How A Real Estate API Can Make You The Micro And Macro-Economic Resource In Your Communi
A Real Estate API with a continual feed of hyper-local data onto your website can make you THE SOURCE of home market news in your community.
Let’s face it. Real estate is one of the most popular topics. Anything that affects where people live, or are trying to live, is going to catch their attention.
This news can also be the most frustrating for consumers.
After all, we live in the information age, a time where enough information to fill the Congressional-library is available at your fingertips.
But there’s one phenomena taking place today that brokers and agents should include in their marketing strategies.
That’s the issue of TMI (Too Much Information).
Because while we have incredible access to news and content, frankly all that access can be overwhelming.
There’s is so much information bombarding us every day like a digital monsoon.
When it comes to news, every consumer faces these key challenges:
- Is the information accurate?
- How do I sift through all the news out there to find what I need for my particular situation?
- How do I stay updated on current information while still trying to live a life?
This actually presents a great opportunity for brokers and agents. And to get started, it’s as simple as adding a few lines of code to install a Real Estate API on their website.
Real Estate API provides continual feed of micro-housing info
Let’s start on the micro-economic level.
Sure, there is plenty of information out there about national trends in real estate. Housing forecasts. Mortgage rate trends. Hot markets such as San Francisco where prices continue to skyrocket like Space X rockets.
But as brokers and agens all know, all business is local.
It might be difficult to find a house in San Francisco, but in Your Town USA, there might be plenty of homes available at reasonable prices.
With hyper-local real estate data aggregators such as Home Junction, a broker or agent can add a Real Estate API to their website and continually present accurate and current information about the LOCAL housing market.
They can send out weekly updates on trends in Home Sales.
Publish monthly announcements on the direction of Home Prices.
Announce new amenities coming to their community such as a new middle school. Or a Whole Foods. A new Starbucks.
Post some photos of new construction taking place, whether it’s a golf course community or a Trader Joe’s. (We all know the appeal of images in this age of Instagram).
All of these items have a BIG EFFECT on local housing.
Include a brief summary with your outlook on the local market as well. After all, you are the expert. People want to know what local agents have to say about market conditions.
By providing this information in bite-size chunks, people will come to rely on you for a local snapshot on what is taking place in their area.
And more importantly, post teaser headlines with links that drive consumers back to your website to find that information.
Because while on your website, you open up all sorts of lead generation opportunities with your home listings, home value estimate tools (also available from Home Junction), requests for a CMAs or more in-depth market information.
Provide macro-housing information as well
On the flip side of the housing-related webisphere, also provide national real estate data to local residents.
Mortgage rates for example. Are they going up? Going down? Is one product, a 15-year fixed mortgage for example, becoming more popular than other products?
Are there new federal programs out there to help home buyers? Are there changes in FHA regulations?
What is the national unemployment rate compared to the local rate?
What’s the latest survey on Consumer Optimism?
Again, there is so much noise out there, if a broker or agent can provide a synopsis of this news, that would be incredibly helpful for local residents.
In addition, if that agent could interpret that data in terms of how it is relevant to local market conditions, residents would be delighted.
Another great development in this day and age for the dissemination of information is social media.
Every broker and agent should say a big Thank You to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Snapchat for providing a FREE platform for them to reach out to potential sellers and buyers.
But talk about clutter. As we all know, because these platforms are free, there is a ton of content flowing out there – recipes, vacation photos and cats playing the piano.
Same goes for email, yet another fantastic and FREE tool that brokers and agents should be maximizing in this information age. But again, most email inboxes are crammed with promotions and other clutter.
Consumers will trust a local source
There are three basic criteria for what people will read.
- Is it informative?
- Is it current?
- Is it relevant to me?
Facts attract attention. Facts that people can trust. Facts about where they live or are looking to live can really stand out.
Because you are a local agent, you have an advantage because people will tend to trust someone in their community over a website located who knows where. Use that advantage.
Real estate data can be a real catalyst for change.
This is the critical information that just might prompt someone to list their house for sale. Or to finally quit renting and start looking for a home to purchase.
That catalyst chart be a chart on your website that shows a rise in local home prices. Or perhaps, a note about a drop in mortgage rates.
Create a plan. Be consistent with your postings.
You know where to find that national real estate statistics, for example on websites such as Realtor.com.
With the help of local data aggregators such as Home Junction, you can complete that package by adding a Real Estate API to display neighborhood-related, micro-level housing news.