing pages; high price if you don’t make other landing pages.

Example Unbounce website: Destination Homes

Visit Unbounce

Visit ThemeForest for More Unbounce Single Property Templates

Single Property Website Tips & Tricks for 2022

1. Include Content That Isn’t Available Anywhere Else

A great way to get people to go to your single property site is to promise content that isn’t available anywhere else. You can offer extra pictures, videos, floor plans, neighborhood information, or anything else that you are comfortable leaving off Zillow. Just remember that the content doesn’t necessarily have to be amazing, but it has to sound good enough to get someone to click.

2. Include Maps & Other Useful Data That Keep People From Clicking to Another Site

Data is king in 2022, and if you can generate data that is not available anywhere else, then you might be able to easily drive traffic to your site.

3. Use Large Photos & Videos, but Make Sure They’re Optimized to Load Quickly

People don’t want to squint at tiny pictures, especially on the desktop. Make sure your pictures are at least 900 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall at 72 DPI. At this resolution, your pictures will look crisp but will still load quickly.

4. Make Sure Your Site Is Mobile-friendly

A huge percentage of your audience, especially those clicking over from Facebook, will be visiting your site on their phones or tablets. Make sure your website looks great on the small screen.

5. Get Permission From the Homeowners to Post Their Address & Photos Online

While you may be able to legally get away with posting photos and address information online, it’s polite to inform your seller that you are going to leave the site up. To help sweeten the deal, you could include handy links to gas hookup, cable hookup, and other local information and offer it to the sellers as a resource after they move in.

6. Try to Answer Every Question a Buyer Might Have, Including Maps & MLS Data

This is a tricky one, but the more information you can include on the site about the neighborhood, the better. You likely won’t have room for articles, but you can and should include lots of pictures and at least a quick guide to the neighborhood with a few pictures or maybe just a video.

7. Update the Page Once the Listing Is Sold

Remember that your MLS won’t be pleased if you leave a listing up without mentioning that the deal is closed and it’s no longer available.

The Case for Single Property Websites: 4 Ways They Can Still Have an ROI in 2022

Since we try to be optimistic here at The Close, we’ll go ahead and start with the reasons why you might want to consider investing your time, effort, and money into single property websites for your listings this year.

1. Boomer Homeowners Are Still Impressed by Single Property Sites

2. There’s No Competition for Clicks on a Single Property Website

3. Single Property Website Builders Offer Professional-looking Websites for a Very Attractive Price

4. Single Property Websites Still Look Great in Your Listing Presentation

Why Single Property Websites Might Be a Waste of Time in 2022

Even though we try to be optimistic, we want to give you the whole story, not just the story that makes real estate software companies happy. That’s why instead of pushing you into buying yet another app you don’t really need, we’re giving you three good reasons why single property websites might not be worth your time in 2022.

1. Single Property Websites Only Really Make Sense for Historic or Expensive Listings

2. You’re Not Offering Anything of Real Value for Buyers

3. The Same Traffic Might Convert Better on Your Website

Over to You

What do you think about single property websites? Do you use them to market listings? Do you think they still make sense in 2022? Let us know in the comments or join our private Facebook mastermind group to discuss with other agents.

The post The Best Single Property Websites for 2022 (Apps & Design Tips) appeared first on The Close.

Making LinkedIn work for you is really straightforward. We’ll show you how with a little time, a lot of consistency, and a clear objective, there is no better place to establish yourself as an industry expert. With a little dedication, LinkedIn can be an excellent tool to build your lead pipeline, establish your brand, and expand your sphere of influence (SOI). 

1. Start by Building Your Profile

No matter how a potential client finds you—whether it’s through your website, Instagram account, or by word of mouth—chances are they’re also going to check out your LinkedIn profile. Your profile should have one main goal: show the world that you know what you’re doing. 

Start the process by taking stock of your profile. Is it up to date? Is your photo in line with our headshot recommendations? We all know that it’s your online resume, so it’s a chance to brag about yourself. Make sure that all your relevant professional experience is accurate. Include all awards, accomplishments, accreditations, designations, and specialties.

You can also use LinkedIn to show that you’re multidimensional. If you volunteer or sit on a nonprofit board, include that in the Volunteer Experience section. LinkedIn’s own data shows that member profiles that showcase volunteer experience see as many as 6x more views than those that don’t. If you are a champion badminton player, include it! 

Here are a few profile examples that show off designations, specialties, and accomplishments. Each profile really stands out and highlights what makes that agent special.

If you don’t have the time to make LinkedIn lead generation work for you, get relevant local content automatically posted to your social media accounts with Artur’In. For a fraction of the cost of a marketing manager, Artur’In will curate, create, and post content to your social media to engage any audience you want.

Visit Artur’In

2. Make Connections To Generate Leads

If you’re like most agents, your connections are mostly … other agents. While it’s important to have relationships with fellow agents, when it comes to LinkedIn lead generation, you’re going to need to expand your network. 

Networking thoughtfully is a crucial part of your lead generation activity. Spend some time establishing connections with people you know, and then start looking for new and valuable relationships. Connecting to community influencers is key to LinkedIn lead generation. Think of nonprofit boards, local thought-leaders, C-suite executives, and other movers and shakers who will open doors for you. 

By design, LinkedIn does an excellent job of “recommending” new contacts for you—it can see who you’re connecting with and even who is visiting your profile (and so can you!). We caution you not to “request bomb” people, but instead, spend some time every couple of days strategically networking.

  Pro Tip

If you have a mutual connection with someone, reach out and request an introduction. A personal touch will help you stay connected to your SOI & may result in more rapid response times.

LinkedIn Networking Etiquette 

If you don’t know someone but want to connect, we encourage you to use a little LinkedIn etiquette and introduce yourself. Best practice is to send a personal message with your request to connect on LinkedIn.

If you want to really show some respect or stand out, opt to send an InMail (essentially email that has a better response rate than a connection request), available with LinkedIn Premium.

3. Join Relevant Groups to Market Effectively 

Joining a diverse range of groups will not only grow your network and generate leads, it will help you market more effectively to those leads. 

Groups are an innovative way to get to know different segments of your target market. Through this networking, you’re gaining valuable insight into their pain points. Joining and being active in groups allows you to finely craft your value proposition so that you’re addressing the needs of your target audience. 

For example, let’s say you have just moved to a new town and are building your network. Consider what kinds of groups might be interesting and helpful. A young professionals group, or even more specifically, professionals in finance, could be a good fit. Or maybe people who love dogs, jogging, or startups. Whatever your niche, chances are there’s a LinkedIn group for it.

4. Engage Meaningfully With Your Network

As with almost every social media platform, engagement only works if it’s a two-way street. Your success with LinkedIn depends on your ability to give back to your LinkedIn community. Sharing and liking posts isn’t enough.

The good news is that LinkedIn sets you up for success. It alerts you when connections have professional news, milestones, and anniversaries so you can reach out and congratulate them. Celebrating their accomplishments goes a long way to showing exactly what kind of professional you are.

You can also give back by taking a few minutes to write recommendations. The whole I’ll-write-you-one-you-write-me-one only gets you so far. Think what it would mean to your connections to see your kind words out of the blue! 

Remember, though, you really want to be authentic. Nothing is worse than fake attempts at thoughtfulness—people can sense that a mile away. 

5.  Like + Share Relevant Content Thoughtfully

When leads look at your profile, they want to see that you’re the person others depend on for helpful, relevant, compelling content in your area of expertise. Ideally, you’re the one crafting the content, but I’ll get to that in a minute. For now, as you’re building your presence on LinkedIn, focus on posting and sharing articles and videos that will interest and inform your audience. 

Because LinkedIn is unapologetically a professional platform, you get to write, post, share, like, recommend, and network unabashedly and not annoy your friends who just want cute puppy content. 

Be judicious and selective in what you post, and make sure that it’s high-quality content. What you decide to share is an extension of your brand, so make sure it’s from a source you trust and respect. Set a goal to post regularly and be sure to engage with other relevant posts.

Remember, almost everyone has some degree of interest in real estate, especially with today’s fast-paced market. I bet you can find posts to share about real estate and real estate adjacent topics that will appeal to just about any audience, not just your fellow agents.

Stats about your market’s real estate activity—available from your board of realtors—supply topics for discussion on LinkedIn (including average home selling prices, current inventory, average days on market, etc.). How to stage a home for a quick sale, how to compete in a market flush with cash buyers, when interest rates are expected to rise—these are all great topics to share and discuss with your LinkedIn audience. 

6. Create Content Around Trending Topics

Sharing and posting is a good start, but if you create your own article content, you will truly reap the LinkedIn rewards. Success almost always follows a mathematical model called the Pareto principle: the idea that the vast majority of the action is done by a very small number of people. 

As you might imagine, the vast majority of people on LinkedIn never post anything, which means that if you regularly post content and use hashtags, you are much more likely to have people see and engage with your content.

This is especially true because users have to manually turn off notifications (and most people aren’t taking the time to do that), so your posts are getting seen by hundreds, maybe even thousands of users who didn’t even know they were interested in what you’re writing about. 

Plus, LinkedIn clearly lays out what’s trending and liked and shared in the LinkedIn News feed. Pick a topic and write about what you know: real estate. 

Take a look at this LinkedIn News Feed. While at first nothing looks real estate-related, you could easily tie these topics to real estate and craft a post that’s timely and relevant to your audience.

For example, the mass exodus from the workplace in 2021, dubbed “the Great Resignation,” is perfect fodder for a post about who’s buying new homes. The trends toward remote work and self-employment have popularized entirely new real estate markets.

The popularity of Peloton bikes in recent years might signal that homebuyers are looking for added exercise space when shopping for a new home. New grads commanding massive starting salaries create a whole new demographic to target with real estate marketing. And “finding your why” is a topic that could apply to pretty much anything for anyone—have fun with that one! Here’s a short informational post (and bonus points for the video content) from Luxury Presence that’s timely and engaging:

In the end, all of this work is in pursuit of your goal to convey your expertise and generate leads who see and appreciate your industry authority. While writing articles is wonderful, creating video content (as in the example above) might be even better.

  Pro Tip

Consider producing and sharing a video that showcases a neighborhood, explains 1031 Exchanges, or even a 30-second video to introduce yourself and your business.

7. Upgrade to LinkedIn Premium 

A LinkedIn member who checks out your profile might be an excellent lead. One of the most frustrating things about LinkedIn is that it tells you how many people viewed your profile, but not always who viewed your profile. If they are searching LinkedIn in private mode, you may receive a cryptic notification like “A CEO viewed your profile.” Knowing who they are makes it possible to follow up and turn that warm lead into a hot one.

That’s where LinkedIn Premium comes in. It lets you see who has viewed your profile in the past 90 days, but still lets you browse in private mode. Warburg Manhattan’s Gill Chowdhury scored a $3 million dollar deal from LinkedIn:

“I recently noticed that a prominent businessman whose attention I was seeking looked at my LinkedIn profile. This was a great sign. From there, I was able to focus more on this individual to the point where I was hired to sell his $3 million-plus property without ever meeting him, and with no phone interview. My messages were powerful enough to convince him, and LinkedIn was a key part in that opportunity coming to fruition.”

InMail Messages

The only way you can message someone who is not in your network is by signing up for LinkedIn Premium and using their InMail platform. 

LinkedIn promises that InMail is 2.6x more effective than cold emails or calls, but it’s not cheap. You only get five InMails per month with the base subscription at $29.99 per month. An upgrade to “Sales Navigator” (Core $79.99 per month, Advanced $125 per month, and Advanced + (pricing upon request) only gets you 50 per month. 

LinkedIn Premium also includes unlimited people searches, competitor data, industry news, analytics, and more. It could be a really powerful addition to your marketing strategy, but only if you’re really going to put your time into LinkedIn. Otherwise, it’s probably not worth the investment. 

8. Buy Ads & Sponsored Posts

Of course, if you’re pressed for time or don’t want to learn yet another social media platform, LinkedIn also offers a ton of paid promotion options that you can use for lead generation. You can build audiences and create sponsored content, messaging ads, or text ads for LinkedIn lead generation, site visits, or what LinkedIn was designed for—recruiting agents.

Just be aware that since LinkedIn is a business-to-business (B2B) channel, advertising on LinkedIn is not cheap. If you want to try your hand at advertising on LinkedIn, here’s a quick rundown of what they offer:

Sponsored Content

LinkedIn Messaging Ads

Text Ads

9. Be Consistent for Optimal LinkedIn Lead Generation 

We’ve laid out the steps to make yourself stand out in a crowded space. LinkedIn gives you all of the tools you’ll need to be successful in expanding your audience, establishing your authority and brand, and networking strategically. LinkedIn lead generation happens organically when you’re following these steps regularly. Consistency is absolutely essential to making LinkedIn lead gen work for you.

copy to clipboard

Devote 20 minutes a day to:

• Connect with former and existing clients, friends, and colleagues
• Strategize your target leads
• Share, like, and engage with relevant content
• Join groups
• Offer congratulations to someone celebrating a professional milestone or success
• Write a recommendation
• Write a post on a trending topic
• Create video content (start with elevator pitch introduction)

10. Use Hashtags To Reach Your Audience

Hashtags are essential to getting your content seen by relevant audiences. As with any social media platform, hashtags help a relevant audience see what you’re writing and sharing. 

Here, Chris Linsell has added hashtags to his profile, and D.J. Paris includes hashtags in his post, promoting it across the relevant channels.

And here, Becky Brooks, digital marketing manager at The Close, shows us how to use hashtags to ensure an article is targeting the right audience.

Over to You

Are you a real estate agent who uses LinkedIn to generate leads? We would love to hear your social media tips or questions in the comments below.

The post 10 Ways Smart Real Estate Agents Are Using LinkedIn to Get Better Leads appeared first on The Close.

We put together this guide to help you get started. We’ve included nine real estate SEO strategies to help your content rank better in Google (and other) search results. We’ll also cover the most frequently asked questions and common SEO mistakes to avoid. Here’s what you’ll learn:

What Is Real Estate SEO?

Real estate SEO is the strategy real estate websites use to improve their ranking on search engines like Google, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, and Bing. The higher your website ranks on a search engine, the more people will see it and hopefully click on it. This translates into more site visitors, and if your website is optimized for lead capture, more buyer and seller leads in your CRM.

Deep Dive: How Google & Other Search Engines Rank Content in 2022

In 2022, Google uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to decide which websites and pages rank on the first page of the search engine results page (SERP). Since Google wants to deliver the best and most relevant results, they continually tweak their AI to make sure the most helpful results rise to the top on the search engine results page.

Of course, publishing content that answers common questions that your target audience is asking on Google is not enough to rank well in 2022. After all, thousands of websites are likely to publish content similar to yours. As a result, Google also considers factors like the expertise of the person writing the content, the quality of the website, how easy the content is to read, among other factors. 

9 Steps to Perfect Real Estate SEO

Deep Dive: How Google & Other Search Engines Rank Content in 2022

Now that you have a better idea of how search engines rank content, let’s dive into the nine steps to perfect real estate SEO.

1. Run an SEO Audit on Your Website

The first step to any SEO project is to audit your current website to see if there are any technical issues that might cause Google to rank your content lower or ignore it entirely. There are a few ways to do an SEO audit for your website. 

The easiest way to do an SEO audit is to hire someone from a site like Fiverr to run the audit for you. After they run the audit, they will send you a report that will go over any issues that might be holding your site back from ranking on search engines. Expect to pay around $50 for a site audit on Fiverr. Some SEO freelancers or companies will do this for free, but they will also try to upsell you to paid services without explaining the actual issues with your website. 

Here is a Fiver freelancer who runs SEO audits for $35 with a Zoom call to talk through issues that need to be fixed:

Visit Fiverr

If you’d rather DIY your SEO audit, you will need to invest in a few free and paid tools to do it. Here is a quick rundown of the tools you will need:

Here are a few issues to fix that an SEO audit might turn up: 

• Meta descriptions
• Image alt text
• Image compression
• Keyword usage
• Heading structure (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
• Duplicate content 
• Broken links 
• Security: HTTP vs HTTPS

While we don’t recommend it, if you want to run your own SEO audits in the future, you can use this in-depth guide from SEMrush to set up and run your audit.

2. Fix Issues Found in Your SEO Audit

After you have your audit, you can then start fixing any issues uncovered in the audit. These might be easy fixes, like deleting duplicate content or fixing broken links, or more complex issues like HTTP vs HTTPS. Fix what you can and hire out for the rest. 

One of the easiest improvements you can make on your website is to make it load faster. This is something anyone can do with Google’s free Page Speed Insight tool. Run the most popular pages of your website through the Google Page Speed Insights tool. If they load slowly, try removing or reducing the size of large images or infographics. You can also try removing WordPress plugins or IDX widgets from pages that load slowly. If all of your pages load slowly, you might need to upgrade your web hosting plan from a shared plan to a VPS or dedicated server. 

VPS (virtual private server) plans will run you around $20 per month and will offer significantly faster landing times than shared hosting. Dedicated hosting plans will run you around $100 per month and will offer significantly faster loading times than VPS plans. If your website gets a lot of traffic, you might want to consider dedicated hosting. If not, VPS hosting should do the trick.

3. Set Up Your Google My Business Account

After you’ve run your SEO audit and fixed any issues that came up, the next step is to claim your Google My Business account. Google My Business is Google’s tool for indexing local businesses for search on Google Maps. This is important in 2022 because Google Maps results are almost always at the top of search results pages (SERP) for searches related to real estate. For example, when I search “real estate agent” from New York City, Google puts a map of nearby real estate brokerages at the top of the SERP:

If you want a chance of showing up here, you need to set up your Google My Business account. You can get started here: https://www.google.com/business/ 

While this won’t guarantee your site shows up at the top of the search results, if you don’t fill out your Google My Business profile, you will never show up!

4. Research Keywords You Want to Rank For

After you’ve completed your audit, fixed SEO issues, and set up your Google My Business profile, the next step is to research the keywords your local audience is searching for. Once you know what your audience is searching for, you can create content to address their questions and concerns. For example, if your audience is searching for “affordable condos in Miami,” you can write an article or create a video explaining how to find affordable condos in Miami. 

Use a Keyword Research Tool Like Ahrefs 

The best way to do keyword research is to use a keyword research tool like Ahrefs. Ahrefs isn’t free but is a worthwhile investment to help plan what content to write for your website. You can also hire a freelancer on a site like Fiverr or Upwork to do basic keyword research for you. Most freelancers will use a keyword research tool like Ahrefs to research keywords. 

Research SERP & ‘People Also Ask’ Results for Your Keywords

Once you have a list of keywords you want to target, research the SERP for each keyword to see what kind of content is ranking for those keywords. Are they articles or videos? How long are the articles? What kinds of websites are ranking for these keywords? What other content are they creating? What keywords do they seem to be targeting? Finally, how can you improve on the content currently ranking on the first page for your keywords?

  Pro Tip

Google’s “People Also Ask” section on SERPs can be a goldmine for content ideas. These are questions that Google’s algorithm thinks are related to the main keyword. Here are the “People also ask” results for the keyword “Condos in Miami”: Each one of these questions would make a great blog post.

To learn more about keyword research, check out our in-depth guide.

5. Create a Content Cluster Strategy

Generally speaking, search engines rank content created by subject matter experts higher than content created by amateurs. For example, when people search for “best cancer treatments,” search engines will display results from top oncologists before your cousin Jeff who thinks crystals and herbs cure cancer. (Sorry, Jeff!) One of the ways that search engines determine your expertise in a subject area is by looking at how much content on the subject you have on your website, and how well organized that content is. 

This is where content clusters come in. Content clusters are groups of articles organized from top-level subjects like “condos in Miami” that then drill down to more specific related topics like “Condos in Brickell” or “How to qualify for a condo in Miami.” 

Pillar Content, Subpillar Content & Cluster Content

Creating content clusters is simple. Start by identifying your most general local keywords. These will be your “pillar pages.” Then organize more specific content related to that pillar page underneath the pillar page. Once you have your cluster mapped out, start writing the content for your pillar pages and planning to write content for your subpillars and cluster content. Once you write your subpillar and cluster content, link to them from your pillar page. 

Here’s what a cluster map might look like for an agent who sells condos in Miami:

Pillar content: Condos in Miami 

Links to: 

Subpillar content: Best neighborhoods to buy condos in Miami, How to get approved for a condo in Miami, Most affordable condos in Miami, Waterfront condos in Miami, etc. 

Links to: 
Cluster content: Condos in Brickell, Condos in Miami Beach, Condos in Coconut Grove, Brickell Neighborhood guide, etc.

6. Create Useful & Compelling Articles, Videos & Infographics

Now that you have a cluster strategy mapped out, the next step is to create the content for your website.

Create Pillar Content First 

Start by creating your pillar content. Your pillar content should address general topics that you will expand on in your cluster content.

For example, a pillar page about condos in Miami should be a high-level overview of buying condos in Miami. Try to think of questions your audience might have about buying a condo in Miami and answer them in your article. Answers that require more detail will be addressed in your cluster content, so a general overview will be fine for your cluster content. What are the general price ranges by neighborhood for condos in Miami? How competitive is the market? What should buyers look out for? What should sellers be aware of?

How Long Should Your Content Be? 

There is no hard and fast rule for how long your content needs to be to rank on Google, but studies show longer content tends to outrank shorter content. Research from HubSpot showed that the best-ranking articles on Google were over 2,000 words. Just do your best to answer the questions you think your audience will have about the topic and remember to address more specific answers in your subpillar and cluster content.

Article vs Video Content 

While articles usually rank better than videos, for some keywords at least, videos will outrank articles. This is why researching SERPs before you start writing content is so important. If a SERP for a keyword you want to rank for has videos ranking at the top of the page, then making a video for that keyword is a no-brainer.

The best approach is to embed a video in an article. For example, after you finish writing your pillar content for “condos in Miami,” record and embed a quick YouTube video summarizing the content.

Use SEO Best Practices as You Write 

Always use SEO best practices for creating content for your website. These include using structured headings like H1, H2, H3, or numbered lists, using keywords in the first paragraph of your articles, writing in simple, direct language, and focusing on answering readers’ questions in the most direct way possible. Getting creative with your writing can be tempting, but for most articles, a bare-bones “just the facts” approach will work better. People are busy! They just want to learn what you have to teach them as quickly as possible.

If you’re using WordPress, a free SEO plugin like Yoast will make following SEO best practices much easier.

7. Work on Getting Backlinks to Your Content 

Another way search engines decide where to rank your content is by the number and quality of other websites that link to your homepage or directly to your blog posts. This is why getting other sites to link to your website is crucial for SEO. 

Link Quality Counts More Than Quantity 

Generally speaking, quality counts for more than quantity when it comes to links to your website. For example, a link from a well-respected site like the New York Times might be worth 100 (or more!) links from smaller websites. It’s not easy, but putting in the work to get high-quality links to your website will have an unbeatable return on investment (ROI) for SEO. 

Links from websites that are related to your pillar content are also more valuable for ranking than more general sites. For example, if you’re writing about condos in Miami, then a link from the Miami Herald might be more valuable than a link from the New York Post. Since you are writing about real estate, a link from Realtor Magazine or NAR would be even more valuable. 

Link-building Strategies 

One of the best ways to get links from high-quality websites in 2022 is to use HARO. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a website where journalists submit questions when they need expert quotes for articles they are working on. Getting quoted as a real estate expert along with a link to your site is actually much easier than you might think. Journalists are almost always on tight deadlines, which means they sometimes scramble at the last minute to get good quotes from experts. 

To get backlinks from HARO, subscribe to their email and pitch journalists when they need quotes from real estate experts. If they accept your pitch, ask them to link to your website. Easy, right? The key is to respond to journalists’ quote requests as soon as they get posted. This will greatly increase your odds of getting your quote accepted. 

To learn more about getting links from HARO and other sources, check out our in-depth guide to strategic PR below.

8. Update Your Best Performing Articles on a Schedule

Since your local real estate market can change from quarter to quarter or even month to month, search engines generally rank up-to-date content higher. So once you have your content written, create an update calendar to make sure that content stays fresh. 

For pillar pages, you should schedule updates at least once per quarter. For subpillar and cluster content, you can get away with updating once or twice per year. When updating your articles, spend a few minutes researching what changed since your last update, and then address those changes in your article. 

9. Regularly Audit Your Website for SEO Issues 

Even if your content is ranking well, you still need to regularly audit your website to look for any issues that might affect your rankings. For example, articles or videos you link to might change their URLs, leaving you with dead links, or your articles might start to load slowly if you install a new plugin. Scheduling yearly or quarterly SEO audits can find these issues before they start to affect your ranking. 

How Much Does SEO Cost?

Like most great lead generation strategies, real estate SEO can be done for free. Writing great content that puts the reader first might take up a lot of your time, but there are no real upfront costs. 

That said, if you are serious about using SEO as a lead generation strategy, investing in some basic tools or hiring freelancers will be a huge help. Here is a quick rundown of some SEO tools and services you might want to consider as your rankings grow: 

DIY SEO Tools 2022: Recommendations & Pricing

Hiring SEO Freelancers 

Since ranking your website on search engines can take years of hard work, you might be tempted to skip the line and just hire a freelancer to do SEO for you. Having hired many SEO freelancers in the past, this is not something we recommend for individual Realtors. Like any good freelancer, good SEO freelancers can be extremely expensive. The best SEO freelancers charge $5,000+ per month! Beware the “affordable” SEO freelancers. Some use dishonest tactics that might help you rank on Google for a week or so, but can also result in your site getting blacklisted from Google’s search results. 

That said, there are many SEO tasks that you can and should outsource to freelancers on a site like Upwork or Fivver. Here are a few tasks that you can safely outsource as the need arises: 

• Keyword research 
• Google My Business profiles
• Article editing 
• Reducing image sizes 
• Submitting your pitches to HARO 
• Basic link-building outreach

Visit Fiverr

How Long Does It Take to See Results?

This is kind of like asking, “How long will it take until I can speak French?” You might see some results right away, while others can take years. There are two basic factors that determine how quickly you will see results from your SEO efforts:

1. How Competitive the Keywords You Are Targeting Are

The first criteria is how competitive the keywords you’re targeting are. For example, if you’re trying to rank for “Beverly Hills Mansions for sale,” your chances of seeing results right away (or at all!) are very, very low. This is because there are many real estate portals like Zillow and well-established real estate brokerages that also want to rank number one for those keywords. Your chances of outranking Zillow or Compass for these keywords is virtually zero. These companies spend millions of dollars to rank their content on search engines.

However, if you’re trying to rank for “best neighborhoods in Elmira New York,” you will see results much faster since you will have much less competition on the SERP.

2. The Quality of Your Content, Website & Backlink Profile

The second criteria that determines how quickly you will see results is the quality of your content, website, and backlink profile. Let’s tackle those one by one: 

• Your content: If your content does not offer useful information related to the topics people are searching for, you might never see results.
• Your website: Even if you have great content, if your website loads slowly, is not optimized for mobile, or uses complicated code, you will have a hard time ranking.
• Your backlink profile: Part of the way Google and other search engines judge the quality of your content is by looking at how many other websites link to it. More high-quality links = better chances of ranking highly. 

Bottom Line: Is SEO Good for Realtors? 

As long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort to audit your website, research keywords, create content clusters, and produce great content, then SEO can be an effective way to generate leads and raise brand awareness with your website.

The post Real Estate SEO: The Ultimate Guide for 2022 (9 Steps to Better Ranking) appeared first on The Close.

80 Viral Real Estate Blog Ideas

1. Home Renovations That Offer the Best ROI for Resale

Example title: 7 Home Renovations That Will Get You an ROI at the Closing Table

Here’s a real estate blog idea that most homeowners thinking of selling will find irresistible. After all, renovating their older home will cost them tons of money, and most homeowners don’t have a clue if they will ever get any of that money back at the closing table.

2. Before & After Renovation Examples

Example title: Before & After: This Humble Bungalow in ______ Was Transformed Into a Luxe Retreat

People love Cinderella stories, so writing about local homes transformed by tasteful renovations is a great way to get readers hooked on your blog. The more specific you can get here, the better. Check sites like Curbed for examples of local renovations and see if you can get a quick comment from the homeowner, architect, or interior designer.

3. How to Fix & Flip Homes

Example title: How to Fix & Flip Homes in __________

With the popularity of real estate reality TV shows growing every day, writing blog posts that educate your audience on investing is a great way to increase traffic and conversions. If you’re serious about working with new investors, writing an in-depth e-book explaining the fix-and-flip process in detail would make a great lead magnet.

4. Home Staging Mistakes to Avoid

Example title: 7 Embarrassing Home Staging Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Home’s Value

Home staging mistakes is a fantastic blog idea because it’s something every homeowner thinks they can do independently. The reality, of course, is that home staging can be difficult and expensive. Something most homeowners don’t realize until they actually try to stage their own FSBO!

5. Highlight Successful Women in Real Estate

Example title: 7 Women Who Are Changing the Way _________ Real Estate Sells

According to one study, women make the decision of which home to purchase 91% of the time. That means celebrating women’s role in the real estate industry is not just a nice thing to do, but a savvy marketing decision. A blog post highlighting women’s achievements in your local market is a great way to do just that.

6. Real Estate Negotiation Tips

Example title: 5 Negotiation Secrets Smart Buyers Use to Get Better Deals

Since most buyers or sellers have minimal experience in negotiating, offering them a peek inside the process of negotiating a deal can make a great blog post. If you really want to wow them with your skills, try using actual examples from your career.

  Pro Tip

If you’re really strapped for time or suffering from a case of writer’s block, consider hiring a professional marketing company like Artur’In to write your blog posts for you. You’ll end up with blogs your audience will love & you’ll have more time to do what you do best: sell houses!

Visit Artur’In

7. How to Choose a Mortgage or Hard Money Lender

Example title: 7 Tricks to Choosing the Right Mortgage Lender in ________

Since the mortgage process is still intimidating for most new buyers, a guide on choosing a mortgage lender will be a welcome topic for new buyers reading your blog. If you’re targeting investors or even would-be investors, a guide to picking a suitable hard money lender can also work.

8. An Overview of Virtual Staging Software

Example title: How Virtual Staging Software Can Drive Traffic to Your Home

This one falls into the “seems easy until you try it” category for homeowners. Virtual staging looks like magic, but once they try to do it, they will realize that hiring a professional like you to market their home might be a better investment. 

9. Tongue-in-Cheek ‘Behind the Scenes’ Posts

Example title: 12 Common Lies Realtors Tell New Buyers in _________

Since Realtors still have a reputation for dishonesty, pulling back the curtain and dishing on what really goes on in the industry is a great way to disarm your site visitors. Just remember to keep it PG, and don’t accuse any fellow agents or brokerages by name.

10. Open House Food Ideas

Example title: 17 Open House Food Ideas to Make Your Open House a Success

Another subtle way to show off your marketing skills, writing up a short article on popular open house food ideas is a great way to impress homeowners.

11. A List Post or Explainer Article on Dual Agency

Example title: 7 Reasons Dual Agency Can Be a Mistake in _________

Dual agency is one of those real estate topics that seems easy to understand at first but gets more complicated as you dig in. That makes it a perfect blog post to show off your sales expertise. Just make sure to be clear about the complexities of dual agency. List the pros and cons honestly.

12. A 101-Level Crash Course in Real Estate Investing

Example title: Investing in ______ Real Estate 101

Since everyone wants to make a great investment, a crash course in real estate investing is a great idea for a blog post. You can explain some common industry terms and investment strategies and then discuss which one works best in your farm area.

13. A Guide to Evaluating & Purchasing Rental Properties

Example title: 8 Tips for Buying Rental Properties in _________

Since the real estate investment niche is red-hot these days, an expert guide to purchasing a rental property in your farm area can get you clicks and conversions on your blog. If you’re not an expert in rental property, work with your broker or a local investor to write this one.

14. Questions to Ask When Hiring a Real Estate Agent

Example title: 7 Questions to Ask When Interviewing a New Realtor

Wouldn’t it be great if you could tell someone which questions you want them to ask you in an interview? Well, if you write this blog post, you can! You can use this post to educate buyers on what to look for in a Realtor, and also subtlety play up your strong suit. For example, if you have a lot of local experience, spend more time telling them why this is so important in your post.

15. Home Staging Tips & Tricks to Sell Faster

Example title: 7 Interior Paint Colors That Will Help Your Home Sell Quicker

If you’re working in a relatively upscale neighborhood, then chances are your homeowners will look at beautifully staged local listings and start to get intimidated. How will their home compete with these beautiful spaces online?

The trick with this blog post idea is to make sure to interview (or research) experts who actually know a thing or two about interior design and how it might affect their listing. Again, just be careful about making any promises here. Avoid saying things like “this paint color WILL increase your listing price” and instead say something like, “One study showed this paint color helped XX homes sell faster.”

16. In-depth Neighborhood Guides for Relocation Buyers

Example title: An In-depth Guide to [Neighborhood] for New Homeowners

While ranking on Google for neighborhood guides will be extremely difficult in many cities, in-depth neighborhood guides make excellent lead magnets, e-books, or social media content. The trick here is to go deep. Most agents will write fluffy overviews, if anything, so make sure to get into the nitty-gritty of what moving to your neighborhood will be like.

17. Hyper-local New Homebuyer’s Guide

Example title: A New Homebuyer’s Guide to Moving to [Your Farm Area]

Are you working with new buyers? If not, you’re missing out. Many first-time buyers these days have excellent income and credit, and all they really need is someone to walk them through the transaction. If you get it right, you could have an evangelist for life.

18. Monthly or Quarterly Aggregated Market Reports

Example title: Aggregated Market Report for [Your Farm Area, Month Year]

While most agents post some kind of market report on their blogs, most are pretty thin and not actually useful for their readers. If you want to stand out, then take the time and effort to make your monthly or quarterly local market reports as in-depth and nerdy as you can manage.

19. Local Listing(s) of the Week

Example title: 3 Drop-dead, Gorgeous, Mid-century Modern Homes in [Your Farm Area]

This is a fun one and can help you build relationships with local listing agents. Try to choose three to five listings every week that might fit a specific theme your audience will like for more impact. For example, if you’re working in Miami, waterfront listings would be fun to write about. If you’re working in Manhattan, then you can’t go wrong writing about penthouses.

20. A Property Marketing Case Study

Example title: Case Study: How 3 [Your Farm Area] Luxury Homes Sold 20% Over Asking

This blog post requires a little more research and, of course, access to data and assets such as before-and-after images. But if you either have a few listings under your belt where marketing made the difference, or know an agent who does, then this is a great post to show off your marketing knowledge to your readers.

21. How Economic News Affects Your Farm Area

Example title: What the [Latest Economic News] Means for [Your Farm Area] Homeowners

While your wealthy clients might read the Wall Street Journal every morning, most of the economic news won’t be directly relevant to their real estate portfolio. That’s why taking that news and contextualizing it for them is another excellent way to use your blog to offer something of value for your audience.

22. A Guide to Local Architectural Styles

Example title: A Cheat Sheet to the Architectural Styles of _________

When people start thinking about buying or selling a home, they generally go into education mode. Learning about local architectural styles is a great way to get them to click on your posts on social media.

23. An Interview With a Lawyer on Common Local Legal Issues

Example title: A Lawyer Explains the Legal Issues of Accessory Dwelling Units

Real estate lawyers also want to show off their local expertise to your audience because your leads might potentially be their leads too. Are you starting to notice a trend here with interview articles? If you’re just jumping in on this article idea, then here’s a quick recap: Interviewing local experts can help build relationships that lead to referrals down the road.

24. A Guide to Local HOA Covenants

Example title: 15 Common HOA Covenants & What They Really Mean

If you want to get confused (and angry), ask someone what they think about their homeowners association (HOA). For most people, HOAs are right up there with the IRS when it comes to confusing and potentially expensive adversaries. That’s why a friendly explainer piece on HOA covenants can help new homeowners or anyone who never lived under their rules feel a little more comfortable about them.

25. An Explainer on What Listing Agents Do

Example title: 12 Hidden Ways Listing Agents Help _______ Homeowners Sell Faster & for More Money

Justifying your own job might seem a little desperate, but if you focus on the positive and talk about some uncommon but essential ways you can help them, you just might end up with a popular blog post.

26. Affordable Curb Appeal Ideas for Your Local Market

Example title: 11 Affordable Curb Appeal Ideas for [Your Farm Area] Homes

Curb appeal is one of those things that most homeowners don’t quite understand. They THINK they do, but when it comes down to pulling out their credit card or rolling up their sleeves, they will inevitably head to Google. Or if you have a well-written article, your blog.

27. A Guide to Up & Coming Micro-neighborhoods

Example title: 3 Neighborhoods in ________ Set to Take Off in 2022

While every agent in your farm area is probably writing about the hot new neighborhood, writing about smaller micro-neighborhoods with appealing qualities is a great way to show off your local market knowledge.

More Real Estate Blog Ideas…

28. Common questions sellers ask
29. Common questions buyers ask
30. Common questions relocation clients ask
31. A guide to buying foreclosures
32. Why hiring an agent is important
33. A guide to iBuyers
34. Why Zillow Zestimates are not accurate
35. The perils of for sale by owner
36. Weekly starter home wrap-up post
37. Interview a local developer
38. Interview a local mortgage broker
39. Interview a local daycare owner
40. Interview a local home inspector
41. Monthly wrap-up of major sales
42. A guide to the best coffee shops in XX
43. A guide to your favorite restaurants in XX
44. A guide to local parks
45. A guide to local school districts
46. A guide to local dog runs
47. Renting vs buying
48. Overview of the closing process
49. Tips for getting offers accepted
50. Fun historical facts about your farm area
51. When to refinance
52. How to get prequalified for a mortgage
53. Weekly wrap up of luxury listings
54. News about new developments
55. Local politics and how it might affect your farm area
56. Best colors to paint a home to sell faster
57. What to do with pets when showing your home
58. Tips for a successful open house
59. Gardening and landscaping tips
60. How to save money on heating or cooling bills
61. How to winterize a home
62. Yearly maintenance schedule
63. Zoning laws for additions or renovations
64. Highlight local artists
65. Highlight local art galleries
66. Highlight a local photographer
67. Tips for packing for a move
68. Tips for hiring a long distance mover
69. Tips for hiring a contractor
70. Tips for hiring painters
71. Tips for hiring a landscaper
72. Moving checklist
73. Prelisting checklist
74. Closing checklist
75. Guide to local wildlife
76. Guide to local attractions
77. Guide to local beaches
78. Guide to local hiking trails
79. Rank the best supermarkets
80. Rank the best bakeries

7 Expert Real Estate Blogging Tips & Resources

Now that you’re (hopefully) inspired to start blogging, here are some insider tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years that will help you get more page views.

1. Write 3 Different Versions of Your Headline & Pick the Best One

The headline is by far the most important element of your blog post. It’s the first and sometimes only thing your audience will see before they decide to click on it and read it. So take the time to learn how to write headlines that get clicks. Here are some simple formulas you can use.

2. Use H2 Headings to Break Up Your Posts Into Bite-sized Chunks

Since your readers are busy, do them a favor and break up your blog posts into bite-sized chunks using H2 subheadings. Most people are going to skim your posts anyway. Make it easy for them. Using H2, H3, and H4 subheadings is also a best practice for real estate SEO.

3. Include Links to Other Related Blog Posts

This will not only help your reader quickly get to related posts, but will help Google crawl your site and might help you rank better.

4. Do Keyword Research to Find Out What Your Audience Is Searching for on Google

If you want a chance of ranking your blog posts on Google, you need to research what keywords your audience is searching for. You can start by checking out some other successful real estate blogs in your farm area. Which articles do you think are most helpful for buyers and sellers? If you want to get serious and do professional keyword research, check out our in-depth guide below.

5. Use Descriptive Language & Write Short Sentences & Paragraphs

Long paragraphs are like homework, and you have about 10 seconds to capture your reader’s attention before they click back over to Facebook. Worse, they take forever to scroll through on mobile.

6. Read Your Writing Out Loud Before Hitting Publish

Editing your own writing can be tricky, but one way to make it easier is to read your entire post out loud and see if you stumble. If you can read through it without stumbling, then chances are so will your readers.

7. Always Put the Reader First

Always put your reader first. Make sure to focus on their needs and experience rather than search engine optimization (SEO), selling, trying to sound clever, or anything else. Always remember your blog is for your readers, not to stroke your ego!

Over to You

Have a great real estate blog idea that we forgot? Let us know in the comments or join us on our Facebook Mastermind Group here.

The post 80 Viral Real Estate Blog Ideas for 2022 (+ Examples & Expert Tips) appeared first on The Close.