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Tips On When To Post Real Estate Content And A Property Data API Tool For What To Post On Social Media

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property data API

Sample charts from a Property Data API.

There are two basic elements to a successful social media campaign and a Property Data API can be a big asset with one of them.

Facebook has 2 billion monthly users.  Instagram has 1 billion. Twitter has 326 million users every month. YouTube has 1.9 billion.

These are incredible numbers.

What’s even more incredible is that real estate brokers and agents have access to this enormous audience for FREE.

Okay, that’s the obvious point.

But naturally, there’s a catch.

Since these platforms are free, the competition is intense. Not only from other brokers and agents, but also just for people’s attention in general. With all those gazillion posts flying by their eyeballs every day, it’s is very difficult to catch people’s attention.

Best times to post social media

As we said, there are two very important and simple elements to every social media post.

They are:

What you post.

When you post it.

Now, what you post is a major task that really requires almost a degree in social media to succeed. But Home Junction has a suite of tools you can use to maximize your posts. We’ll get to that in a second.

But let’s start with the easy part.

If you are going to be fully active in social media, then you need to know the most optimal times to post your content.

There are two parts to this equation.

The standard part and the part that is specific to your company and your marketplace.

Here are some thoughts on what experts believe are some best times to post social media:

Facebook: one of the best times to post on Facebook is between 1 pm and 4 pm. That’s because many people will check their Facebook accounts during work, when things slow down in the afternoon.

The best days for Facebook posts are Thursday, Friday during the work week and Saturday and Sunday on weekends. Because Facebook is a place for friends and family, the highest level of engagement will be on weekends when people have the time to interact with followers and will share and like their content.

Instagram: Instagram is similar to Facebook, and in fact is owned by Facebook. But users interact differently and seek something different from this image-based platform.

Therefore, there are other times to post that are more optimal.

For Instagram post your content during lunch from 11 am to 1 pm. You can also do this again later at night from 7 pm to 9 pm.

The best days are surprisingly, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sunday for some crazy reason, is the worst day.

Twitter: this platform is different as well. For one, the format has a limit of 280 characters (recently increased from 140).

The optimal times to post on Twitter are during lunch from 12 pm to 1 pm. Weekdays are the best for posts and to generate engagement. The  best day of the work week is Wednesday. Conversely, Twitter posts on weekends are not as effective.

LinkedIn: this platform as you know is mainly for business and professionals. Therefore, the best time for posts are between 10 am and 11 am after business people get through their email and compile their daily to-do lists.

Tuesday through Thursday are the best days. Most people are too busy on Monday. And, business people generally do not check out LinkedIn on weekends.

Pinterest: then there’s Pinterest, a whole different arrangement. This platform is very popular with moms. So, for them Saturday is an active day on Pinterest. Sundays are good too.

Interestingly, much different than other social media, some of the best times for this platform is between 8 pm and 11 pm. Understandly, that when moms get to take a break.

So now you have your suggested best times.

But as we know, all marketing campaigns are different because all target audiences are different.

So, the best advice for your own social media posts is to try these standards, but also try other times of the day. See which days and hours generate the most engagement in the form of shares, likes and impressions in general (you can find these analytics in the admin sections of each platform).

Property Data API provides content consumers want

Now the content part.

There’s a large volume of information out there about viral marketing and how to create posts that generate the most interest.

But when it comes to real estate, one of the best strategies you can deploy is the use of hyper-local real estate data.

It’s very easy to gather this data.

Just contact a national data aggregator such as Home Junction. We gather thousands of datasets for markets across the US.

That property data includes:

  • Recent home sales
  • Trends in home prices
  • School data
  • School attendance zones
  • Boundaries
  • Neighborhood demographics
  • Crime ratings

And much more.

The big advantage of data from Home Junction is that it is not just based on zip codes. But an agent can select hyper-local statistics for the specific neighborhoods and subdivisions they are farming.

This warehouse of micro-level data is powerful content.

Every homeowner is going to want to know the housing statistics for their neighborhood. Every active home buyer will want to track the movement of prices for the areas where they want to live.

And what’s great about this strategy, is that all of this interesting data will reside on the agent’s website, supplied by a simple Property Data API provided by Home Junction. An API is basically a few lines of code, applied to the pages you select.

That type of content is a strong hook to drive web traffic. Once prospects are on our website, it opens up all sorts of opportunities for email signups, contact form submissions and even phone calls.

The same strategy using hyper-local real estate market data can be applied to email campaigns and even regular advertising campaigns.

Social media is a fantastic (and free) tool for brokers and agents. But it takes smarts, a Property Data API to create enticing content and as we know, the right timing, to make it as effective as possible.

 

 

Neighborhood Data API Helps Clients Navigate Real Estate Forecasts with Local Data

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neighborhood data APIA Neighborhood Data API can be a real life saver in this ever-changing real estate environment, especially this year.

With the rise and fall of the economy, gyrations in the stock market, interest rates bouncing around as well as adapting to the needs of the next generation of home buyers, it’s not always easy to predict the best times to buy and sell.

This is so true in 2019, when national forecasts are all over the place on the state of the economy.

However, one thing is for sure: humans will always need a place to live.

And so is another factor – the only things that matters to you and your home buyers and sellers, is your local real estate marketplace.

Neighborhood Data API counters national news

That’s where a Neighborhood Data API (basically a property data feed) for the neighborhoods you are farming is more critical than ever.

Realtor.com’s 2019 national forecast for the real estate market is interesting, but could generate more harm than good among potential clients who don’t know how to interpret the data.

Luckily, you can now have access to local real estate data tools to compare real housing market trends in your area, not nationally, not even on the state level, but on the hyper-local level.

And as we all know, there are gems to be found in any marketplace.

Some of the most interesting and talked about highlights in the 2019 forecast include a 2% decrease in existing home sales, and a 2.2% increase in existing house pricing appreciation.

Another highlight breaks down the generational demographics of homeowners: in 2019, Millennials (ages 23 to 38) will take on 45% of mortgages, compared to just 17% of the baby boomer generation (ages 54 to 70).

Others talked about the potential negative consequences for homeowners of the new tax plan.

That’s all national talk.

Maybe your local marketplace is different. Perhaps the local property data you generated from your Neighborhood Data API indicates an UPSWING in home sales.

Perhaps that increase is not taking place in all your local neighborhoods. Maybe just one in particular.

That’s information can still make a persuasive argument that NOW is the time for a home buyer to make an offer or for owner to finally list their house on the market.

Your real estate data tools can take some of the guesswork away from these “sensational” national headlines by showing the actual trends in your local neighborhoods.

What 2019 buyers are concerned about

The biggest concern for a buyer this year is going to be the increased pocketbook damage – according to the forecast, the mortgage rates will go up and the prices of houses will do the same.

This could make it tough for a first-time buyer to find what they need, or even get the guts to try at all.

However, your local real estate data tools may be able to show them that the number of houses on the market is actually increasing, which means better chances of being able to negotiate a deal thanks to so much competition.

Coincidentally, maybe sellers, especially investors, might be worried about no longer being able to make a profit on a house because buyers have more room to negotiate or go elsewhere.

But the data from your local Neighborhood Data API might show different trends locally.

Again, there are probably going to be some attractive areas. Neighborhoods not affected by national trends. Subdivisions with great schools, parks, transportation hubs that will still be hot.

This data can be a powerful counter-weight to what people are hearing in the national media.

Homeowner concerns about the new tax plan

This April, American taxpayers will be navigating their income taxes under the new tax plan – and the results will definitely vary.

It’s likely to be good news for most renters, with higher deductions and lower rates.

But some homeowners are concerned that the new limits on exemptions will mean a bigger cut sent off to the IRS.

Potential buyers have seen the 2018 decline in house sales due to the new tax plan and may get cold feet themselves.

You will be able to demonstrate which trends are holding steady despite the changes, using your real estate data tools to show the actual deals that buyers are getting in their desired neighborhoods.

Serving the home buying needs of Millennials

Millennials are the Internet generation. They know they can turn on their phones to find instant information to help guide their decision-making process. They know how to search and dig for data online.

These home buyers, aged early twenties through late thirties, will have a high proclivity to search for and analyze housing market data.

Are you going to be THE agent in your area that gives them access to this data?

Providing that real estate data on your website will allow them to compare prices and trends in their local housing markets.

And creates an enormous lead and branding opportunity for you. Plus, trends and charts on changes in local property data make for great posts on social media sites.

Meeting the needs of Millennials online should be your priority for 2019, as they will comprise the biggest segment of home buyers.

And don’t forget the Older Millennials at the end of the spectrum, the prime segment who are now moving up into high-paying jobs and starting families who will be moving up in large numbers to mid-range to high-priced housing options throughout the decade to come.

Adapting to new technology helps provide stability in any industry, and the real estate business is no different.

You need these tools to succeed in 2019.

Give your clients the real scoop WITH REAL FACTS ABOUT THE LOCAL MARKETPLACE.

Show them local sales trends and charts on the direction of prices. Add value to any neighborhood with the latest School Data and School Attendance Zones.

Provide Cost of Living indexes, Neighborhood Demographics and Crime Ratings. Point out Neighborhood Amenities. Use geospatial coding to show them on a map how a new Whole Foods is being built down the street, which is sure to make surrounding properties more valuable.

All you need is a Neighborhood Data API from real estate data providers such as Home Junction, and you can show the bright spots in your area and avoid the hysteria caused by national negative-sounding forecasts.

To Approach Luxury Home Consumers, Be Sure To Provide The Full Service They Will Demand Such As A Neighborhood Data API

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luxury homeA Neighborhood Data API is a powerful tool that can give you more clout with luxury home sellers.

This will be more important than ever in 2019.

That’s because experts predict much of the activity in the real estate business will be in higher-end properties.

But as we all know, these sellers are different. And can be more demanding.

That’s probably one reason why they live in those multi-million dollar homes.

That’s also why this year you want to focus on making sure your marketing presentation is filled with the most current and accurate real estate data.

And if you want to impress these buyers and sellers, you will want to have your own data feed of hyper-local  data on your own website, not some other website.

Because here’s why this data is important when working with luxury home owners and shoppers.

One Realtor that works with high-end properties put it this way: luxury home buyers and sellers know this is the era of big data. They know that data is out there relevant to their needs and they want a Realtor who will supply it to them.

Makes sense.

Many of the owners of high-end properties are also the owners of their own businesses or hold upper management positions in companies or are savvy investors.

This category of consumer probably deals with data on a regular basis.

These consumers know how data separates hyperbole from facts.

Therefore, they will listen to the broker or agent who does a great job of providing that critical data.

How a Neighborhood Data API can make a big difference

Sellers will want to see how well you will use data to position their property in the marketplace.

Do you have charts showing how home sales or prices in that particular neighborhood are going up? Or how, a particular property ranks compared to others in regard to Size, Price, Price per Square Foot and Age.

Same with luxury home buyers.

You can tell them there is an exclusive country club right down the street. Or you can show them the wine cellar.

But it’s the data that also going to impress them.

Shoppers will obviously want to see statistics, graphs and charts. They will want factual data to back up the sizable amount of money they are about to invest in a home in that neighborhood.

Luckily for brokers and agents, there’s a simple solution.

National data aggregators such as Home Junction already gather a plethora of neighborhood data from a variety of reliable sources.

They tap in to municipal records, mortgage data, historical data, MLS Listings and other sources to gather the information that these luxury home owners want to see.

With a data aggregator, you can have a developer use a Neighborhood Data API to feed the data into a website. Or you can add a plugin, which is basically just a few snippets of code.

Either way you can feed relevant data onto any page on your website.

Show a variety of relevant real estate market data

So right next to listings, you can also show:

  • Recent trends in home sales
  • Recent trends in pricing
  • School boundaries and attendance zones
  • School data
  • Municipal tax boundaries (which is sure to be of interest to people with multi-million properties)
  • Neighborhood demographics – people like to live next to people like them
  • Crime statistics
  • And more.

This year, with mortgage rates predicted to increase and the inventory of homes in the $250,000 range for Millennials getting scarcer and scarcer, pay attention to the luxury home market.

Add a Home Valuation Plugin (Automated Valuation Model) onto to your website so people can get the latest estimates for home values (just like that real estate portal that starts with z and rhymes with pillow).

Promote these services heavily with mailings to high income neighborhoods.

This will catch the attention of luxury home owners and shoppers.

And as you can imagine, it’s not easy to start a conversation with people in the luxury home category. That’s because everybody wants to.

If you want these data savvy prospects to invest their money in a home with you, or sell their high-end property with you, as a real estate pro you should use all the resources available out there on the market.

A luxury home customer will expect it.

That’s why it’s smart to invest in the right tools such as a Neighborhood Data API to make your website and presentations a full-service resource.

 

How A Neighborhood Data API Can Help You Connect With Growing Segment Of Female Home Buyers

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neighborhood data apir female buyerAdding a Neighborhood Data API to your website can instantly make you an expert in whatever niche of the home buying population you choose.

For example – single women.

Keeping an eye on market trends over the years helps us fine-tune our businesses, attract more clients and provide them with the best service for their needs.

That’s why brokers and agents should be aware of this important statistic: in 2017, single women represented 18% of real estate buyers.

Contrast that with the 7% of unattached men who bought houses during that time, and you can see a change in the market that will be interesting to watch.

In fact, the number of single women buying homes has been rising for some time, indicating a significant and solid trend.

In the 1980s, they represented just 11% of home buyers. Now, as many young people are marrying later, single women are moving closer to 20% of the marketplace.

That’s a trend a savvy agent will pay attention to. And with a Neighborhood Data API from national data aggregators such as Home Junction, that agent can display a wealth of information on their own website that they can tailor specifically for this market.

Let’s discuss how using hyper-local data can increase your client satisfaction rates among this fast-growing segment. And we’re not just talking about data for a county or even a zip code, but data for any neighborhood a buyer might be considering.

Neighborhood Data API can generate info specific to any market

Why are single women buying more houses?

There are many reasons why this number is growing. Most obviously, single women now have more opportunities, more buying power, and more earning potential than they did a few decades ago.

The average age of marriage and childbearing is getting higher by the year as women pursue their potential in industries such as finance, technology, and yes – real estate – among others.

Many more women are now making six figures on their own and are naturally ready to take the next step by investing in home ownership.

A large segment of these single female home buyers are women in their 60s who have experienced success and are ready to take make a decision on where they will spend the rest of their lives.

They may be retiring and choosing a more desirable location to live out their years; downsizing after the death of a spouse; or making a new start after a divorce.

Don’t just assume only older single women are out there buying property. Younger single mothers are also choosing to buy as a means to provide more safety and security to their children. In 2017, 53% of unmarried parents were single mothers.

How to address the concerns of female home buyers

In order to best serve any niche client, you need to really dig in to their specific thoughts, needs and desires that are particular to them.

For example a young single mom may be interested in a friendly, close-knit community with low crime rates, in the interest of safety for her children.

She may want to know that there are grocery stores, playgrounds, pools, ballfields and emergency rooms close by. You can supply all that information with a Neighorhood Data API that can easily be integrated into a Realtor’s website and tied into the local MLS database.

And of course, good schools are going to be paramount for a single parent looking to move to a new area. By adding a School Data API from aggregators such as Home Junction, an agent will have a wealth of school information that will impress any mom.

That information not only includes student/teacher ratios, but those all-important school attendance zones that will determine which school a child will attend.

An agent can add Home Junction’s Geocode API to display neighborhood amenties such as retail areas, gyms, hospitals, parks, and other locations on a map that would be desirable to this demographic.

A retired woman may be interested in features such as community centers, shopping, yoga and fitness studios, and churches. You can point out all those amenities on a map or chart and show the distance from any property a person might be interested in.

Lower maintenance accommodations, such as condominiums, can be very appealing to busy women who don’t have the time, desire, or ability to perform home upkeep, yardwork and renovations.

However, this should never be assumed. So talk with each client as an individual to find out what her specific needs are – there is a definite stigma on single female home buyers, so it’s important not to go into discussions with preconceived notions about their ability to afford and maintain a home.

Answer concerns about crime rates

Crime rates are one of the biggest concerns for the majority of single female home buyers. Some women on their own have chosen to go the apartment or condominium route due to the extra security features of neighbors, cameras, and guards. Any Neighborhood Data API should definitely include a Crime Rating feature.

While owning a home is empowering, a single woman also wants to be able to feel safe as she comes and goes in her neighborhood. This factor is increased when children are involved.

By adding a in-depth, detailed Neighborhood Data API on your real estate website with current and accurate data feeds, you are giving this powerful and upcoming segment of female buyers the extensive information they need to make decisions.

When a client is able to find out where to view a home within her budget, and schools for her children combined with other desirable amenities – right on your website – this instills a more powerful confidence in your ability to connect with her and what she’s looking for.

The use of this technology doesn’t just apply to single women either. You can also address the particular needs of retired buyers, relocations, young families, etc.

As we all know, today’s population of home buyers is extremely diverse. But in this high-tech era, each segment will want to see how a broker or agent will address their specific needs.

Rather than wing it, add a Neighborhood Data API to your website with an incredible array of solid statistics and facts to demonstrate how you truly are the expert when it comes to their particular niche.