Finding the right resources to help you stay in the know and become a better real estate professional isn’t easy. Scouring the Internet to identify the best resources to follow and learn from is time-consuming. So, we’ve compiled a list of the blogs we think you’ll find most useful.
Thanks to the distinct tips, information, and news on the housing, mortgage and finance industries that these sites offer, the blogs below offer great insights into the challenges that confront real estate agents and brokers. So check them out and bookmark your favorites to keep up with all things real estate.
1) Inman Next
Courtesy of Inman News
Seemingly everything online marketing-related that you’ve wanted to know can be found on Inman News’ eye-catching blog. Here, you’ll find sections ranging from social media advice, to email marketing tips, to how-to content on SEO, to the latest tips for agents. All in all, Inman Next is a well-oiled machine that churns out one informative piece of content after another.
NOTABLE BLOG POST: Real estate video tips: marketing and distributing your community-based videos for maximum exposure
2) Matrix
On few other real estate blogs and sites will you find curated content that delves into so much detail and is as illuminating on all-things related to real estate and the economy as on Miller Samuel’s blog. Jonathan Miller has proven to be quite adept at picking apart many of the latest national housing and fiscal reports and providing unique angles and takes on recent developments in both sectors. If you want to be more well-versed in how the country’s fiscal well-being is affecting home sales and mortgage applications, you’re going to want to follow this blog closely.
NOTABLE POST: Thank Goodness the Pace of U.S. Home Price Growth Will Cool
3) GeekEstate
Probably the simplest and most straightforward setup of any blog listed here, but don’t be fooled: GeekEstate is chock-full of quality posts written by contributors from numerous real estate and marketing backgrounds. In addition to comprehensive feature pieces, many of which pertain to where real estate and tech converge, the blog has an interesting profile series that highlights some of the best and brightest (and newest — there are some young agents out there today) in the industry. Definitely an up-and-comer in the real estate blogosphere you’ll want to keep a close eye on.
NOTABLE POST: Traffic Does Not Equal Leads and Clients
4) Trulia
Courtesy of Trulia
With Trulia’s website, you get multiple blogs, instead of just one — each with its own niche topic and subject matter, including trends, advice for real estate pros, tech and design advice and industry news. One thing you can take from these blogs and apply to your own is the implementation of forms: Give away a hefty amount of content away for free, but be sure to include signup forms to get visitors info and turn them into viable leads. (BONUS: There’s also a blog devoted to high-end and celebrity home purchases and sales — not quite as relevant to your business needs as the others, but, you know … for down time, we suppose?)
NOTABLE POST: 6 Horrible House Hunting Pitfalls to Help Buyers Avoid
5) BiggerPockets
BiggerPockets is on a whole other level with its blog, which produces in-depth content for numerous real estate professionals, both in the commercial and residential sides of the business as well as investors and lenders. While you may have to wade your way through the blog to find content that suits what you’re looking for, you’ll find plenty of top-tier evergreen content there that can inform you on a variety of housing and mortgage subjects and give you new ideas to execute in your marketing campaigns.
NOTABLE POST: 10 Killer Tips For Getting Unlimited Leads For Your Real Estate Business Through SEO
“By listening, marketing will re-learn how to talk.”
— DOC SEARLS & DAVID WEINBERGER
6) HousingWire
More of a mortgage finance and housing reform/update info blog than general real estate, but nonetheless, by reading the HousingWire blog, you’re going to become a know-it-all when it comes to lending conditions, home loan regulatory measures and other economic news and data. The blog staff even produces its fair share of feature pieces and op-eds, so you’ll be guaranteed to see some fresh angles on common mortgage and housing matters.
NOTABLE POST: KBRA’s Whalen: Are US home prices falling?
7) Speaking of Real Estate
Courtesy of the National Association of Realtors
Given the plethora of high-quality reports, studies and surveys the National Association of Realtors™ puts out every month, it’s of very little surprise the organization has a thorough, constantly updated blog of its own as well. An even mix of news and evergreen content and plenty of intriguing videos from Realtors and higher-ups in NAR is what you’ll find on Speaking of Real Estate.
NOTABLE POST: This Is How You Get 1,000 Leads a Month
8) Eye on Housing
The Eye on Housing blog is … well … pretty easy on the eyes, thanks to its slim layout that features solely the most recent content from the blog. If you’re a data hound, this is the blog for you, as you’ll find graphs and charts from major economic and housing reports, including the home construction industry and the Fed. Getting insights into the latest real estate and labor market stats is a prime way to give you a clearer picture of your local market.
NOTABLE POST: Eye on the Economy: New Home Sales and Starts Post Gains in April
9) HousingViews
Standard & Poor’s is well-known for being one of the premier sources for home price/value data that agents and brokers use all the time. The company takes a deeper dive into its own data (and those accrued by other organizations) thanks to a handful of core contributors who are well informed on all-things housing. If you’re looking to impress fellow colleagues by dropping some real estate market knowledge on them, this blog can be of great assistance.
NOTABLE POST: Making Sense of the Housing Outlook
10) Movoto
Every real estate agent wants to be thought of as the ultimate source of information in their market (and sometimes, their whole region or even the nation). They want to be able to relay all of the interesting tidbits about a community that will entice buyers. With the Movoto blog, you can find outside-the-box information that could turn you into a go-to resource for knowing the best schools, safest areas, and most fun attractions, among other key info, to help you relate to buyers and, perhaps, even close more deals.
NOTABLE POST: These Are the 10 Happiest Suburbs in America
11) Jason Fox
Courtesy of Jason Fox
Identifying digital locales that offer helpful marketing resources is a pain in the you-know-what. The Fantastic Mr. Fox here (couldn’t resist) is on the case, as he curates and gives love to many great content creators across the interweb who produce convenient posts and tools for agents and brokers. Oh, and he’s not too shabby at providing a variety of resources of his own, too.
NOTABLE POST: 36 Best Sites to Get Free Images For Your Blog + Bonus Sites
12) Notorious R.O.B.
The most personal personal blog you’ll find listed here, the input from Robert Hahn on his oft-amusing website is the kind of stuff agents and brokers love to hear: Candid takes on the issues and matters facing real estate pros today. The only negative thing we can say about the blog is that Hahn doesn’t blog enough. The levity he provides on topics ranging from MLS and NAR updates, to takes on the latest news on real estate-related firms big and small. All in all, the blog serves as a breath of fresh air compared to many of the stuffier real estate blogs out there.
NOTABLE POST: The times they are a changin’ in MLS Land
13) Eight11
Understanding and utilizing the power of real estate technology and marketing solutions is paramount for just about every agent and broker to succeed. For instance, choosing the CRM that best suits you is imperative. Tracy Weir of Eight11 understands that, which is why she’s on a mission to inform real estate pros on the newest and most effective tactics and apps they ought to be using to advance their bottom lines.
NOTABLE POST: The Round-up: A Year of Mobile Apps
14) AGBeat
Courtesy of AGBeat
Real estate professionals tend to subscribe to a million RSS feeds to stay in touch with breaking real estate news, trends, updates and blog posts … and they should. But just about every topic and subject matter they want tracked is covered at length in one location: The American Genius’ blog. AGBeat relays personal finance advice, general business tips, housing market news, and opinions on the latest tech. The blog’s operators are clearly focusing on creating a straightforward, smooth user experience so agents can easily find the content they’re looking for.
NOTABLE POST: Algorithm determines if you’re trying too hard on social media
15) Sam Debord
The veteran broker and consultant has been featured in the blogs for NAR and Inman News, among other notable real estate news sources, and his writing certainly shows why his thought leadership is valued so much. DeBord’s blog may be relatively new, but he’s covering issues, affairs and subjects that definitely appeal to real estate agents and aren’t discussed in many other blogs.
NOTABLE POST: Real Estate CRMs and Lead Management: Where Is the Integration Automation?
16) Procuring Cause
Following all of these blogs and similar helpful real estate resources is what can inform you about the latest goings-on and the need-to-know information that could improve your business. But occasionally, it’s nice to take a break and investigate blogs that offer more of a personal perspective on things — and even provide a little straight talk. Long-time real estate pro Bob Bemis offers just that with his refreshing take on many-a-matter that agents would intriguing. From questioning firms’ business decisions, to evaluating ramifications of MLS updates, to squashing the rumors of social media sites’ demises, Bemis knows the top topics to cover that’ll get agents and brokers to join the conversation.
NOTABLE POST: Facebook is dead. Twitter is dying. Bitcoin needs to be shot.
17) 1000watt
Don’t have a lot of time to intensively read blog posts and news articles during your day-to-day? 1000watt may be the blog for you then, as it offers invaluable branding, marketing and media info, advice and ruminations that are easily digestible. The marketing, design and branding firm presents an opinion-heavy, thought-provoking blog option that can open your eyes to new angles and perspectives on industry happenings.
NOTABLE POST: Empathy and bad marketing breath
UPDATED: Four More Expert Real Estate Blogs
18) Redfin
To separate yourself from the (blog) pack, you have to think of various types of content your audience and even fellow industry members will want to see. On the Redfin Blog, you’ll find a variety of posts, including analysis of housing trends and fun and informative graphics. CEO Glenn Kelman even takes time from his busy schedule to chime in with thoughts not only on the real estate market, but also life and business lessons learned.
NOTABLE BLOG POST: Which billionaire could buy your city?
19) RISMedia
Courtesy of RISMedia
RISMedia’s blog stands out in a big way. A couple dozen blog posts, news stories and opinion pieces are visible the second you hit the homepage, showing the real estate information source means business. It’s easy to see why so many real estate pros want to contribute to the site, given its stellar reputation as a leading industry guide. And while you’re on the site, check out RISMedia’s magazine, which features more in-depth pieces from numerous real estate execs.
NOTABLE BLOG POST: Enhancing Client Relations
20) WAV Group
The real estate technology consulting firm offers long-time real estate agents and brokers a blog that covers issues they can relate to. Media coverage of real estate firms, news about upcoming conferences, opinions about industry changes, the latest study results, and expert advice for agents and brokers are discussed most often by the company — and all in great detail. There’s no fluff coming from the WAV Group; only the most vital info and advice they feel real estate pros need to know.
NOTABLE BLOG POST: Coming soon listings on Zillow
OUR BLOG POST: What Agents Need to Know About the Zillow “Coming Soon” Debate
21) Tech Savvy Agent
Dubbed “The Pulse of Real Estate Technology,” TSA certainly doesn’t disappoint with its detailed posts and the tech dos and don’ts for new and veteran real estate agents. Whether it’s the newest app agents need to download ASAP or the unique social media and email tips many agents would otherwise never learn, this blog certainly understands what can help real estate pros everywhere improve their relationships with clients and make their daily routines that much more streamlined and simple.
NOTABLE BLOG POST: “Sent from my iPhone”
22) FitSmallBusiness Realtor Resources
Though more of a training center and tools compilation for agents to help them enhance their online real estate marketing, this section of the FitSmallBusiness site is nonetheless a supremely beneficial resource for industry pros. If you’re trying to figure out which real estate lead generation software to use or the best real estate photography tips and tricks, you’ll get the answers you’re looking for here.
