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real estate visual marketing
Real Estate

The Power of Real Estate Visual Marketing: Capturing Buyer Interest with Ease

by Tan Tason
written by Tan Tason

Whether it’s between people, communities, or businesses, first impressions are everything. What you see is what you’ll probably get! The same holds true in real estate. And that’s where the power of real estate visual marketing comes in. From AI-enhanced photo edits to virtual staging, appealing visuals not only attract more eyes but can turn casual browsers into serious buyers. This is why real estate visual marketing should always be your number one concern.

Why Visual Marketing Is Your Winning Card in Real Estate

real estate visual marketing

Did you know that properties with high-quality photos get 118% more views than those without? In this competitive market, standing out from the crowd isn’t just important, it’s an absolute must. Whether it’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, Hudson Yards or SoHo in New York, or investment properties in Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT) in Dubai!

Whether you’re listing a cozy apartment or a luxury estate, visual marketing can:

  • Capture Attention: Eye-catching images stop buyers in their tracks, keeping them engaged.
  • Enhance Perceived Value: Professionally edited photos make properties look more luxurious and desirable.
  • Speed Up Sales: Listings with enhanced visuals tend to sell 32% faster than their competition.
  • Create Life-like Experiences: Virtual tours and AI-powered imagery help buyers imagine themselves in the space.

Real Estate Photography: The Heart of Every Listing

Virtually staged dining groomWhen it comes to real estate visual marketing, your photos create the initial impressions. Poor lighting, cluttered spaces, or low-quality images can make even the most beautiful homes look uninviting. To make a lasting impression, your photos need to be:

Bathed in Natural Light: Bright, airy shots that make rooms look expansive and welcoming.

Captured with Wide-Angle Lenses: Depict entire rooms with perfect proportions.

Have Twilight Shots: Twilight shots add a romantic touch to your Imagines.

The Art of Staging: Bring Out The Best in Every Room

Virtually staged living room

In a market full of cookie-cutter listings, these high-quality images make your property stand out and spark curiosity.

Neutral Color Schemes: Simple, elegant shades that appeal to a broad audience.

Decluttered Spaces: Make rooms feel open and spacious to allow buyers to appreciate the space better.

Strategic Furniture Placement: Show off the flow of the room and its best features.

Lifestyle Touches: Think cozy coffee cups, stylish throw pillows, or a carefully placed book. These are little touches that invite buyers to imagine life in the home.

Pair this with professional photography, and you’ve got a recipe for success. Staged properties don’t just look good. They sell for up to 10% more than unstaged ones.

Real Estate Photo Editing: The Final Polish

living room virtually staged

Even the most stunning photos need a little extra love. That’s where professional photo editing comes in. It’s all about turning good photos into great ones. With the right tweaks, you can:
Correct Color: Fine-tune tones and lighting to make every shot look natural and balanced.

HDR Magic: Blend multiple exposures to create the perfect image, balancing light and dark areas for an even look.

Virtual Staging: Turn empty rooms into beautifully furnished spaces in just a few clicks.

Sky Replacements: Swap out a cloudy sky for a vibrant blue or a stunning sunset.

Object Removal: Say goodbye to distractions like trash cans, power lines, or unsightly objects. You can now make them disappear in one click.

Together, these professional touches in real estate visual marketing turn your listing from “nice” to “wow.”

How to Make the Most of Visual Marketing in Your Listings

real estate visual marketing

Hire a Pro Photographer: Seek a photographer who knows how to work with light and angles. Make sure their portfolio reflects the style and quality you expect.

Perfect Your Editing: Don’t skimp on the editing process. Professional photo editors can transform your images into true works of art with color correction, shadow removal, noise correction, and so on.

Embrace AI for Virtual Staging: For vacant properties, AI-powered virtual staging can create an inviting space without the need for physical furniture.

Go Beyond Photos with Virtual Tours: Video tours and 360-degree walkthroughs allow potential buyers to explore your property from anywhere in the world.

Optimize for Online Listings: Make sure you have MLS-ready photos. When paired with video and virtual staging, your listings will shine on any platform.

Let Visual Marketing Take Your Listings to New Heights

In real estate, visual marketing is not an option. It’s a necessity you may never overlook. Whether it’s through professional photography, expert editing, or AI-driven staging, the right visuals can make all the difference in capturing a buyer’s attention and closing the deal.

At AI HomeDesign, we’re here to help you enhance your property listings with advanced photo editing, virtual staging, and AI-powered enhancements. From empty rooms to fully furnished spaces, we’ve got the tools to bring your listings to life and help you stand out in a crowded market. Let’s make your home selling a memorable journey.

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real estate questions
Real Estate

40 Real Estate Questions Every Agent Should Know

by Tan Tason
written by Tan Tason

Anyone setting their mind to become a real estate agent in the US must, among other things, pass the real estate exam. This exam tests applicants’ knowledge of property laws, regulations, and industry practices. 

In this blog, we’ll take a look at 40 of the most frequent real estate questions that you may encounter in the national section of your exam. To learn about state-specific questions, you can visit your state’s regulatory body.

These questions have been adopted from Real Estate License Wizard and Jonathan Goforth’s YouTube channel. The answer key can be found at the bottom of the questions. 

Read More: Cost to be a real estate agent

40 Real Estate Questions to Master Before Your Real Estate Exam

  1. Regarding deed restrictions, what is not enforceable?
  1. Restrictions based on race, ethnicity, or religious preference
  2. Verbally issued rules not recorded in the public record
  3. Everything listed as being forever
  4. All of the above
  1. When parties have fully performed the terms of a contract, it is called……
  1. Finalized 
  2. Closed
  3. Executed
  4. Executory 
  1. Which of the following best describes the term “encroachment?”
  1. Intrusion of an individual’s territory
  2. A legislative discussion covering zoning adjustments and potential fractions
  3. Another word to refer to personal property
  4. Failure to complete an agreement
  1. Regarding Antitrust Laws, which action can be legally performed by a licensed real estate agent?
  1. Conspiracy to Boycott
  2. Selling a listed property to a buyer living in a different state.
  3. Price Fixing
  4. Dividing Territories
  1. What is the difference between commingling and conversion in real estate?
  1. Commingling refers to mixing a client’s fund with the broker’s own funds, while conversion refers to the unlawful misappropriation and use of a client’s funds. 
  2. Conversion refers to the act of transferring property, while commingling refers to the unlawful transfer of property. 
  3. Commingling refers to the unlawful misappropriation and use of a client’s funds, while conversion refers to mixing a client’s funds with the broker’s own funds. 
  4. Conversion refers to the unlawful transfer of property, while commingling refers to the act of transferring property. 
  1. Which is an example of Fair Housing Violation?
  1. Severalty
  2. Forcing buyers to sign a buyer’s agency before showing them houses
  3. Redling
  4. Breaching a contract by refusing to close
  1. A person is selling a number of dining room items, including chairs, a dinner table, and a piano. What should they use to transfer title? 
  1. Deed
  2. Settlement Statement
  3. Bill of Sale
  4. Title Policy
  1. Deed restrictions for residential properties can be enforced only by the:
  1. Police
  2. Board governing the HOA
  3. Court
  4. HOA
  1. A double net is a rental agreement where:
  1. Yearly taxes are doubled, but rent is cheaper.
  2. Two tenets split the rent.
  3. Three or more additional costs are added to your base rent.
  4. Two additional costs are added to your base rent.
  1. Which of the following is an example of “functional obsolescence” in real estate? 
  1. A house in a lower-class area
  2. A house with an outdated plumbing system
  3. A house without a pool
  4. A house no agent can sell
  1. Which of the following is an example of severance in real estate? 
  1. Paying the last mortgage installment of a property.
  2. Receiving a final paycheck after ending collaboration with a brokerage.
  3. Cancelling a real estate contract.
  4. Cutting a tree in the backyard and selling it.
  1. An example of depreciation in the cost approach can be found in……
  1. Intangible Deterioration 
  2. Functional Obsolescence 
  3. Physical Deterioration 
  4. Economic Obsolescence 
  1. Which of the following is considered a general lien? 
  1. Property Tax Lien
  2. Real Estate Property Tax Lien
  3. Judgment Lien
  4. Mechanic’s Lien
  1. Which of the following acts granted the EPA greater authority to regulate contaminant levels, enforce legal actions against public water authorities for violations, and mandate periodic water testing and notifications to state authorities and homeowners in contamination cases? 
  1. EPA
  2. SDWA
  3. CWA
  4. SARA
  1. Acceleration is a term associated with……
  1. Leases
  2. Mortgages
  3. Rental agreements
  4. Deeds
  1. Which of the following represents the highest form of real estate ownership recognized by law, granting the owner full and indefinite rights to use and enjoy the property?
  1. Life Estate 
  2. Estate at Will 
  3. Fee Simple Absolute 
  4. Fee Simple Defeasible 
  1. If a person sells one acre of their three-acre property to a friend but reserves an appurtenant easement over the friend’s land for ingress and egress for themselves and their family, the friend’s land is……
  1. the servient tenement.
  2. the dominant tenement.
  3. involuntarily committing tax fraud.
  4. subject to a tenement lawsuit.
  1. An appurtenance is defined as……
  1. an addendum attached to a sales contract.
  2. Tenancy in Common.
  3. a right that passes with the land.
  4. the release of a mortgage after it has been fully paid.
  1. Regarding Leasehold estates, which one doesn’t have a written lease? 
  1. Estate for years
  2. Estate at sufferance 
  3. Periodic tenancy
  4. Estate at will 
  1. Which of the following is not a must in a valid real estate contract? 
  1. The contract must have a legal purpose.
  2. The contract must include monetary consideration.
  3. Both parties must be 18 or older and deemed legally competent.
  4. The contract must hold mutual consent or be agreed upon by both parties.
  1. The Bundle of Rights includes: 
  1. possession, ability, exclusion, enjoyment, disposition
  2. possession, control, exclusion, enjoyment, disposition 
  3. possession, ability, illusion, enjoyment, disposition
  4. possession, control, illusion, enjoyment, disposition 
  1. The appraiser is usually hired by the……
  1. Lender 
  2. Seller
  3. Real estate agent
  4. Buyer
  1. The sudden removal of land is referred to as……
  1. Avulsion 
  2. Accretion 
  3. Encumbrance 
  4. Erosion 
  1. Mortgages and trust deeds differ in all of the following except……
  1. Securities
  2. Title
  3. Ownership
  4. Statute of limitations 
  1. Who selects the Board of Directors in a condominium? 
  1. The local city council
  2. The developer
  3. The management company
  4. The condominium unit owners 
  1. If a person is analyzing a 9-unit building in Cleveland, Ohio, with an asking price of $500,000 and gross annual rents of $75,000, which of the following represents the annual Gross Rent Multiplier (GRM)?
  1. 7.66
  2. 5.66
  3. 6.66
  4. 6.00 
  1. What form of legal land description uses a plat map? 
  1. Rectangular survey system
  2. Metes and bounds
  3. Public square system
  4. Lot and block
  1. The ………… refers to the state-specific laws that set forth limits for interest rates in specific types of lending instruments to prevent lenders from imposing unreasonable or predatory interest rates. 
  1. RESPA
  2. Usury laws
  3. Federal National Mortgage Association 
  4. Regulation Z
  1. If an agent is showing homes to a client but intentionally limits the options to neighborhoods based on the client’s ethnicity, such as only showing homes in Hispanic neighborhoods to make the client feel more comfortable, this practice can be termed as……
  1. Streamlining 
  2. Blockbusting
  3. Redling
  4. Steering
  1. Which of the following appropriately makes the distinction between a lease option contract and a lease purchase contract? 
  1. The lease option only obligates the seller to sell
  2. The lease option only obligates the buyer to buy
  3. A lease option is only for commercial tenants 
  4. A lease purchase is only for residential buyers 
  1. Market value is……
  1. The price offered by purchasers 
  2. The price set by the homeowner
  3. The price the property is sold for or an estimate of the present property plus the future potential
  4. The price set by an appraiser using the house history to determine its worth
  1. All of the following are considered “appurtenant” except……
  1. an easement.
  2. an inground pool.
  3. a set of trees.
  4. a trade fixture. 
  1. If an elderly man in a nursing home passes away without a will, has no surviving family, and leaves behind money in his savings account and an untouched farm, what happens to his assets under these circumstances?
  1. Eminent Domain
  2. Escheat
  3. Inverse Condemnation
  4. Adverse Possession 
  1. If a person receives a deed containing the clause “subject to the existing loan” when taking title to a property, which of the following best describes the buyer’s relationship to the existing loan?
  1. The loan is paid at closing to give free and clear title.
  2. The seller is relieved from any further responsibility after closing.
  3. The home might be foreclosed on if the seller fails to make the loan payments.
  4. The buyer agrees to assume the loan and make the loan payments directly to the lender.
  1. After getting licensed, a new realtor took on a buyer. The realtor was responsible for a chain of events that led to this year’s sale of a property. The realtor is legally the:
  1. Benefactor
  2. Agent on record
  3. Supporting cause
  4. Procuring cause 
  1. FHA-insured loans are distinguished from conventional loans by all of the following except:
  1. Interest rates on FHA loans are generally lower than those on conventional loans. 
  2. Conventional loans provide for a lower loan-to-value ratio
  3. Conventional loans always permit a deficiency judgment, while FHA loans never do
  4. FHA loans generally provide for a longer repayment period
  1. Which of the following statements about water rights is true?
  1. Water rights are appurtenant. 
  2. Ocean rights and lake rights are the two basic forms of water rights.
  3. Water rights are double taxed similarly to how corporations are taxed.
  4. Water rights are transferred exclusively in quitclaim deeds. 
  1. There are three main forms of depreciation. What are they?
  1. Seasonal Obsolescence, Quarterly Obsolescence, and Yearly Obsolescence. 
  2. Economic Obsolescence, Functional Obsolescence, and Physical Deterioration. 
  3. Seasonal Obsolescence, Economic Obsolescence, and Physical Deterioration. 
  4. Major Obsolescence, Minor Obsolescence, and Physical Deterioration. 
  1. A regulation to give all legal individuals an equal opportunity to apply for a loan is:
  1. CCA
  2. FHA
  3. RRA
  4. ECOA
  1. Restrictive covenants are also known as
  1. Deed restrictions
  2. Bonds
  3. CCR’s
  4. CDO’s
Read More: Virtual Staging

Answer Key

If you’re done with the questions, have a look at the answer key below to see how you’ve done regarding these 40 real estate questions every agent should know.

answer key

General Information on the Real Estate Exam

The real estate licensing exam is divided into two sections, namely the National section and the State section. The national section consists of 80 multiple-choice questions, while the state section includes 40. Participants have three hours to answer the questions, and the minimum passing score is 70% for each section. The exam fee varies from state to state, but in most states, it’s less than $100. However, there are other costs to become a real estate agent that you should consider before taking your first step. 

Moreover, you can only operate in the state where you get your license. This means that before sitting for the exam, you might want to learn about the best states for real estate agents. This helps you choose a location where the market conditions, cost of living, and earning potential align with your career goals.

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real estate social network
Real Estate

Social Media for Real Estate: Which Platforms Are Best for Realtors? Top Pages Introduced

by Dario Rinaldi
written by Dario Rinaldi

comparison of Social Media for Real Estate

Building a real estate social network is a demanding and, at the same time, a rewarding project that requires patience, consistency, and strategic planning. With millions of people tapping their way into social media sites every single day, these platforms offer business owners a unique opportunity to expand reach, personalize engagement, and directly influence consumer behavior through targeted campaigns and real-time interactions.

Top Social Media Platforms for Realtors

When choosing a real estate social network, most agents immediately think of the monthly or yearly number of users each platform has. They assume that the more users in a platform, the higher their chances of finding clients.

The table above lists these platforms in order of active users. However, that’s only one side of the coin! It’s equally important to consider engagement quality and specific demographics that frequent each social medium.

Here, we’ll introduce the top 5 real estate social media with the strongest potential for real estate social networking. We’ll have a look at how each platform works, how many users they have, what content they require, and more.

For each platform, we’ve included some top pages or communities that real estate agents can learn from.

1. Facebook: The biggest social hub for agents

Facebook: Biggest social hub for agents

Demandsage reports that as of 2025, Facebook remains the world’s leading social media with over 3 billion monthly users. The largest user group is between 25-34 years of age, comprising 31% of the user base. The gender distribution shows a 56.6% to 43.4% male-to-female ratio.

useful Facebook features for real estate networking

Every platform offers certain features to help its users find what they’re looking for, and Facebook has a bunch of these that are perfect for real estate social networking.

  • Facebook Feeds: By connecting with others, joining groups, and following other pages, readers will get curated content in their feeds. Even if no one follows you, there’s a chance they’ll see your content based on the pages and people they follow. Adding the proper hashtags to your content can get you into other people’s feeds.
  • Facebook Groups: A great way to create a real estate network on Facebook is to create a topic-based group where people can join and participate. Some groups are highly limited in terms of the topic, like real estate image enhancement or virtual staging. Others cover a broader range of topics, like real estate in general. Find your ideal group and share content, exchange ideas, learn, and so on.
  • Facebook Marketplace: Another unique Facebook feature is a marketplace where people can rent, sell, or buy all types of products, including houses. Property listings created on Facebook are directly shown to house hunters living in the vicinity. This hyper-local advertisement, aimed at the users of real estate social networks, combined with Facebook’s vast user base, offers real estate professionals an unparalleled opportunity to spot potential clients nearby.
  • Facebook Events: Events is a tool that allows users to create dedicated pages for virtual or in-person events. Agents can set up house visits, for example, providing details like the event name, date & time, address, and an eye-catching cover photo to attract interest. Attendees usually RSVP, comment, or share the event with their networks, increasing visibility and engagement.
  • Facebook Ads: Facebook Ads (now Meta Ads) is a powerful digital advertising tool that allows businesses to promote their content and products to a vast audience. Advertisers benefit from precise targeting options based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and multiple ad formats, such as images, videos, carousels, and stories.

Facebook real estate groups to learn from

Real Estate Humor

Real Estate Humor

That’s right. Real estate, too, can be funny and humorous. Anyone can build on light-hearted tones to create a network of people who appreciate the more enjoyable side of buying and selling homes. By engaging in fun conversations, you can explain complexities, elaborate on technicalities, and provide tips to those selling or buying properties, turning them from critics to clients.

Let’s Talk Real Estate

Let’s Talk Real Estate

Here’s another real estate group with highly active members where you can connect with like-minded individuals, real estate-wise! Whether you’re looking to connect with other professionals in the field or individuals needing help to sell or buy properties, this group can be a good start for real estate networking.

First Time Home Buyers

First Time Home Buyers Facebook group

This is another active Facebook group where house hunters seek advice and rookie agents learn about the ins and outs of the business. Joining this group and participating in the discussions would help anyone gain insights into the market and establish a professional network.

Real Estate Referral Partners

Real Estate Referral Partners

The Real Estate Referral Partners is perhaps one of the best groups on Facebook. Agents from all over the U.S. gather here to create referral networks and help each other grow. So, instead of trying to find buyers, you can sometimes let others bring you clients, provided that you reciprocate and share your leads.

All Things Real Estate

All Things Real Estate

This group discusses everything related to real estate; a wonderful place for agents, brokers, home appraisers, or even real estate photographers. Sellers and owners also share their concerns and seek advice from the experts.

2. Instagram: Showcasing properties visually

Instagram for real estate

Instagram, with over 2 billion active users, is a visual platform that has helped countless real estate professionals grow their businesses. Its user base is predominantly young adults, with 61.1% of users falling in the 18-34 age range. The platform’s gender split is nearly even, with 51.8% male and 48.2% female users globally.

Instagram’s focus on visual content makes it ideal for showcasing properties, announcing open houses, sharing market insights, and providing home-selling/buying tips. The platform supports various content types, including photos, videos, and disappearing stories, allowing agents to create diverse and engaging content.

useful Instagram features for real estate networking

There are a couple of features that make Instagram an ideal choice for real estate networking.

  • Instagram Stories: Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours, making them perfect for temporary, instant updates.
  • Instagram Posts: For more permanent content, such as property info, market insights, listing intricacies, or client testimonials, you can use Instagram posts.
    They remain on your profile and serve as an excellent portfolio of your real estate activities. Additionally, they periodically appear in your followers’ feeds, enhancing the likelihood that your content will be shared and reach a broader audience.
  • Instagram Reels: Reels are perhaps the best attention grabbers among all types of social media content. They create a dynamic way to engage with agents, brokers, buyers, sellers, or anyone related to real estate.
  • Instagram Highlights: Highlights provide another valuable tool for real estate agents to permanently showcase key aspects of their services and listings. Unlike Stories, which disappear after 24 hours, Highlights can be organized into thematic collections such as “Available Properties,” “Happy Clients,” or “Buying Tips,” allowing potential clients to easily access and browse through a variety of useful content.
  • IGTV: If you wish to go into details and discuss something in depth, you can use Instagram’s IGTV. A comprehensive property tour, a list of questions sellers should ask from their agents, things buyers must check before making an offer, or challenges novice agents are struggling with, make great content for your IGTV.

Instagram real estate accounts to learn from

Utahrealestatepage

utahrealestatepage Instagram account

Have a look at how this page has exploited Instagram for real estate networking. It’s filled with funny, educational, and amusing content related to real estate in one way or another. Still, the highlights each focus on one area of real estate in Utah.

homebuyingguys

homebuyingguys Instagram account

Home Buying Guys is another example of using Instagram for real estate networking. Apart from separate highlights helping individuals with different aspects of real estate, it has a good collection of open houses, real estate workshops, listed or just sold properties, and client testimonials.

ideasforrealestate

ideasforrealestate Instagram account

There is a lot to learn here! Home buying/selling ideas, events, podcasts, marketing tips, and much more can be found in the Ideas for Real Estate Instagram account. What’s more, there are many other followers you can connect with in such a group to build a stronger network.

thekrishnateam

thekrishnateam Instagram account

Another way to improve your real estate social network is to cover general topics. That is what the Krishna Team has done. The page is dedicated to providing neighborhood insights, discussing FAQs, and showcasing before/after samples of properties, among other interesting topics.

realtorssocialmediamarketing

realtorssocialmediamarketing Instagram account

This page isn’t directly related to real estate. Instead, it helps realtors promote their pages on Instagram and other media. You just need to watch a few reels here to get tons of fresh ideas for your social media content.

3. LinkedIn: A space for building professional relationships

linkedin for real estate

With almost a billion active users, LinkedIn stands as a premier platform for professional networking and job seeking, commanding significant influence across the U.S., India, and Europe. LinkedIn specifically caters to professional and educational audiences, offering diverse content forms including text, images, documents, and videos.

As a potentially suitable real estate social network, the platform’s most engaged demographic consists of individuals aged 25-34, indicating its strong appeal to those early in their careers.

Recognized as the top networking site for academics and professionals, LinkedIn offers unmatched precision in targeting specific audiences, making it indispensable for real estate professionals.

useful LinkedIn features for real estate networking

LinkedIn has a bunch of features that agents can use for real estate social networking. Overall, these features are meant to help users, in our case, real estate agents, with:

  • Networking and lead generation
  • Content creation and engagement
  • Professional development

Here are the top four LinkedIn products and features, among others, that agents should consider when using this platform.

  • Sales Navigator: Sales Navigator is a premium product by LinkedIn that allows real estate agents to find quality leads and foster strong relationships. This tool enriches agents with enhanced search capabilities, allowing them to pinpoint specific demographics, industries, and job titles that match their real estate operations.
    For example, using the Postal Code filter helps agents connect with active community members on LinkedIn, while the Title filter aids in identifying potential leads in certain demographics. Moreover, Sales Navigator offers timely updates on saved leads, informing agents of important changes such as job transitions and company updates.
  • LinkedIn Events: This feature empowers real estate agents to orchestrate and participate in professional gatherings within the platform, thereby reaching a wider audience and potentially capturing new leads. It is especially beneficial for real estate experts who wish to host virtual open houses, showcase properties, or conduct educational seminars.
    Additionally, agents can enhance their networking efficiency by using tools like Expandi to gather lists of event attendees, allowing for tailored outreach campaigns that help forge stronger, more meaningful connections quickly.
  • Company Pages: Company Pages on LinkedIn provide a valuable platform for real estate agencies and individual agents to establish a strong online presence and engage with their audience. These pages allow professionals to create a dedicated business profile that serves as the central hub for their brand on the platform. For real estate agencies, a Company Page is a place to display expertise, listings, culture, and more.
  • LinkedIn Groups: LinkedIn Groups offer a good opportunity to connect, learn, and enhance their business by engaging with peers and potential clients who share similar interests. By joining or establishing groups focused on the real estate industry, agents can engage in discussions about market trends, share insights, and establish credibility.
    For agents who initiate their own LinkedIn Group, the advantages are even greater. They can create a niche community centered on specific topics, such as local real estate markets or investment opportunities, attracting a focused audience, and somehow form their own little real estate social network.

real estate pages to follow on LinkedIn

PGIM Real Estate

PGIM Real Estate linkedin account

PGIM Real Estate, a unit of PGIM under Prudential Financial, Inc., manages $212 billion in assets, offering a diverse range of real estate equity, debt, agriculture, and impact solutions. Their company page on LinkedIn boasts more than 60K followers, allowing them to get directly in touch with a large user base.

Today’s Real Estate Agent

Today’s Real Estate Agent linkedin account

Today’s Real Estate Agent group aims to provide valuable resources, expert content, and networking opportunities to real estate professionals and related businesses. This group is ideal for a wide range of professionals, including real estate agents, brokers, attorneys, stagers, etc.

Real Estate Agents in the US

Real Estate Agents in the US linkedin account

This LinkedIn account is a networking and discussion platform designed for real estate agents and brokers across the United States, focusing on referrals, networking, industry information sharing, and collaboration.

RealtyPRO Network

RealtyPRO Network linkedin account

This group is a select network for top real estate professionals in the U.S. and Canada, known as the “Pay It Forward” Insider Knowledge Exchange & Referrals Network. It is open to realtors, licensed agents, financing professionals, and industry-related vendors.

Real Estate, Mortgage, Title & Referral Network

Real Estate, Mortgage, Title & Referral Network linkedin account

This group is designed for motivated individuals in the real estate industry, providing a platform for professionals like agents, attorneys, and investors to exchange information and opportunities.

4. YouTube: The ideal place for video lovers

youtube for real estate

YouTube has 2.5 billion active users, with a broad age range and a nearly even split between male and female users (54% male, 46% female). The platform focuses on video content, primarily for educational and entertainment purposes. YouTube’s average engagement rate is 5.24%, and it’s used globally for video sharing, with particular popularity in the U.S. and India.

The platform’s massive user base spans all age groups, allowing real estate professionals to reach a diverse audience, from young house hunters to aged house flippers.

YouTube’s video-centric nature aligns with real estate marketing needs, as it allows agents to display properties, provide virtual tours, hold webinars, and share educational content about various aspects of the industry.

With its global reach and high engagement rates, YouTube helps real estate professionals build their brands, connect with clients, and market properties effectively.

useful YouTube features for real estate networking

All other social media platforms allow sharing of various content types such as texts, videos, images, etc., to attract a wider range of users. Yet, after Facebook, YouTube has the largest number of users, notwithstanding its focus primarily on videos.

Not only that, when Googling almost anything, you are likely to see a few videos from YouTube at the top of search results! This highlights the platform’s strength in delivering high engagement and maintaining a strong user base.

Here are YouTube’s main features that make it unique!

  • YouTube history: YouTube has a powerful capability to track viewing habits. Anyone who watches your videos, even without any engagement, may see your content in their YouTube feed. Based on watch history, YouTube also shows your videos to users who haven’t visited your channel before but are interested in content similar to yours.
  • YouTube shorts: The short reels we watch every day on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook have turned us into impatient individuals who are not eager to gamble more than a minute to get instant gratification.
    This made YouTube less appealing compared to those platforms for a while. But since 2021, the “Shorts” feature has been added, and YouTube has reentered the race. So, for agents who are not into creating long-form content, YouTube Shorts offers a compelling alternative.
  • Unwatched and recently uploaded: The incessant desire to discover “The New” has always been an innate part of us humans. YouTube’s “Unwatched” and “Recently uploaded” features touch upon this feeling. YouTube fans have a higher tendency to check such fresh content first, as their home feed is usually loaded with previously-watched videos.
    When you upload a new video, it will be listed in your subscribers’ recently uploaded section, and they’re more likely to check it the next time they visit. As for unwatched property, it stores the videos that you might have uploaded a while ago, but your subscribers haven’t watched yet. This means the content you upload to YouTube is stored where it should be, and it’s shown to those highly drawn to it.
  • YouTube Courses: This is another excellent feature of YouTube that you can’t easily find on other platforms. As a real estate agent, broker, appraiser, or home inspector, you sure have a lot to teach. Instead of randomly pointing out certain aspects of your profession and leaving many details unsaid, you can organize them into well-structured learning experiences.
    This, on the one hand, helps you connect with many inner-circle industry professionals and real estate practitioners. On the other hand, it brings you passive income through YouTube ads. Last but not least, providing such educational content will define you as a trusted authority in your field, which encourages clients to reach out for their needs.

real estate channels to follow on YouTube

Freedom Agents

Freedom Agents youtube channel

Marc Brenner has created a wonderful collection of educational and highly informative videos for novice and experienced real estate agents. Covering various aspects, Marc has created a strong real estate network for himself. Also, he has assisted many individuals in finding their paths within the industry and helped numerous house hunters find their ideal homes.

Aram Ghazaryan

Aram Ghazaryan youtube channel

Aram Ghazaryan is a former real estate agent and a current real estate investor providing invaluable tips to agents, investors, buyers, and sellers. Reading through the reviews clients and real estate aficionados have given tells us a lot about both his expertise and about how YouTube can help create a strong real estate network.

Tom Ferry

tom ferry youtube channel

In this case, you might have already heard the name! Tom Ferry is the CEO of the well-known real estate coaching company, Ferry International, which has been coaching those in the business for over 26 years.

In the Tom Ferry channel, you can find educational podcasts, interviews with influential figures, real estate social media tips, one-minute marketing tips, and more. As an independent agent, you may not be able to do the same, but you can certainly track down one line of growth and build around it.

Nicole Nark

Nicole Nark youtube channel

Nicole is a real estate broker who primarily focuses on different aspects of home buying. Since 2018, she has been guiding buyers, sellers, and agents through the complexities of the property market. Her channel is filled with market insights, home-buying tips, mortgage advice, and other financing options. Totally recommended for real estate professionals.

Audra Lambert

Audra Lambert youtube channel

Audra Lambert is another good example of a successful real estate social networker. Audra has been working on her channel for 5 years, and she has delved deep into the intricacies of home deals. From preparing properties for shooting and common pre-listing renovations to working with first-time buyers and mistakes agents should avoid, her channel offers a wealth of advice and market insights.

5. Reddit: The most active real estate communities

reddit for real estate

Reddit is a social media platform with approximately 0.52 billion active users, primarily appealing to young adults aged 18-29. The user base is predominantly male, with about 67% of users identifying as male and 33% as female. The platform supports a variety of content types, including text posts, videos, hyperlinks, and images, which are often used for discussions and sharing news.

What distinguishes Reddit from other platforms is its community-driven nature, where users engage in discussions and share content across thousands of subreddits. While specific engagement rates are not widely published, Reddit is renowned for its high-intent users and strong engagement within niche communities, making it a suitable real estate social network. The platform is predominantly used in the U.S. and other English-speaking countries.

useful Reddit features for real estate networking

Reddit stands out among real estate social networks for its exceptionally engaged communities. The platform features numerous subreddits, each with hundreds of thousands of members who actively participate in discussions and share their perspectives.

To experience this difference, consider posting identical content across various social platforms. You’ll notice that the engagement on Reddit surpasses that of other platforms combined!

Here are the main Reddit benefits for real estate networking.

  • Strictly niche-based subreddits: Reddit communities adhere to stricter content guidelines, focusing discussions on specific topics. For instance, in a subreddit dedicated to real estate photo editing, sharing a post about drone photography would likely be considered off-topic and removed for violating community rules. This approach ensures that each subreddit, as part of the wider real estate social network, maintains its intended focus, and this allows real estate professionals to easily create a network of colleagues or clients.
  • Sorting Preferences: When checking any subreddit, users can choose which posts to see first. That is to say, they can decide whether to see the latest or the most engaging posts. Not only that. They can also follow threats in each discussion. Therefore, there are multiple ways for agents to directly engage with individuals, depending on their purposes.
  • Popular: This is another excellent feature of Reddit that gathers the most popular posts in each subreddit in one place. This allows professionals to discover trending topics, engage with a broader audience, and gain insights into what resonates with users across different communities.
  • Reddit Ads: Reddit ads also provide a good way to create a real estate social network. These ads appear in highly related communities, and moderators or users can’t close or remove them.

real estate communities to follow on Reddit

r/RealEstate

r/real estate reddit account

This subreddit has been active since 2008, and it now has over 2.3 million users. Though the community is meant for homeowners and investors, other professionals also drop by to learn and teach, making the community a nice spot for growth.

r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer

FirstTimeHomeBuyer reddit account

This is another good subreddit that discusses various aspects of home buying, from loans and mortgages to credit repair, negotiating the purchase of a home, and home repairs. The community is designed to support individuals through each step of becoming a homeowner, and you can be one of the individuals providing support.

r/Zillowgonewild

Zillowgonewild reddit

Zillow Gone Wild is all about listing photos that are too perfect or too faulty. Under any post here, you can see hundreds of comments made by agents, brokers, real estate photographers, photo editors, and casual users.

People may not seek your professional advice here. Yet, there is a lot to learn about individuals’ opinions on real estate trends, design preferences, market perceptions, etc.

r/RealEstateTechnology

RealEstateTechnology reddit

Another hub for industry professionals, this subreddit is dedicated to trends and innovations that technology has brought to real estate. Here, professionals can learn about the ways cutting-edge tech helps with property management, marketing, client communication, and transaction processes through a vibrant real estate social network.

r/DesignMyHome

DesignMyhome reddit

This subreddit covers topics related to home staging and design, making it suitable for sellers preparing their listings, buyers furnishing new homes, photographers looking to edit photos, and agents who prefer to stage and shoot properties by themselves. This is somewhat a hub of real estate DIYers interested in enhancing property appeal without breaking the bank.

How to Begin With Real Estate Social Networks?

No super-active agent can manage all aspects of their social media presence single-handedly. Even if you’re hiring a social media admin, you’d better start with one or two platforms and expand your online presence little by little.

Apart from this, do some research on the platforms you choose and see how other people in your business are effectively using them. This includes learning about real estate digital marketing strategies they use to promote their social accounts and how they engage with their audience through content creation.

Moreover, it’s important to have a well-organized yet flexible content calendar so that you know when and what content to post across each platform. Last, but not least, make sure to join and contribute to well-known communities to let others learn more about you.

In Closing

Building a real estate social network doesn’t happen overnight. Apart from being highly active in real estate communities, you have to build your own community and make it a source of learning and entertainment for those with whom you wish to connect.

Similarly, you can’t expect everything to work out right from the start. You’re probably in for some trial and error before finding the right approach. Overall, if you truly intend to build a real estate social community and network, you have to work hard for 1-2 years before expecting any significant results.

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digital marketing for real estate
Real Estate

10 Proven Digital Marketing Strategies Every Real Estate Agent Must Try in 2025

by Tan Tason
written by Tan Tason

“Real estate agent near me,” “Best real estate agents in Manhattan,” or “top realtors in San Antonio.”

These are only a few of the many common queries that thousands of people type on the Internet every day to find an agent to help them with their home buying, selling, or renting needs. But have you ever wondered who shows up on their search results?

Doesn’t matter if the searcher’s your next-door neighbor or someone at the far end of the city. Google only rewards agents who speak its language, digital marketing, and leaves the rest waiting silently in the shadows. In other words, if your neighbor searches for an agent online, Google will connect them with agents who have invested in digital marketing, not the ones who simply rely on word-of-mouth or outdated tactics.

So, for agents who want to appear in search results, digital marketing for real estate is an absolute must. In this guide, we’ll discuss the top 10 digital marketing practices that you can add to your real estate marketing strategies to build a strong social presence. They include:

  1. Creating and claiming your business in Google;
  2. Launching a website;
  3. Writing beneficial blogs;
  4. Establishing your brand’s online presence;
  5. Investing in social media;
  6. Entering online real estate communities;
  7. Running paid online ads;
  8. Running email campaigns;
  9. Hosting relevant webinars; and,
  10. Making use of AI for content and photo generation/editing.

Let’s dive in!

Read More: Real Estate Photo Editing

Best Digital Marketing Practices in Real Estate

Claim your business on Google Maps

Claim your business on Google Maps

Verifying your business profile on Google Maps is a key, initial step to showing up at the top of search results and kickstarting digital marketing for real estate. It helps Google and other search engines understand who you are, what you do, and where you’re located. When someone searches for an agent in your area, your name’s more likely to appear in Google’s suggestions.

Therefore, whether you’re a member of a big real estate company or an independent agent, make sure you have a Google My Business Profile and claim your business.

Launch a suitable website

This is truly a given, but a website lets you showcase your work, educate your audience, and connect with clients. These days, a business with no website is like a person with no name. You barely exist.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to create a massive e-commerce platform like Amazon or a global social network like Facebook. A simple, well-designed, and user-friendly site that highlights your services and expertise can make all the difference in attracting and retaining clients. Check out these Real Estate Website Templates to get started.

Also, you don’t need to take on the work alone. Real estate-focused digital marketing agencies can design your website and offer continuous support. And don’t worry too much about the costs. Sure, you’ll have to spend money, but it’s a worthwhile investment that delivers far more value than you expect.

Write blogs on real estate and related topics

Write blogs on real estate and related topics

Tenants, buyers, and sellers have countless questions about renting, buying, or selling properties. Besides, there are things you, as a real estate agent, know that can help them manage their issues more smoothly.

Based on your experience working with clients, you can make a list of common challenges they face, practical tips to overcome them, and answers to frequently asked questions that can guide them through each step of the process.

While explaining those intricacies, you can highlight your services and how you can help handle the details, avoid common pitfalls, and provide expert guidance at every step.

This is a topic for another time, but make sure you follow digital marketing and SEO (search engine optimization) rules and best practices when writing your blogs.

Take your brand online and watch it thrive

Even if you don’t know much about digital marketing for real estate agents, chances are you’ve heard about guest posting or guest blogging. Simply put, guest posting is the practice of writing and publishing blog posts on other websites to reach a wider audience, build credibility, and drive traffic back to your own website. All you need to do is find a few “high-authority” real estate websites and ask the owners to publish your blog post.

If you think this is gonna be time-consuming or you might be overcharged, you can again get help from your digital marketing agency. If you invest in real estate guest posting, you’ll see increased website traffic, better search engine rankings, and more potential clients reaching out to you in no time.

Also, you can list your business on local listings and use local SEO to attract more clients. Wherever you live, there are online listings, commonly referred to as directories, where you can submit your info to let others learn about your services and contact you for help. To make your listings even more interactive and accessible, add a scannable code using a free QR code generator to connect potential clients directly to your website, contact info, or portfolio.

Invest in social media

Invest in social media

Social media sites may have started as hubs for fun and connection, but they’ve steadily grown into key marketplaces for sharing ideas, promoting products, and offering services. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, and X are all filled with potential clients looking for solutions, inspiration, and trusted professionals like you.

Take your time and explore these spaces and do some research on real estate social networking. Then, pick one or two platforms and start engaging with members. Create a channel and post real estate-related content such as property tours, home-buying tips, market updates, and answers to home-buying questions.

Depending on the platform you choose, your content can be in the form of written posts, photos, videos, or a combination of all.

Join real estate communities

Let’s say you pick YouTube and start creating content for your audience. While this is a highly valuable goal, it shouldn’t stop you from participating in real estate discussions across other communities. Remember, wherever there’s real estate talk, you must be present and actively engaged.

To be active in such discussions, many real estate agents have turned to social listening, the practice of using bots to monitor and analyze conversations, mentions, and trends on social media. These automated tools are highly This way, instead of spending hours to find real estate-related discussions, those agents get all related discussions, no matter the platform, listed for them in one place. To learn more about social listening and how it works, read this blog.

Opt for paid ads

Opt for paid ads

Digital marketing for real estate can take various forms with some taking longer than others to take effect. Launching a real estate website, for instance, may take one or more years to show measurable results. A social media channel may require even more time to convert followers into clients.

Meanwhile, there are other short-term approaches like targeted ads that can generate quick leads. Such ads appear above all search results guaranteeing higher online visibility. So, if you want quick results, you can promote your services using paid ads.

  • Choose a platform where you want to run your ad;
  • Choose the keywords you want to rank for;
  • Set a budget;
  • Follow the guidelines to the ad format;
  • Select your target audience;
  • Launch the campaign; and,
  • Track results to optimize the ad if needed.

Run email campaigns

Another short-term practical digital marketing strategy for real estate agents is to run email campaigns. These are targeted emails with specific content you send to a curated list of prospects and clients to showcase properties, announce open houses, or provide helpful information to nurture relationships.

You might be wondering where to get those email addresses! Well, one option is to partner with real estate lead generation platforms like Realtor.com. You can also purchase verified email lists from trusted providers such as ZoomInfo or Datanyze.

Then, you can buy an email marketing tool and start targeting audiences. If you’re wondering how these tools work and what features they have, have a read here.

Host webinars and online events

Host webinars and online events

All the real estate digital marketing strategies discussed above are indeed worth the investment, but they lack one essential element: Real-time, face-to-face communication with potential clients. In other cases, first, you should write the blog post, create the video, or compose the email and, sometime later, your audience will see it.

A real-time event like an online webinar, on the other hand, provides an opportunity for direct communication between you and your audience. Therefore, you can answer questions in real-time, address concerns immediately, and build trust by proving your expertise in a live, interactive setting.

It’s also a great place to introduce your website or social media channels and get the audience’s contact info for future campaigns.

Make use of artificial intelligence

A few years back, you might have had to hire a full-time assistant to help you with these real estate digital marketing strategies, but today, AI-powered tools can handle much of the work by automating tasks like content creation, email campaigns, social media management, lead generation, and much more.

As a matter of fact, the idea of using AI for real estate marketing is no longer futuristic. It’s a practical solution that allows agents to work smarter, reach wider audiences, and deliver results faster than ever before.

From listing descriptions to task management to photo generation, AI tools galore for any and all needs you, as a real estate agent or company, may have. Have a look around to see which tools best fit your needs.

Read More: Virtual Staging

Ready to Digitize Your Marketing Efforts?

The importance of digital marketing in real estate is clear to everyone. For many agents, the main barriers to using these strategies are the perceived costs and the time commitment involved.

Regarding the expenses, many affordable tools and platforms are available today that deliver high value for minimal investment. As for the time commitment, automation tools powered by AI can significantly reduce the effort required.

So, set your goals, choose your tools, and start building a strong online presence that attracts clients and drives your real estate business forward.

FAQs

The cost of real estate digital marketing varies widely based on several factors, including the strategies you use, whether you outsource tasks to agencies or manage them in-house, and the scale of your campaigns.

For instance, social media marketing can be cost-effective with organic efforts, but running paid ads may cost you $500 to $5,000 per month. SEO services typically cost between $1,000 and $3,000 per month if outsourced, while video marketing expenses depend on production quality, starting at a few hundred dollars per video.

Though most social media platforms can boost your real estate business, real estate professionals often lean towards Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for the best results.
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visual storytelling
Real Estate

Visual Storytelling in Real Estate: Captivate, Connect & Convert

by Tan Tason
written by Tan Tason

Success in any given industry boils down to standing out and making your own room in intensely competitive markets!

In real estate, with numerous agents targeting the same audience, effective branding is an absolute must! Visual storytelling, through images, virtual staging, videos, and design, helps agents connect with their audience, build trust, and strengthen their market presence.

Here’s your complete guide to visual storytelling for real estate branding.

Why Does Visual Storytelling Matter in Real Estate?

People are inherently attracted to stories. A captivating narrative can stir emotions, ignite the imagination, and leave lasting impressions. This is an essential element in branding for real estate agents. In a marketplace where buyers and sellers are making important emotional and financial choices, the power of storytelling becomes even more impactful.

Visual storytelling enhances this experience by converting complex messages into engaging visuals. A carefully crafted narrative clearly conveys a real estate agent’s expertise, values, and distinct traits, building trust and making clients feel more assured and knowledgeable during their decision-making process.

Read below to learn what you primarily need to do to come out head and shoulders above the rest!

Building a personal connection through imagery

Building a personal connection through imagery

Images are the foundation of visual storytelling. High-quality photographs can showcase not only a property’s features but also an agent’s commitment to excellence. From vibrant neighborhood shots to cozy home interiors, each image tells a story about the lifestyle a client can expect.

Adding personal touches, such as behind-the-scenes glimpses of the agent at work or snapshots of community events, humanizes the brand. These visuals foster trust by showing the agent as approachable and invested in the community.

Strategically incorporating client success stories into visual content also helps build credibility. For example, pairing a brief testimonial with a smiling photo of a satisfied client creates a relatable and aspirational story for potential customers.

Creating engaging video content

Videos are good examples of visual storytelling that’s most suitable for branding. They combine motion, sound, and emotion to leave a memorable impact on viewers. Whether it’s a virtual tour, a neighborhood guide, or say, market updates from NAR, video content brings a dynamic element to an agent’s approach.

A well-crafted property video can transport viewers into a home, helping them visualize themselves living there. Videos that showcase the agent’s personality, such as Q&A sessions or educational tips, build rapport and establish expertise.

Storyboarding is a key factor to consider when creating video content. By planning out the narrative, agents can ensure their videos flow smoothly, delivering important messages in a structured way. For the final touch, you can do a professional edit, merge music, and add captions to your videos to enhance their effect, making the content more polished and shareable.

Designing a cohesive brand identity

Visual storytelling isn’t just about photos and videos. It’s also about maintaining a consistent design across all branding materials. From logos and color schemes to typography and layout, every element should reflect the agent’s personality, values, and professionalism.

A cohesive brand identity creates a recognizable and lasting presence in the market. Whether it’s a business card, a social media post, or a website, consistent visuals build familiarity, trust, and credibility with the audience. For instance, using the same logo, fonts, and colors across all platforms reinforces the agent’s branding, making it easier for clients to remember, recommend, and engage with them.

Similarly, thoughtful and polished design demonstrates attention to detail and dedication to quality, which translates to confidence in the agent’s ability to manage significant real estate transactions successfully.

Using social media for visual storytelling

Using social media for visual storytelling

Social media is a vital platform for showcasing visual storytelling. These platforms thrive on visual content, making them ideal for sharing properties, community highlights, and branding messages. For real estate professionals, consistency and authenticity are key. Regularly posting engaging content, such as property tours, success stories, and local market insights, keeps followers informed and invested.

Social media platforms offer a dynamic space for real estate agents to connect with their audience. Interactive features like polls, stories, and live videos encourage audience engagement, creating a two-way dialogue that strengthens the agent-client relationship. Agents can also use social media analytics to identify which types of content resonate most with their audience and refine their strategy accordingly.

Streamlining branding materials for real estate agents

For real estate professionals, having access to well-designed branding materials is essential. Ready-made templates for postcards, flyers, and direct mail campaigns can save time while ensuring that marketing efforts look professional, impactful, and cohesive.

These materials should align with the agent’s overall visual branding, reinforcing the unique story they want to tell and share. For instance, a postcard announcing a new listing could feature the same fonts, colors, and logo as the agent’s website, creating a unique and recognizable brand experience.

Customized and user-friendly marketing tools also enhance an agent’s efficiency, allowing them to focus more on nurturing relationships, closing deals, and delivering exceptional client experiences rather than worrying about design and consistency details.

Inspiring confidence through visual branding

In an industry built on trust, visual storytelling provides an effective way to inspire confidence. When potential clients see polished, thoughtful branding, they perceive the agent as competent, reliable, and approachable. Visuals that showcase expertise, like market reports, client testimonials, and awards, contribute significantly to an agent’s credibility. By incorporating these elements into their storytelling, agents can position themselves as trusted, knowledgeable advisors in the real estate journey.

Engaging visual content helps break down barriers, making complex real estate processes feel more accessible and less intimidating. For instance, an infographic explaining the home-buying process can reassure first-time buyers, while a series of short, well-produced videos on market trends and pricing strategies can empower sellers to make informed, confident decisions. These visuals enhance clarity, build trust, and strengthen client relationships.

Simplifying marketing with ready-made tools

Optimizing marketing efforts is essential for real estate professionals, and having access to customizable, pre-designed templates can make a significant difference. Services that offer professional tools like postcard templates, automated mailing options, and cohesive branding solutions help agents save time while maintaining a polished and consistent image.

These resources are particularly beneficial in ensuring that marketing materials align with an agent’s overall branding strategy, allowing them to focus more on client relationships and less on design logistics. A comprehensive suite of tools like these supports agents in building their presence efficiently and effectively.

In Closing: It’s High Time to Invest in the Narrative

Visual storytelling practices empower real estate agents to craft compelling narratives that showcase their expertise, differentiate their brand, and connect deeply with potential clients.

By combining stunning visuals, consistent design, and authentic messaging, agents can connect with their audience, differentiate themselves in the market, and build a memorable brand.

With the right mix of images, videos, and marketing materials, real estate professionals can create an emotional and professional impact that resonates with clients long after the transaction is complete.

FAQs

Real estate agents can track engagement metrics such as views, likes, shares, and comments on their visual content. Also, they can analyze leads generated and conversion rates from the campaigns to assess their direct impact on sales and client acquisition.

Yes, visual storytelling can be highly effective on other platforms like websites, email marketing, and even traditional print media, such as brochures and flyers. These platforms allow for detailed storytelling and can target specific audiences more directly.

Common mistakes include using low-quality images or videos, overcrowding visuals with too much information, lacking a cohesive theme or style, and failing to tailor the content to the target audience. Avoiding these pitfalls ensures clearer, more effective communication with potential clients.
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NAR profile of home buyers and sellers
Real Estate

Insights from NAR’s Five Years of Research on Home Buyers and Sellers

by Dario Rinaldi
written by Dario Rinaldi

Since 1981, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has been publishing its Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, an annual report on home buyers and sellers. Typically released every November, this report highlights information related to buyer demographics, home preferences, financing methods, search processes, seller experiences, pricing trends, and the role of real estate professionals.

Thanks to the rich and reliable data available in the NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, this information is obviously highly valued by real estate professionals, home buyers and sellers, policymakers, and financial institutions. NAR collects this data through online questionnaires, and national sampling, engaging 6,000 to 8,000 participants each year.

Each profile covers a wide range of topics including:

  • Characteristics of home buyers/sellers;
  • Characteristics of homes sold/purchased;
  • The home search process;
  • Home buying/selling and real estate professionals;
  • Financing the home purchase;
  • Challenges during the selling process;
  • Market trends; and
  • Use of technology

To offer a clear understanding of the U.S. real estate market and its various aspects, we have compiled the findings from the last five profiles (2020–2024). This consolidation provides valuable insights into long-term trends, shifts in buyer and seller behavior, and the evolving challenges within the real estate landscape.

The table below gives you an overall look at the U.S. real estate market through these 5 years. However, if you’re into details, we recommend you keep reading as various useful insights are given for each section.

U.S. real estate market through these 5 years

Characteristics of Home Buyers

Marital status

Between 2020 and 2024, married couples consistently represented the largest group of home buyers, accounting for 59%-62% of purchases in the U.S.

Single females made up 18-20% of buyers, doubling the share of single males at 9-10%. Meanwhile, unmarried couples contributed 6-8% to annual home purchases.

Marital status of Home Buyers

Ethnic composition

From 2020 to 2024, the majority of home buyers were White/Caucasian, comprising 81%-88% of the market. Hispanic/Latino buyers consistently represented 6%-8%, while Black/African-American buyers ranged from a low of 3% in 2022 to 7% in 2023 and 2024. Asian/Pacific Islander buyers accounted for a smaller segment, varying between 2%-6%.

Ethnic composition of Home Buyers

First-time vs. repeat buyers

The proportion of first-time buyers varied over the years, reaching a high of 34% in 2021 but declining to a record low of 24% in 2024, underscoring the difficulties faced by new buyers in the housing market.

Meanwhile, repeat buyers–those buyers who’ve made their second purchase–gained a larger annual share, driven by an aging demographic with established equity. The median age of repeat buyers rose significantly, from 55 in 2020 to a historic 61 in 2024, highlighting the increasing presence of seasoned buyers in the market. This could also imply that repeat buyers have a higher chance than first-time buyers when multiple offers are made on the same property.

First-time vs. repeat buyers of Home Buyers

Motivation for purchasing a home

The primary motivation for purchasing a home, the “desire to own a home of their own,” remained the top reason across all years, peaking at 28% in 2021 before declining to 22% in 2022 and 2024. Among first-time buyers, this motivation was especially significant in 2024, with 64% citing this wish as their main reason.

Other notable motivations included the desire for a larger home, proximity to family and friends, job relocation, and changes in family situations, reflecting the diverse needs driving home purchases during this period.

Motivation for purchasing a home

Characteristics of Purchased Homes

Another key component of NAR’s annual report focuses on the Characteristics of Homes Purchased, providing a detailed look at the types of homes buyers choose, their features, and the factors influencing their decisions.

This information is invaluable to scores of stakeholders, including real estate professionals, investors, house flippers, developers, and policymakers, as it highlights emerging trends, buyer preferences, and demographic shifts. This information enables them to tailor their services, build relevant housing inventory, and plan for community development.

Types of homes purchased

From 2020 to 2024, the majority of buyers consistently preferred previously owned homes, making up 85%–89% of purchases, though the share of new homes saw a slight increase, reaching 15% in 2024.

Detached, single-family homes remained the most popular choice, accounting for 75%–82% of purchases over the years, but their share declined slightly in favor of other housing types, such as townhouses and condos in 2024.

These trends reflect a steady demand for existing homes due to affordability and availability, alongside a gradual interest in alternative housing options. However, buying previously owned homes involves maintenance issues that buyers should look out for.

Types of homes purchased in last 5 years

Home features

From 2020 to 2024, the median home size fluctuated modestly, starting at 1,900 square feet in 2020, dipping to 1,800 in 2022, and returning to 1,900 square feet in 2024. The typical space configuration remained consistent, with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms being the norm across all years.

The age of homes showed a notable trend, with buyers favoring older homes between 2022 and 2023, as the median age reached 38 years in 2023. However, 2024 saw a shift back toward newer homes, with a median age of 30 years. These patterns reflect the balancing interplay between affordability, market inventory, and buyer preferences for space and functionality.

Home features ( median home size )

Home features (median home age)

Environmental and neighborhood factors

From 2020 to 2024, neighborhood quality consistently ranked as the top factor influencing home buyers’ location choices, with 58%–60% of buyers prioritizing it. The importance of proximity to friends and family grew significantly post-2022, stabilizing at 45% in 2023 and 2024, reflecting a shift toward social and familial considerations.

Home affordability also gained prominence, with 33% of buyers citing it as a key factor in 2020, rising to a peak of 39% in 2023 before settling at 36% in 2024. This highlights buyers’ increasing focus on community, affordability, and social connections when choosing where to live.

Environmental and neighborhood factors

Distance moved (from previous home)

From 2020 to 2024, the median distance moved by home buyers fluctuated significantly, reflecting shifts in market conditions and buyer preferences. This factor remained steady at 15 miles in 2020 and 2021 but surged to 50 miles in 2022, as buyers sought homes farther from their previous locations. This could partially be due to remote work opportunities, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2023, the distance decreased to 20 miles and stabilized around that figure in 2024, marking a return to more typical moving patterns.

Distance moved (from previous home)

Takeaway: The bottom line for home buyers

So, to put all of the above in a digestible, metaphorical nutshell, the question is, “What does an average American have in mind when looking for a home?”

The typical American homebuyer looks for a single-family property with 1,900 square feet of space, a maximum property age of 30-38 years, a desirable neighborhood, and a location within 10-20 miles of where they currently live.

The Home Search Process

The Home Search Process is another critical component of NAR’s annual profile of home buyers and sellers, offering valuable insights into how buyers search for homes, the tools they use, and the challenges they face.

Real estate agents can use these insights to enhance their services, while technology providers can optimize tools like mobile apps and online search platforms. Together, this data helps stakeholders improve the overall house-hunting experience.

Initial steps in the home search

From 2020 to 2024, looking online consistently dominated the statistics as the most common first step in the home search process, with 43%–47% of buyers starting their hunt this way. While it peaked at 47% in 2021 and 2022, online searches saw a slight dip to 41% in 2023 before rebounding to 43% in 2024.

At the same time, 18%-20% of buyers choose to contact a real estate agent instead of looking online first. This highlights the importance of clients’ trust in agents and their ability to provide personalized guidance, expert advice, and access to exclusive listings that may not be available through online platforms.

Initial steps in the home search

Duration of the search

The duration of the home search gradually increased over the years, reflecting tighter inventory and higher competition among buyers. The median search time rose from 8 weeks in 2020 to 9 weeks in 2021, peaking at 10 weeks in 2022, where it stabilized through 2024.

This steady increase highlights the growing challenges buyers face in finding the right home, emphasizing the need for efficient tools, professional guidance, and strategies to navigate the competitive housing market more easily and swiftly.

Duration of the search

Methods and tools used

The Methods and Tools Used in the home search process evolved significantly from 2020 to 2024. In 2022, though much later than one would expect, the use of the Internet became nearly universal. 96% of buyers in 2022 relied on online resources, a trend that remained steady through 2024.

Similarly, the use of mobile devices for home searches saw continuous growth, increasing from 57% in 2020 to 69% in 2023 and 2024, reflecting the growing preference for convenience and accessibility.

These trends underscore the increasing reliance on technology to streamline the home-buying process and the importance of digital tools in shaping buyer experiences.

Methods and tools used in The Home Search Process

Potential challenges during the search

Buyers faced several challenges while searching for homes, with finding the right home consistently and quite naturally ranked as the most significant obstacle, cited by over 50% of buyers annually. Tight inventory, high demand, and affordability constraints contributed to this difficulty.

For first-time buyers, saving for a downpayment was another key hurdle, influenced by rising living costs, student loans, and credit card debt. Additionally, many first-time buyers struggled with understanding the home-buying process, highlighting the need for better education and support from agents and digital tools. These challenges underscore the complexity of navigating the housing market, particularly for more inexperienced buyers.

Satisfaction with the search process

Satisfaction with the search process improved from 89% in 2020 to 92% by 2023-2024, reflecting better tools and support for buyers. This growth in satisfaction can be attributed to better online tools, virtual tours, virtual staging, and enhanced real estate agent services, which together made the home-buying process more efficient and enjoyable.

Satisfaction with the search process

Role of real estate agents

Real estate agents continued to play a vital role in the home-buying process from 2020 to 2024. The percentage of buyers hiring agents remained consistently high, starting at 88% in 2020 and remaining rather constant in subsequent years.

Buyers primarily sought agents for assistance in finding the right home, negotiating terms, and understanding the buying process. Interestingly, referrals from personal networks were the leading method of finding an agent, reflecting their reputation and trustworthiness.

Role of real estate agents in The Home Search Process

Home Buying and Real Estate Professionals

The Home Buying and Real Estate Professionals section in NAR’s annual report provides critical insights into how buyers interact with real estate professionals during the home-buying process. This section of the data highlights trends in the use of agents, services provided, and the impact of professional guidance on buyer satisfaction.

Use of agents in the buying process

The use of agents in the buying process has remained a dominant trend from 2020 to 2024, with nearly 90% of buyers relying on professional guidance during this period. Buyers primarily sought agents for assistance in finding the right property, negotiating terms, and managing complex transactions.

Meanwhile, direct purchases from sellers or builders accounted for a much smaller share, consistently hovering at just above 10% over the years.

This contrast underscores the enduring importance of real estate agents in simplifying the home-buying journey. Obviously, both buyers and sellers are putting their best trust in agents and, as these reports tell us, have returned the favor by making the buying//selling process as effortless as possible for buyers and sellers.

Use of Agents vs Direct Purchases

Services buyers expect from agents

Homebuyers rely on real estate agents for a variety of crucial services during the buying process, emphasizing their integral role in successful transactions. The primary service buyers seek is help in finding the right home, which 49% of buyers identified as their top expectation.

Negotiating the terms of sale, aiding in understanding the home-buying process, and providing professional insights into market conditions are also frequently sought services.

For first-time buyers, agent support in understanding the process is especially invaluable, with 80% of responders highlighting it as critical. This reflects the trust placed in agents to streamline and demystify the often complex, daunting home-buying journey homes competitively and finding the right buyers.

Services buyers expect from agents

The difficulty of pricing peaked at 25% in 2022 and 2023 before slightly decreasing to 24% in 2024. Similarly, finding the right buyer was challenging for 19% of sellers in 2020, rising to 21% in 2021 through 2023, before easing to 20% in 2024.

Challenges During the Selling Process

Seller satisfaction

In these 5 years, seller satisfaction with the home-selling process remained consistently high. In 2020, 89% of sellers reported their satisfaction with the selling process, increasing to 90% in 2021 and remaining steady through 2022. Satisfaction rose slightly to 91% in 2023 and held at that level in 2024, reflecting a positive trend in the overall experience of sellers during this period.

Seller Satisfaction with the Selling Process

Pricing and timing of home sales

The pricing and timing of home sales across the 2020 to 2024 NAR profiles highlight consistent trends shaped by market conditions. Sellers typically priced homes competitively, often achieving 100% or more of the asking price, with one-third of sellers in recent years receiving offers above the asking price. Homes sold swiftly, with most properties being sold within two to three weeks of their listing date, reflecting high demands and limited inventory.

Home Selling and Real Estate Professionals

During the period in question, sellers most often cited 1) the desire to be closer to family and friends, 2) the need for larger or smaller homes, or 3) changes in personal circumstances as their primary reasons for selling a house. Common challenges included preparing their homes up to market standards, marketing them effectively, and timing the sale to achieve optimal outcomes.

Nearly 90% of sellers relied on real estate agents to price homes competitively, negotiate favorable terms, and attract buyers through professional marketing strategies like online listings and photography. Homes typically sold for the asking price, with about 30% receiving offers above it. Also, most properties were sold within three weeks, reflecting high market demands and limited inventory.

During the 5-year timespan, sellers consistently selected agents primarily through referrals, with approximately 40% choosing their agent based on recommendations from friends, family, or neighbors. Regarding repeat sellers, 21%-37% of them returned to agents they had worked with previously.

Most sellers, that is 70%-80%, interviewed only one agent before making their decision. Notably, almost 90% of sellers across these five years expressed satisfaction with their agents, with a majority stating they would recommend their agent or work with them again.

Financing the Home Purchase

From 2020 to 2024, financing trends for home purchases shifted significantly, reflecting changing market conditions. The share of buyers financing their homes dropped from 88% in 2020 to 74% in 2024, driven by an increase in repeat buyers paying in cash, which rose from 20% to 26% during this period.

First-time buyers consistently relied more on financing, with over 90% using loans annually, while repeat buyers’ reliance on financing fell notably from 83% in 2020 to 69% in 2024. Typical down payments also grew, particularly for first-time buyers with a slight increase from 6% in 2020 to 9% in 2024. This slight change, though, brought this factor to its highest level since 1997, as buyers needed stronger offers in competitive markets.

For repeat buyers, down payments rose from 16% in 2020 to 23% in 2024, the highest since 2003, supported by increasing home equity. These trends underscore rising financial barriers for first-time buyers and the growing role of equity and cash in the purchasing process.

Financing the Home Purchase

In Conclusion

The NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers offers a lot to learn, especially when considering the past five years. Three findings stand out among the key takeaways.

  1. First, The shrinking number of first-time buyers is a significant trend, likely driven by rising home prices and down payment requirements that many can’t meet.
  2. Second, satisfaction with agents has steadily improved for both buyers and sellers. This suggests that agents have been delivering strong results and building trust with their clients.
  3. Finally, the increasing wait periods to find the right home highlights the intense competition in the market, with buyers facing more challenges than before.

The present study aimed to put together the findings of the past five years to provide a more inclusive picture of the US real estate market. As NAR continues reporting on home buying/selling every year, our market understanding deepens.

Thanks to these reports, we have learned a big deal about market shifts, clients’ preferences and expectations, marketing trends, agents’ strategies, and the role of technology in home selling or buying. By examining these evolving factors, stakeholders in the real estate industry should continue to refine their strategies and ultimately deliver better experiences for both sellers and buyers.

This article has been produced by AI HomeDesign based on the data and information gathered from the NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers below:

National Association of Realtors. (2020) 2020 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. National Association of Realtors.

National Association of Realtors. (2021) 2021 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. National Association of Realtors.

National Association of Realtors. (2022) 2022 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. National Association of Realtors.

National Association of Realtors. (2023) 2023 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. National Association of Realtors.

National Association of Realtors. (2024) 2024 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. National Association of Realtors.

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enhance real estate listing
Real Estate

Enhance Your Real Estate Listings: Boost Sales with Stunning Visuals and Smart Image Tools

by Tan Tason
written by Tan Tason

In the competitive world of real estate, first impressions matter. With the rise of digital property hunting, your listings often serve as a buyer’s first introduction to a home. It’s no secret that high-quality visuals can make or break a potential sale. So, the right way to go is to enhance real estate listings with smart image tools.

Properties that showcase stunning images not only capture attention but also lead to faster sales and higher offers. That is why smart image editing tools can significantly enhance your real estate listings and help you become a leader in the market.

The Power of First Impressions

In a study conducted by the National Association of Realtors, 87% of homebuyers claimed that photos were the most important feature when looking for a home online. Listings with attractive, well-staged photos are more likely to capture potential customers’ attention and eventually lead to conversions than those with average or poorly taken images.

Here are a few key statistics that show the impact of visuals in real estate:

  • Listings with professional photos sell 32% faster than those without.
  • Properties with drone images or virtual tours receive 68% more views than those without.
  • Almost all home buyers use the internet to search for a home. The most valuable content on websites are photos, detailed information about properties for sale, floor plans, and the real estate agent’s contact information.

Virtual Staging: A Game-Changer in Real Estate

before and after of virtual staging

An empty house does not inspire people to buy it. The majority of buyers make decisions based on visuals; they need to see how the house might look at the final stage. Virtual staging is perhaps the most popular practice to enhance real estate listings with AI. It allows you to add furniture and decor to photos of vacant homes digitally, giving them a feeling of a real home without the cost of physically staging the home. This technology enables you to make homes more attractive to potential buyers.

Benefits of virtual staging

  • Cost-effective: virtual staging is much more affordable than traditional home staging.
  • Time-effective: virtual staging allows you to stage a property digitally within a matter of days or even hours, compared to the time it takes to arrange physical furniture.
  • Flexibility: you can customize the style to match different buyer demographics, from modern and minimalist to traditional and cozy.

AI HomeDesign offers constantly updated and state-of-the-art AI photo editing services enabling realtors to bring empty homes to life with just a few clicks.

Smart AI Image Tools: Revolutionizing Real Estate Listings

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and image enhancement tools are transforming how real estate photos are presented. These smart AI tools enable you to optimize visuals with greater precision, offering solutions that improve photos even more:

AI-powered reverse image search

With reverse image search tools, you can search by image — such as real estate visual — and find similar or related photos that may inspire your home design. Alternatively, you can search for specific furniture by simply taking a photo of the item and uploading it to a chosen image search engine using reverse image search. Lenso.ai is an example of such an AI-powered reverse image search tool, where you can search by people, places, duplicates, similar or edited images and also sort them by best/worst match; newest/oldest, and diversify your results.

AI-powered photo editing

AI-powered photo editing

Automated editing tools like Canva allow real estate agents to adjust lighting, remove imperfections, and enhance colors with minimal effort. These tools are perfect for quick retouching, ensuring that every image showcases the property in its best light.

Object removal and image clarity

Object removal and image clarity

Sometimes, a perfect shot is disrupted by an unsightly object, like a trash can or an old piece of furniture. AI tools like Adobe’s Content-Aware Fill or Snapseed’s Healing Tool can effortlessly remove unwanted objects from your photos, giving you clean, professional-looking visuals.

Floor plan generators

While photos provide a visual feel, floor plans offer a clear understanding of the property’s layout. Platforms like RoomSketcher and Floorplanner use AI to create accurate floor plans from images or sketches, making it easy to include this critical information in your listing.

Virtual tours

Virtual tours allow potential buyers to immerse themselves in a potential new home from the comfort of their computer or phone. Tools like Matterport make creating these experiences accessible and affordable, offering interactive features that keep potential buyers engaged longer.

Importance of Stunning Visuals in Real Estate

By investing in virtual staging and smart AI image tools, real estate professionals can enhance their real estate listings with AI listings that not only capture attention but drive faster and more lucrative sales. Stunning visuals combined with modern technology can be the key to becoming a leader in the real estate market.

FAQs

Yes, virtual staging can be highly customized to appeal to different target markets. By adjusting the furniture, decor style, and even the layout, agents can tailor the visual appeal of a property to match the tastes and expectations of various demographic groups, such as young professionals, families, or retirees.
Real estate agents can measure the impact by tracking several metrics before and after implementing improved visuals. Key performance indicators include changes in the number of online views, the time listings spend on the market, engagement rates such as shares and likes on social media platforms, and ultimately, the rate at which viewings convert to sales or leases. Additionally, collecting feedback from buyers regarding the quality of visuals can provide qualitative insights.

Real estate agents often face challenges such as choosing the right virtual staging tool, the costs of virtual staging services, and managing client expectations.

Agents can overcome this by researching and selecting user-friendly, reputable virtual staging tools that fit their budget. They should also set clear expectations with clients about the purpose and extent of virtual staging.

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CMA real estate
Real Estate

What Is a CMA in Real Estate, and Why Is It Important?

by Dario Rinaldi
written by Dario Rinaldi

A comparative market analysis (CMA) is a study that estimates the suitable selling price for a property based on the prices of recently sold properties in the same area, AKA comps. CMA reports are usually created by real estate agents or brokers to let sellers come up with the right pricing for their property.

Buyers get similar insights from such reports by comparing the property they are buying with recently sold homes in areas that share similar features.

So, a thorough CMA real estate report is essential for both buyers and sellers to make informed decisions. One might say a CMA is more or less like a scale that weighs all factors to strike a balance and give a fair estimation of the property’s worth.

Read More: Cost to become a real estate agent

What is CMA in Real Estate?

The sole purpose of a CMA real estate report is to make sure that a property is priced accurately. Back in the day, you might have done this less technically. Perhaps you were at a weekend barbecue, flipping burgers with your neighbor, and you casually asked, “Hey, didn’t you sell your house last month? What did it go for?” Then, as you nibbled on some chips, you followed up with, “Do you know what the Johnsons down the street got for theirs?”

Equipped with that info, you’d then mentally calculate, “Well, if their place sold for $200,000 and ours has a bigger backyard, we could probably aim for $220,000.” Just like that, without spreadsheets or fancy tools, you’d do your very own CMA. The only thing that has changed today is the way we do this comparison, solely to make sure that our estimation is more accurate.

Read More: AI property description

The Steps of a Comparative Market Analysis

The Steps of a Comparative Market Analysis

As a real estate agent or broker, you might want to learn how to come up with a CMA real estate report to provide better services to your clients. To do so, you should first take note of all features of the subject property and then, look for similar properties that have recently been sold.

First, let’s see what those features are.

The neighborhood

One of the key factors in determining the value of a property is the location:

  • In which area/district is the property located?
  • What amenities are in its vicinity?
  • How crowded is the neighborhood?
  • How safe is the neighborhood?
  • What the local schools are like? and,
  • How accessible is public transportation?

After assessing these location-based features, you can look for nearby neighborhoods with similar features.

However, this is only half the picture. For the other half, you need to evaluate the property itself, and that entails the following features:

Square footage

Other factors aside, the bigger the property, the higher its price. And apart from the size, you should consider the number of rooms. The more spaces (bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.) a property has–provided that they have a notable size for their purpose–the higher its value.

The property condition

The age of the property and whether it’s been recently renovated should factor into your final evaluation. Generally, properties with fewer maintenance issues are valued higher as they present less hassle for potential buyers. The exception is properties with unique historical or architectural significance, whose value may increase despite potential maintenance needs.

Property taxes

A property’s annual tax bill is another key factor that can impact its value. Buyers often consider the tax burden when evaluating the overall cost of owning a property. In some cases, higher taxes deter potential buyers, while lower taxes make a property more appealing.

Special property features

Some properties have special features like outdoor pools, patios, fenced yards, high ceilings, open floor plans, and so on. Each of these features adds something to the overall value of the place, and you should consider them when making your final comparison.

Utility infrastructure

Another important factor is the quality of essential services like water, electricity, sewage, gas systems, etc. Properties with reliable and modern utility connections are often more appealing to buyers. Poor or outdated utilities can reduce a property’s desirability and affect its overall value.

Legal considerations

Legal considerations include factors such as zoning rules, land use regulations, and any disputes tied to the property. Buyers are often attracted to properties with no existing liens or unresolved legal issues, as these ensure a smoother transaction. Complications like boundary encroachments or restrictive easements can deter buyers and affect a property’s worth.

Read More: Real estate advertising ideas

Select the Comps

Select the Comps

After carefully evaluating the subject property, you should find at least three comparable properties, or comps, to estimate the right price for the property in question. Keep in mind that the properties you choose as comps must:

  • Have been sold recently (that is, in the last 3-6 months);
  • Be located in the vicinity of the subject property;
  • Be located in a similar neighborhood;
  • Be as similar to the subject property as possible in terms of size, age, accessibility, number of rooms, etc.;
  • Be in a similar condition regarding general upkeep, renovations, upgrades, etc.; and,
  • Have almost the same quality for both exteriors and interiors.

Also, be careful about basing your judgment on online listings where property descriptions might not be as detailed as they should and the attached photos/videos might have been edited.

Though the comps are ‘not expected to be exactly the same as the subject property,’ finding valid comps is easier said than done, as properties often differ in at least a few key factors. After making sure that the properties you’ve selected are the most similar ones to the subject property, you can make the comparison.

Read More: Real estate photo editing

How to Calculate a CMA Real Estate?

How to Calculate a CMA Real Estate?

To make a healthy comparison, start by adjusting the sales prices of comps to make them more similar to your property. If a comp is missing something your property has, like a bigger yard, lower its price to reflect that. Similarly, if it has something better, like a renovated bathroom, raise its price accordingly. This helps you figure out what the comp(s) would sell for if they were more like your property.

Next, find out the price per square foot for each comp by dividing its adjusted price by its size. Then, to estimate your property’s value, multiply the lowest price per square foot by your home’s size to get the lower value range. Do the same with the highest price per square foot for the higher range.

Finally, calculate the average price per square foot for all comps, and multiply it by your property’s size to get the best estimate of its value. So, to wrap up, this is a CMA real estate formula:

How to Calculate a CMA Real Estate?

Another option you have is to use a CMA real estate calculator that considers the above-listed features and makes the comparisons. If you prefer this option, you’d better avoid free CMA real estate ads and use a trusted tool that provides verified data and in-depth analysis. Now that you’ve calculated the value of the property, it’s time for the report.

Read More: Best places to be a real estate agent

Preparing a CMA Report

A lot of details can and should go into a CMA report, and it’s important to present those details in a neat and orderly manner. To learn how to prepare your report and present the information, you can search the web and find CMA examples.

In doing so, you’ll come across lots of free CMA templates that provide a clear structure for organizing property data, adjustments, and comparisons in a professional format. Choose one of those templates and customize it to fit your specific property and market data.

Here’s a simple example that details all features of the comps and the subject property.

Preparing a CMA Report

Based on the information presented, we can conclude that the subject property is worth something around $440,000. It’s similar in size to Comp #2, which sold for $433,000, but it has a few perks that bump up the value, like a finished basement and solar panels. The other two comps sold for slightly higher prices due to advantages such as larger size, a better location, a bigger garage, or an additional bathroom.

How Does a CMA Differ from Home Appraisal?

Both practices are related to real estate comparative market analysis, but they are done by different individuals and serve different purposes.

A CMA is done by a real estate agent or a broker to estimate the right price for a to-be-sold property. An appraisal, on the other hand, is done by a licensed home appraiser for financing purposes like when the owner wants to get a mortgage.

So, a CMA benefits the seller while an appraisal benefits the owner who intends to keep the property. Also, compared to a CMA, a home appraisal is more detailed and hence, more accurate.

How Much Does a CMA Cost?

Agents typically offer CMAs to help sellers determine a competitive listing price or to assist buyers in evaluating a property’s value. However, if you’re not working with an agent and want a CMA from an agent, you might have to pay $100 to $500, depending on the complexity and detail of the report.

Read More: Virtual staging for real estate

In Closing

There are two important points to keep in mind when preparing a CMA report: Firstly, if you can’t find enough recently sold properties that are similar, you can use currently listed properties as comps. Secondly, always factor in current market conditions when setting the price.

For instance, if the market is stronger at the time of listing, you might aim for a higher price than what your comparison suggests. Similarly, if the market is weaker or in a recession, you may need to adjust the price downward.

FAQs

Anyone following the steps described in this blog should be able to do a comparative market analysis. However, as agents are more familiar with this process and have access to reliable real estate CMA software, it’s better to leave the job to them.

There are a couple of real estate CMA calculators that you can use for your project. So, do your research and check product review pages. Cloud CMA, Toolkit CMA, and iCMALive are some of the most popular ones.

The accuracy of such calculators highly depends on the accuracy of the provided data and the market status. Overall, some of these tools are highly reliable, but you should always leave some room for market fluctuations.
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cost to become a real estate agent
Real Estate

How Much Does It Cost to Become a Real Estate Agent?

by Dario Rinaldi
written by Dario Rinaldi

“How much does it cost to become a real estate agent?” A question commonly asked by those who are weighing the potential return on investment against the initial costs involved.

Overall, the cost of becoming a real estate agent in the US can be as low as $410 in certain states; in others, though, it might be over $1,600. In this blog, we’ll discuss the costs related to becoming a real estate agent in every state. Let’s begin.
Cost to become a real estate agent

Read More: Best places to be a real estate agent

Becoming a Real Estate Agent

The promise of working flexible hours, the potential for substantial earnings, the independence of managing their own business, and the variety each day brings. These are just some of the exciting thoughts that make individuals consider becoming a real estate agent.

However, entering the real estate industry can seem overwhelming, too. The upfront commitment in terms of both time and finances seems truly a deterrent at first. Add to this the unpredictability of a commission-based income and the intensely competitive market. New agents must also face the challenge of building a client network from the ground up and mastering the art of effective self-promotion and marketing, which are essential for success in this field.

But, covering all these challenges in one blog seems a bit too much. So, let’s limit our discussion to real estate -cost-related aspects and leave other complexities to some other time.

Cost-Related Aspects of Becoming a Real Estate Agent

Real estate exam and licensing expensesThe cost to become a real estate agent depends primarily on the state in which one desires to operate. In some states, it’s simply more expensive to become a real estate agent than in others. Most of the regulatory bodies at the state level seem somewhat reluctant to reveal the costs related to fingerprinting, the exam, etc. Moreover, the pre-licensing costs vary not only from state to state but also among different educational providers.

Additionally, different schools might include various supplementary materials and resources, which can also affect the overall cost. Another factor in play is whether the course is held online or in a traditional classroom setting, which typically costs more than the former.

This makes it a bit difficult to come up with a concrete number that accurately represents the total investment required across all scenarios. So please, keep in mind that the table presented above serves as a general guide and aims to provide an estimated range of costs based on the most commonly encountered expenses.

For the most accurate and up-to-date information, it is advisable to check directly with the relevant state’s real estate commission and selected educational institutions. With that being said, let’s take a look at the five main factors determining the cost to become a real estate agent.

Read More: Best real estate companies in the US

The state in which you want to operate

In our discussion about the best places to be a real estate agent, we described how the choice of state influences agents’ opportunities to secure clients, their income, living costs, and more. Similarly, in some states, it costs more to get a real estate certificate than in others. This could be due to a variety of factors including higher licensing fees, more stringent continuing education requirements, and additional regulatory measures.

Pre-licensing costs: $140-$1,300

Though the exam itself has a rather steady cost across all states ($40-$100), the real difference lies in the pre-licensing education costs that, in some states, can go up to $1,300! While this may look like Hobson’s choice, by researching and comparing various approved educational programs within their state, candidates can lower the training costs to $600.

The duration of the course can vary from 45 to 180 hours, and the materials covered may vary in terms of depth and breadth. So, make sure that the school you choose will equip you with all the necessary knowledge needed to pass the exam. In other words, don’t risk sacrificing quality for cost!

Fingerprinting and background checks: $36-$103

Prior to taking the exam, candidates must go through fingerprinting and background checks. This process is essential for verifying a candidate’s identity and for ensuring that they have no disqualifying criminal history.

Candidates are typically directed to specific state-approved vendors or facilities where they can have their fingerprints taken. The results are then sent to the state real estate commission or the appropriate regulatory body to be reviewed as part of the licensing process. Here too the cost varies depending on the state and the vendor selected.

Some states have a fixed rate for all fingerprinting services, while others may see prices fluctuate based on the specific service provider or the location where the fingerprinting takes place. Additionally, the method of background checking, whether it includes only statewide checks or also federal checks, can influence the overall cost.

The exam: $39-$150

Rea estate exam
The exams usually taken for becoming a real estate agent typically include multiple-choice questions covering topics such as property laws, real estate principles, and ethics. Candidates must register and pay the fee through their state’s designated testing service, which provides specific instructions, locations, and times for taking the exam.

As for the fee, it’s typically somewhat between $39- $100 which is due to different regulatory bodies setting their own exam fees and potentially using different service providers to administer the tests.

Read More: Real Estate Photo Editing

Application fees: $100-$485

The application fee covers the cost of processing the application, reviewing the candidate’s qualifications, and other administrative expenses associated with the issuance of a real estate license. The amount can vary widely depending on the state’s real estate commission policies and the complexity of the application review process.

For instance, in some states, the application fee might be as low as $100, while in others, it could be upwards of $458 or more. This fee is typically paid when the candidate submits their application for licensure, following the successful completion of the required pre-licensing education and passing the real estate licensing exam.

Additional Costs to Consider

The cost to become a real estate agent extends beyond what has been presented above. What we talked about includes the mandatory payments one must make to become a certified agent. To legally operate as a real estate agent in a US state, certified agents must find a broker to sponsor them.

This brokerage affiliation is necessary for activating and maintaining their license. Beyond this requirement, agents often incur additional expenses related to marketing themselves, such as advertising, creating a website, and purchasing business cards. More on these topics here.

Furthermore, ongoing professional development courses contribute to the overall cost of being a real estate agent. Take the National Association of Realtors, for example. While joining this trade association is not obligatory, many agents prefer to pay the costs just to be recognized as members of this organization simply because it lends them professional development and credibility in the market.

Last but not least, renewing the license is a periodic requirement that involves both fees and the completion of continuing education courses.

Time to Take the Leap into Real Estate!

Becoming a real estate agent should not be determined solely by the initial costs and potential earnings. Though one should consider such aspects, evaluating personal compatibility with the career’s demands and lifestyle is equally important. 

Real estate involves irregular hours, constant interaction with clients, and navigating stressful negotiations, which may not suit everyone’s temperament or work-life balance preferences. Moreover, success in real estate requires perseverance, a strong network, and a deep understanding of local markets, which are built over time and go beyond just financial considerations.

Therefore, those considering this path should take a holistic view of the profession, assessing both their financial goals and their ability to meet the day-to-day challenges of the job. In doing so, they can make a more informed decision that aligns with their long-term personal and professional aspirations.

FAQs

The training hours vary from 60 to 180 hours. Depending on the school you choose, your course might take two to six months.

To be eligible for a real estate agent license, an applicant must be at least 18 years old.

The income of an average real estate agent depends on several factors including the number of transactions they complete, the commission rates they negotiate, the property prices in their market area, their level of experience, and the economic conditions affecting the real estate market. 

Typically, real estate agents in the United States can expect to earn anywhere from $40,000 to over $100,000 annually, with more experienced agents or those in high-value property markets potentially earning significantly more.

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attendance at NAR NXT
Real Estate

The Ultimate Toolbox for Realtors: Highlights from AI HomeDesign’s NAR NXT Debut

by Tan Tason
written by Tan Tason

Boston, MA – The buzz around artificial intelligence was palpable at NAR NXT 2024, the premier real estate event hosted by the National Association of Realtors®. This flagship conference brought together industry leaders, innovators, and professionals to explore the transformative potential of technology in real estate.

Among the standout participants, AI HomeDesign captured attention with its comprehensive suite of AI-powered tools, designed to elevate property marketing and enhance visual storytelling. The event provided the perfect platform for showcasing how cutting-edge technology is reshaping the way properties are presented to potential buyers, offering solutions that are not only innovative but also practical and accessible for professionals across the industry.

AI-Powered Enhancements for Real Estate Marketing

As a first-time exhibitor at NAR NXT, AI HomeDesign demonstrated how its web-based services offer the ultimate toolkit for creating standout property listings. This versatile suite provides real estate professionals with tools that simplify and enhance visual marketing within the industry, including virtual staging, day-to-dusk photo transformations, item removal, and renovation visualization. These solutions address common challenges such as time constraints and high costs while ensuring MLS compliance.

“With AI HomeDesign, our goal is to provide realtors and brokers with a fast, cost-effective way to create visually compelling listings,” said Salar Davari, CEO and Founder of AI HomeDesign. “We’re focused on empowering professionals to enhance their marketing without added complexity.”

Engagement and Excitement at NAR NXT 2024

The NAR NXT conference highlighted how artificial intelligence is redefining real estate practices, and AI HomeDesign’s booth attracted significant attention. Live demonstrations showcased how the platform’s intuitive tools turn ordinary property images into standout marketing assets. Attendees observed firsthand the benefits of customizable virtual staging and AI-enhanced photo editing, creating buzz and positive feedback throughout the event.

One of the most appreciated features was the platform’s efficiency. Realtors often face tight timelines, and AI HomeDesign’s solutions help expedite processes like staging and image editing. By combining speed with precision, AI HomeDesign offers professionals a reliable way to elevate their property visuals without additional hassle.

Addressing Real Challenges in Real Estate Marketing

AI HomeDesign is not just about tools—it’s about solutions that respond to the real-world challenges faced by real estate professionals every day. For instance, its virtual staging tool doesn’t merely create visually appealing spaces; it empowers agents to customize interiors that resonate with specific buyer demographics, from minimalist millennials to families seeking cozy, functional spaces. This personalized approach ensures that listings stand out, capturing the attention of potential buyers more effectively.

Another standout feature is the day-to-dusk photo transformation, which enhances listing visuals by turning daytime photos into warm, inviting evening scenes. This small but impactful change can dramatically boost a property’s appeal in online marketplaces, where first impressions matter most. Similarly, AI HomeDesign’s AI Item Removal feature allows agents to clear out clutter or distracting objects from property images, presenting clean and inviting spaces. Combined with the AI Photo Enhancement tool—which adjusts lighting, sharpness, and color balance—these services enable realtors to craft polished, professional-grade visuals effortlessly.

Moreover, these advanced features are accessible to all, thanks to AI HomeDesign’s straightforward and intuitive interface. Realtors, regardless of their tech expertise, can harness these tools to create exceptional marketing materials without additional training or software.

The emphasis on simplicity and accessibility addresses a core need in the industry: the ability to produce high-quality marketing materials quickly and affordably. This balance of efficiency and effectiveness is why AI HomeDesign’s tools resonate with professionals, helping them focus on what they do best—building connections and closing deals.

Looking Ahead: Innovations to Shape the Future

AI HomeDesign’s debut at NAR NXT showcased its readiness to meet the evolving demands of the real estate market. By offering tools that streamline workflows and deliver polished, professional visuals, the platform positions itself as a valuable resource for agents and brokers aiming to stand out in competitive markets.

Through its innovative solutions, AI HomeDesign continues to set a new standard for how property listings are created and marketed. As real estate professionals look for tools to enhance efficiency and impact, the platform’s offerings stand out as a reliable, all-in-one solution. With its focus on addressing real challenges and enabling success, AI HomeDesign is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of property marketing.

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