WordPress plugins for real estate help agents promote parks and amenities

Here’s a WordPress plugin for real estate that displays neighborhood amenities such as parks. Research shows that being located near a park increases the value and appeal of a property.

There are certain WordPress plugins for real estate that can help agents really make the point about the value of free neighborhood amenities such as parks.

Because here’s the point. Free public entities add value to a home and the marketing of a home.

That’s where parks come in. Big lawn-covered parks with hiking trails, picnic tables and grills. Small pocket parks with a few benches and shade trees. Specialty parks such as dog parks or public water parks. Huge recreational parks with baseball fields, soccer fields and tennis courts. State parks with huge forests and meandering rivers.

They all have appeal.

There’s an obvious reason for this.

Who doesn’t want to live close to a park?

Parks boost homes values and attract developers

There’s also statistical data to back this up.

In a recent study conducted by Home Logic with the National Association of Realtors, researchers looked at more than 16,000 home sales within 1,500 feet of public parks in Portland, Oregon.

They discovered homes prices were higher by 8% to 20% on average.

Portland city officials are smart in that way – because the city has about 200 parks. Something perhaps other cities should look at as well. Higher home values also mean higher tax valuations and revenue (in addition to all the other positives such as happy citizens, healthier residents and cleaner air.)

The researchers also discovered homes near Natural Areas were on average, $10,000 higher in value.

Golf course nearby? That will increase the value of a home by $8,000.

Special types of parks, for example, a dog park nearby. That will mean on average about a $5500 boost in value.

Urban parks? Add another $1,000.

You can be certain the homes on Central Park in New York are much more expensive than homes just a block away.

Speaking of New York, according to another study, the new High Line park that was built on 1.4 miles of old abandoned railroad tracks, has generated a 103% increase in property valuations in an eight-year span. Not only that, but the park has spurned an estimated $2 billion in development nearby as well.

In Miami, where the Underline park is in the final planning stages, property prices nearby have already increased by 25% and so have plans for $200 million in new residential construction. And that park hasn’t even been built yet.

Which reminds this writer of an experience he had that to this day surprises him. After purchasing a home, he discovered there was an immense public park just three miles away, just off the main highway.

That park turned out to be the LARGEST park in the county covering 65 acres surrounded by 470 acres of wetlands and filled with hiking and mountain biking trails. Not to mention several soccer, football and baseball fields. Plus tennis courts. And a playground.

If this writer knew about that park, he would have made an offer on the home sooner. And for more money.

WordPress plugins for real estate best illustrate the value

When it comes to using other factors to help influence home prices and elicit offers, parks are a no-brainer.

However, it’s important that agents clearly illustrate these parks and other amenities.

That’s where WordPress plugins for real estate can play a huge part.

For example, Home Junction offers a geo-spatial plugin for real estate.

They developed IDX software that integrates a map with MLS listings.

So, when an agent points out properties on the map, they can also point out the parks and other amenities within a designated distance.

There are also Points of Interest WordPress plugins for real estate that illustrate amenities in a linear text format. That is effective as well.

Here’s the point.

Parks sell homes.

An agent wants to be sure they are maximizing this asset.

With WordPress plugins for real estate from real estate data companies such as Home Junction, an agent can display this valuable asset in several ways.

First, these plugins are plugged into an agent’s website. There is no need to send a web visitor or prospect off into the webisphere the find this information for themselves (and perhaps, end up on another agent’s website).

Secondly, adding that information to a website helps with rankings on Google and Bing when people search for parks and local information in the area.

Third, an agent can include those links to those maps and lists in their email blasts to prospects.

Fourth, an agent can also include those links and use those amenities when they post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Need ideas for posts? Here you go. A ton of hyper-local data.

(And you’ll need it too because a recent survey conducted by Realtor.com found that more than 90% of agents say they plan to promote themselves on social media.)

Use plugins to make superior listing presentations

Conversely, imagine using all those WordPress real estate plugins for websites to attract and impress home sellers.

You can demonstrate how you are not the type of agent who just might casually mention there’s a park down the street.

You are going to use these neighborhood data tools to really drive home the proximity of that park and the benefits as far as retaining or increasing the value of a home.

That will impress sellers.

Sure, there are a lot of variables floating around the minds of home buyers today. The size of the home. The number of bedrooms. Is the kitchen nice? What about the backyard? Is the garage big enough? What are mortgage rates? What’s my credit score? What will my monthly payment be like? What about taxes?

Is children are involved, what about the local schools? That’s a BIG ISSUE. (Home Junction has WordPress plugins for real estate with school data as well. That data feed includes critical school information as far as locations, principals, number of students, teacher/student ratios, etc.).

You can also use property data from Home Junction to show the assessed value of homes near parks compared to other areas.

Don’t let all the other factors swirling around a buyer’s head cause them to overlook the value of neighborhood amenities such as parks. If you tell them about that great park down the street, they might forget it a second later.

Be sure to SHOW them instead.

Add these valuable WordPress plugins for real estate to promote these parks. Make it part of their overall package. Their take-home materials.

Because, when it comes down to it, with many other factors being equal, the location of a park nearby just might be the one factor that sways them in the direction you want them to go and pick your listing.

(Again, if a few agents are pitching to a homeowner for a listing, the way you illustrate those parks and other neighborhood amenities, might just be the determining factor to choose you as their agent).

Parks have been around for centuries.

But this is the 21st Century. There are amazing real estate market data tools out there for local agents, just like the big real estate portals.

WordPress is the leading content management system in the world. Developers have created thousands of plugins to help business people enhance their websites (just like apps turn cell phones into smartphones).

Specific geo-spatial WordPress plugins for real estate are one of those incredible tools.