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The first month of 2018 featured numerous important developments in the real estate industry.
With the new year comes new housing trends, evolving technology, and next-level best practices to help real estate professionals get ahead of the competition.
To help keep you up-to-date on everything you need to know, here are the most important real estate marketing news items.
1) Super Bowl Housing Boost: Fact or Fiction?
The Super Bowl isn’t just important in the world of sports; it also has an impact on the real estate industry as well. According to realtor.com, the city which hosts the Super Bowl tends to see the game influence its real estate market as well.
Every city examined saw at least a 50% jump in the number of new home listings near the stadium leading up to the big game. Longer-term impact varied, however, and tended to favor lower-tier places like New Orleans and Glendale, Arizona.
However, regions where the market was already sky-high saw less of an impact.
What does the future hold for this year’s host city, Minneapolis? Per realtor.com, the region was already flooded with development even before the city’s new stadium opened.
Whether the Super Bowl will prompt a greater real estate surge remains to be seen.
2) Spike in U.S. Home Values Post-Housing Bust
Meanwhile, the U.S. housing market has gained back all $9 trillion in value lost during the 2007 recession.
According to a recent Zillow report, the average home is now worth $55,200 more than it was at the bottom of the housing bust.
Some regions have fared better than others. While West Coast markets have greatly improved, so-called “Sand States” like Florida, Arizona, and Nevada have yet to fully recover.
3) The Hottest Real Estate Markets for 2018
Zillow examined the hot U.S. housing market to forecast which markets will attract the most buyers in 2018.
Healthy income growth, abundant job opportunities, and above-average housing appreciation has helped several areas stand out from the pack.
Zillow says the housing market in San Jose, California, will be especially hot in 2018 thanks to high-paying tech jobs in the Silicon Valley region.
San Jose’s median home value of $1.13 million is expected to grow by 8.9% this year. Other cities, such as Raleigh, North Carolina, and Seattle, also top the list of this year’s hot housing markets.
4) Five Social Media Trends to Track This Year
Housing trends aren’t the only thing real estate professionals need to follow in the new year.
What’s happening in social media is also important, especially if you include the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in your real estate marketing plans.
HubSpot predicts several interesting social media trends in 2018. Some that may impact your real estate marketing include:
- Live video: Facebook’s live video capabilities are already popular among businesses and their audiences. In fact, Facebook says live videos receive 6 times the engagement as non-live videos. Incorporate live video into your marketing by using it as a way to upgrade current activities. For example, film walkthroughs of your listings on your phone.
- Messaging apps: Make it easier to connect with leads, prospects and customers by having a presence on popular messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat. This will provide audiences with an easy way to get in touch with you, and keep you up-to-date on 2018’s hottest communication trend.
- Virtual reality (VR): While this next-level tech is still very new to the market, it can’t hurt to keep an eye on VR’s rise. After all, once this technology is more accessible, it can be a great way to transport home buyers into available properties and help you stand out from your competitors’ marketing and available services.
5) How to Make Instagram Work for Your Brand
Of course, an established social network like Instagram will likely also be a major part of your digital marketing in 2018.
This highly visual, mainly mobile platform is a great place to promote new eye-popping properties, picturesque scenes from your community, or a more candid and casual side of your business.
Social Media Today shared an infographic featuring Instagram tips from Venngage. Among the top tips for making Instagram work for your business are:
- Use relevant and locally-focused hashtags in your posts so it can be discovered by new audiences.
- Employ Instagram Direct Message feature to reach out directly to leads who express interest in your business.
- Try publishing Instagram stories of your favorite properties of the week to drive more buyer interest.
To see all the tips, be sure to check out the infographic below:
Download our 2018 Real Estate Marketing Strategy Survey to see other agents’ plans for their online efforts.
