In the last year, people are waking up to social curbs established to lower the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public gatherings, schools, and work have been suspended. Measures to control the spread of the disease led to canceled flights and postponed sporting events. Even restaurants are now limited to take out and delivery only. Due to limitations on social interactions, the marketing industry is currently reeling from the effects of the restrictions.
Presently, the real estate industry has gone through significant disruptions, with home loans taking a backseat as traditional processes in marketing were shut down. Fortunately, there are now ways for buyers and sellers to pursue the sale of properties despite a prohibition on in-person showing and open houses. Here are other vital tips for agents as we transition from the lockdowns to a new normal in real estate.
Learn About Local Mandates and Ordinances
The pandemic is a new experience for everyone, and there are constantly evolving guidelines implemented per locality. To stay on top of the game, you have to know what laws, mandates, and ordinances apply in your area. Following these rules will guide your business strategy and give you insights into how you drive your clients in the right direction. Generally, these mandates should be part of your real estate planning and strategy during the pandemic. It ensures a far-reaching impact and will be helpful even in the post-pandemic period.
Keep Up with Industry Trends
Staying attuned to real estate trends and factors that may affect your performance should also be another critical component of your marketing strategy. Before the pandemic, you track mortgage products, interest rates, and changes in pricing. You have to expand your research to include information about low housing inventory and the increased demand due to the work-from-home trend.
It would help if you also studied new trends in purchasing properties and parts of the houses people wish to have. More people are looking at extra spaces for home offices, home pools, and spare bedrooms.
Go Remote in Showing Properties
At present, there are now counties that allow open houses and in-person showing. But for the most part, many real estate firms still make do with online open houses in compliance with the local mandates. Before the pandemic, agents are already using gadgets to take their marketing efforts to the next level. There are also apps, sites, 3D and virtual tours, visual perspectives, and more. Using these available technologies will help your real estate business survive the situation and still be helpful in the future. It is one of the best ways to help buyers feel about the property they intend to buy.
Improve Your Listings
Apart from providing more visuals, agents should also improve the content of their property listings. It is more critical now because prospective buyers appreciate seeming more details that correlate with the visuals on your listing. Ideally, you can start by providing better descriptions of the features of the property, such as measurements, improvements, details of the yard, entertainment features, auxiliary units, and others.
It would help if you also mentioned ordinances for home improvements, animal ownership, neighborhood, amenities, transportation, etc. Try to incorporate in your marketing SEO efforts to ensure that target buyers seeking out homes can find the properties in your listing.
Provide Valuable Information to Boost Client Certainty
At this time, real estate clients are searching for information on how they can make smarter decisions and be confident about their moves despite the pandemic. It makes for an ideal opportunity to promote your trade and be a reliable source of this information through online platforms. Take advantage of the various marketing channels that you can use to create and nurture an audience. You can explore Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to share community news, home buying tips, selling advances, and other relevant matters.
Be active on professional sites like LinkedIn so you can build your network and collaborate. You may also find various opportunities from these platforms to share your expertise on real estate trends. Despite the limitations due to the pandemic, there are still opportunities to expand your craft and build your business.
The real estate industry is one of those that are greatly affected by the pandemic. However, as restriction eases, more people realize the importance of having an excellent home to stay in with their families. Despite the challenges, the market is still an uptrend, with more demands for properties and limited inventory. Agents need to work double-time to develop a powerful marketing strategy to survive and take advantage of the opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
