Blogging

Do you have a blog? Whether you use a platform like WordPress,  Activerain, or another site, blogging can be a fantastic way to provide your readers with valuable information about what is going on in the market today. Here are some tips on how to write these market report blogs:

  • Make It Simple
    People often make blogging much harder than it needs to be. When it comes to market reports, the information is almost always going to be the same, right? The numbers may change, but you are always going to be talking about the same information. Develop a template that works for you where you can just change out numbers and the name of the city and hit publish. You probably want to change up some of the language here and there, but that's just word play. Most agents just make this way too difficult.
  • Get SPECIFIC
    The key to getting your blog found is to keep your posts very specific and think about how people will search for information in Google. You should never just write 1 article about an entire area - "How's the market in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex" that covers over 1000 square miles and encompases 25 or so cities. Real estate is LOCAL and that's how you should treat your blog posts. Do you cover 10 different cities? You SHOULD be following the market in all 10 anyways, so write 10 different blogs. Yes, it will take more time, but you are much more likely to get your work found this way. Using a template as mentioned above will make this process much easier. 
  • BE CONSISTENT
    Posting a couple of market reports isn't going to do a thing for your business. You need to be consistent and keep posting them, month after month. If you are using a template, it shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes to pull the information to throw into the report for each area you cover. If you cover 5 cities, this should take you a grand total of about an hour a month or less. I'm sure you can find an hour per month to make this happen, right? 
  •  The Title
    The title is one of the most important aspects of your blog post because this is likely what people will see in Google. Again, think about how people search. You can use something like "Dallas real estate market" or "Dallas housing market" or "How is Dallas real estate doing this month?" Don't use the same title every time. 
  • The Content
    We've already discussed using a template, but let's talk about what's really important in the content. Leave out the "agent language" and use common language. You will notice that in news reports, they never discuss "average sale price" but instead say "home prices have increased." They never say "days on market" or "months of inventory" but instead say it's a "seller's market" or "homes are selling quickly." People don't talk about "listings" they talk about homes for sale. (Or if you use these terms, explain what they mean like I do below) Make it easy to understand. If people don't understand what you are saying, you will never develop a relationship or trust factor necessary for them to actually call you. 
  • The Call To Action
    Probably the most underutilized aspect of blogging. You provide great information, but then don't give the reader any reason (or way) to contact you. At the end of every market report, you need to include a call to action. "If you have considered buying or selling a home in **city you are discussing**, call us for a free consultation at 111-222-3333. Curious what your home is worth in today's market? Get a free, instant home value report HERE! (<--- link to your Home Value Lead's page).

Here is a sample market report template that you can take and use as is or customize it to fit your personality and business model:

Title: "Dallas Real Estate Market Report For September 2015"

Content:
The Dallas real estate market is on FIRE! Home prices are increasing and homes are selling faster than they were last month. In this article, we'll give you the statistics that we look at when evaluating the Dallas real estate market (the boring stuff, I know), but then explain exactly what it means to you and your home. If you want to skip the boring stuff, just skip the first section.  

Dallas Real Estate Market Statistics
New Homes For Sale: 12
Total Homes For Sale: 21
Homes Under Contract: 7
Homes Sold: 9
Average Sales Price: $225,000
Average Days On Market: 18

What the heck do these numbers mean?!?!
Like I said at the beginning, it means the Dallas real estate market is on FIRE! During the month of September, home prices in Dallas went up 3% compared to August, so homes are selling for MORE money. Not only are the selling for more money, they are selling FASTER. If the home is priced right and looks good, several homes are selling in less than a week and often with multiple offers. If the home is overpriced, it will take much longer to sell, usually after you drop the price a couple of times. In the month of September, it took an average of 18 days to sell a home. That's crazy fast! 

How's the competition? Well, there were 21 total listings in the month of September. Of those 21 listings, 7 are now under contract and 9 have already sold. This doesn't leave a whole lot of competition, which makes this a definite seller's market. Dallas real estate buyers need to act FAST if they want the best shot of getting a home (like, go see it and put in an offer TODAY), and seller's are in the driver's seat. 

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in today's Dallas real estate market, you need a professional to guide you through the process who knows what is going on in today's market. For a free, no obligation consultation, please give us a call at 111-222-3333. Thinking about selling? It's a GREAT time to list your Dallas home. If you'd like to see what your home may be worth in today's market, you can get an instant home value report at www.MyHVLSite.com

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