How Is Social Media Changing Real Estate?

SOCIAL MEDIA & REAL ESTATE

EXPERT FEATURE BY TANYA BAKER

IG: @TANYABAKERPROPERTY

The world is connected. No matter where we are, we can message, post, or tweet, so our family and friends can enjoy our updates. Life has changed forever, but have estate agents? Twenty years ago, before the launch of Rightmove, estate agents worked on an applicant list, manually keeping in touch and pro-actively matching buyers and sellers.

While this does still happen, it is highly diluted.

Technology has replaced the manual process, and many agents have become reliant on the portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla.

Both portals operate buying alert systems so viewers can be instantly updated when new homes become available, replacing the need to contact multiple agents. Technology is here to stay, but since an estate agency is a people business, it needs relationships forged with buyers and sellers to deliver optimal results. Top-performing agents use technology to leverage but most importantly, reach more buyers, even on a personal level.

75% of homeowners have a social media account. A staggering statistic. However, more shocking is that 66% of buyers are not actively looking. They stumble upon a house for sale through word of mouth, a For Sale board, and now through social media. For many of us, social media has become a huge part of our day to day lives, especially during the pandemic; it allowed us to all stay in touch! When I set my agency up I realised buyers and sellers liked to see what I was doing (much like we all enjoy seeing Susan's fabulous project updates and sneak peeks!).

So, because I spend so much time focusing on social media, my clients get to see what I’m up to and how I work personally, they don’t have to wait for a buyer to walk down the high street to see their home... I deliver the property details to them, on their phone, iPad or PC, wherever they are.

Using the latest social media profiling, their property will receive a unique geo-targeted advertising campaign on Facebook and Instagram - pro-actively reaching every buyer possible, with the platform intelligently learning who are the right buyers and finding more of them.