A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about community pages - and the fact that on so many real estate sites, they're simply a dry, boring "cut and paste" from Wikipedia.
I said that there's plenty of information on line that can lead to interesting community pages. Since then, I've learned that I was wrong. I had based my assumptions on incomplete evidence.
While what I said is true for most communities I've researched in the 
southern states, when you get up here in "cold country," the information seems to dwindle. (Why is this? Are we too busy throwing another log on the fire or "making hay while the sun shines" to take time to post information online? Are we not as community-minded?)
There again is a generalization that I'm sure is false much of the time. Some southern communities probably have little or nothing while some in the north probably post plenty. But for right now, it's what I've found about the communities I've researched.
The fact is that while citizens, neighborhood organizations, schools, and chambers of commerce in some communities are proud to post all kinds of information on line - others don't offer much. Finding something worth writing about for community pages in some areas is like pulling hens' teeth.
And that means opportunity for the agent who wants to become the resource for people planning to relocate to their community.
When the interesting information isn't available anywhere else on line - who will those relocating buyers be drawn to?
If you gather the information and then use keywords like: mytown history, mytown jobs, mytown recreation, mytown restaurants, mytown flea markets, mytown shopping malls, mytown schools, mytown homes, home choices in mytown, home values in mytown... etc., etc., etc. you'll become known as the agent who has the answers to the questions buyers ask.
Even information on the native flowers, trees, and wild critters can set you apart as someone who really knows the area.
And what about history? If you were moving to a new area, wouldn't you enjoy knowing something of its history? Especially if that history was a bit spicy?
Also, since agents tell me that half of what they sell is the community itself, wouldn't you set yourself apart by including plenty of photos of the parks, the scenery, and the local attractions? How about photos of the hospitals, schools, and shopping malls?
I think that agents in communities without great Internet exposure could turn themselves into a magnet for relocating buyers, just by building a set of good informative pages about the community. And of course, doing so wouldn't hurt their SEO, either.
Comments(6)