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Real Estate Is Going Social

By Emily Medvec

Real Estate Broker/Owner with eXp Realty LLC NM Broker License 16161

January 08, 2012 11:40 AM

EmilyMedvec_SocialNetworking_Stock_Photo

Have you heard? Real estate is going social more and more every day. Social networking is now a familiar buzz word for most of us. With over 750 million active Facebook users and 200 million tweets per day on Twitter, the use of social media in real estate is now a hot topic. Only two years ago, anyone using social networking for real estate was a pioneer. Now it is the new craze in the industry. There are mobile smart phone apps and iPad and tablet ones for the top global real estate web sites: Realtor.com, Zillow.com and Trulia.com.

Let's face it, we are now living online or in our cars, especially if we are in real estate. Recent consumer surveys report nearly 75 percent of consumers spend slightly over 32 hours online per week. Social networking is mainstream and no longer for geeks and techies as everyone from grandmothers to celebrities and politicians tweet.What we do and say there in a stream of real time conversations, pictures and videos is changing how we communicate about real estate and how people are buying and selling homes today. Just look at all the interaction happening here on ActiveRain in comments.

How did this happen so fast? Real estate has always been about conversations. Today the conversations are online whether you or I are part of them or not. Only ten years ago, buyers were asking agents if they had a computer! Now a web presence is not enough. Buyers are finding agents by their interaction with them on social networking sites. Why? Real estate is about doing business with people we know, like and trust. The growing match between real estate and social networking appears to be a natural one.

What is your take? Your experience? How are you adapting?

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Chuck Beaumont

Royal Lepage Binder Real Estate - Windsor, ON

Going The Extra Mile...

So much validity to this post. with that being said, there is still so much to be said for the sound of a real voice, the touch of a handshake, the look in someone’s eye when they know they are being listened to. Let us not lose the art of the face to face encounter, after all that’s what it all comes down to. Cheers!

Jan 08, 2012 11:45 AM

Emily Medvec

eXp Realty LLC - Santa Fe, NM

Broker | Realtor | Serving Santa Fe & Northern NM

Chuck, I can not agree more about face-to-face conversations. What is changing is how people are communicating online and how that is changing real estate. It is becoming common for the first conversation to begin with some words delivered by a sceen.

Jan 08, 2012 11:53 AM

Clint Mckie

Desert Sun Home, commercial Inspections - Carlsbad, NM

Desert Sun Home, Comm. Inspection 1-575-706-5586

Hello Emily,

With more and more emphesis on the net and social net working, it's amazing to me that there are still a lot of people like me.

Not that techie oriented. But I'm working on it. I still like the face to face a lot better.

Best, Clint McKie

Jan 08, 2012 12:13 PM

Gail Robinson

William Raveis Real Estate - Southport, CT

CRS, GRI, e-PRO Fairfield County, CT

Emily - There are only so many people you can talk to face-to-face or on the phone. Social media extends our presence and makes us accessible. I use it extensively. I sold a home due to a Constant Contact e-mail that someone forwarded to an out-of-state relative. This summer I sold a home to someone who saw it on my FaceBook business page. It's part of my business strategy and it is just beginning to bear fruit.

Jan 08, 2012 12:38 PM

Clint, you are on the net here and your commenting is a form of social networking. We are talking and we have never met.

Gail, it has been a part of my business strategy for some time. And yes, it is impossible to tell stories, pass forward news, provide real estate updates and do so face-to-face or on the phone. Social networking does extend our presence and in my experience it builds relationships between like-minded people who trust each other for information. Thank you.

Jan 08, 2012 01:18 PM

Ken Brandon

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage (Jacksonville, NC) - Jacksonville, NC

Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, NC

I think social media is another tool that agents use in their business. In my opinion this is still a face to face business...but social media affords us an opportunity to increase exposure to potential clients and connect in a way that helps when it actually becomes face to face.

Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker

Janisch & Co. - Conroe, TX

Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!

I'm putting every spare minute into Social Media and I could really use a few hundred extra minutes every day since I'm on the front end of this.

Jan 08, 2012 01:21 PM

Ken, social networking online let's like minded people connect in new ways changing how people make decisions in the marketplace. I don't think it is either/or. I see the value in conversation rather than as using social media for marketing. And this way, for me it becomes a connection which leads to new business based on trust.

Jeanne and Ralph, one minute at a time will create miracles. Your comments here on ActiveRain are another form of social networking. It is all about connecting just like you both do here so well.

Jan 08, 2012 02:12 PM

Mark Delgado

houses for rent, Solano County & Glen Cove - Benicia, CA

Benicia and Vallejo, Property Management, rental h

We use the Internet, including social media, to extend our presence and ensure that potential renters can find us easily. However, on the client side, the vast majority of our contacts come from referrals.

Jan 08, 2012 02:41 PM

Real Estate Is Going Social

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