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Real Estate

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How To

5 Steps on How to Become a Real Estate Agent & Begin a Successful Career

June 22, 2022. 8 MIN READ Written By: Gina Baker
  • Male realtor with a woman client checking the property.

    What Is a Realtor? Meaning & Job Responsibilities

  • Comparative market analysis with charts & graphs.

    Comparative Market Analysis (CMA): Definition & How to Create (+ Examples)

  • Real estate agent handling the house key to the new home owner.

    20 Most Crucial Real Estate Statistics

Meet our Experts

Gina Baker

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Kaylee Strozyk

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Jocille Ann Morito

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Aloun Khountham

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Jealie Dacanay

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  • How to Become a Real Estate Agent
  • Real Estate Lead Generation
  • Real Estate Marketing
  • Real Estate Agent and Broker Tips
  • Real Estate Investing & Rental
Happy family checking the house with the real estate agent.
How To

How to Get a Real Estate License in Every State

June 20, 2022. 7 MIN READ Written By: Gina Baker
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5 Best Accredited Online Schools for Real Estate 2023

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Real Estate Agent Salary: How Much Agents Earn & Factors Affecting Their Salary

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How to Choose a Real Estate Company to Work For (+ Evaluation Rubric)

real estate website builder concept
Buyer's Guide

Top 6 Real Estate Website Builders

February 16, 2022. 13 MIN READ Written By: Gina Baker
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9 Real Estate Prospecting Letter Templates for Lead Outreach

Real Estate Leads New Business Customers Sign.

17 Essential Real Estate Lead Generation Statistics

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6 Most Effective Ways to Generate Facebook Real Estate Leads

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Real Estate

Real Estate Marketing Plan Template & Strategy Guide

March 11, 2022. 16 MIN READ Written By: Elizabeth Kraus
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11 Ways to Generate Leads Using Real Estate TikTok Videos

17 Vital Real Estate Marketing Statistics

real estate words

144 Real Estate Words & Examples to Boost Your Property Listings

Social Media Network
Real Estate

15 Ways to Crush Your Real Estate Social Media Marketing

February 17, 2022. 13 MIN READ Written By: Gina Baker
A student taking the real estate broker exam.

How To Pass the Real Estate Broker Exam in 8 Steps

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How to Create a Virtual Tour for Real Estate in 8 Steps (+ Examples)

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8 Best Real Estate CRM Software for 2023

Learn how to screen tenants and do it manually.
How To

How to Screen Tenants for a Rental Property in 6 Steps (+ Screening Questions & Income Calculator)

July 27, 2022. 13 MIN READ Written By: Gina Baker
Multifamily real estate properties.

How To Buy a Multifamily Investment Property in 9 Steps

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6 Best Online Rent Payment Services for Landlords 2023

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10 Proof of Income Documents Landlords Use to Verify Income

Real Estate Real estate agent handling the house key to the new home owner.
Real Estate

20 Most Crucial Real Estate Statistics

April 27, 2022. 8 MIN READ Written By: Gina Baker
Real Estate Strongest housing market.
Real Estate

10 States With the Strongest & Weakest Housing Markets

July 01, 2022. 10 MIN READ Written By: Gina Baker
Buyer's Guide

6 Best Real Estate Lead Generation Websites in 2023

November 28, 2022. 15 MIN READ Written By: Jocille Ann Morito
Buyer's Guide people sharing information

Meet our Experts

Gina Baker

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Kaylee Strozyk

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Jocille Ann Morito

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Aloun Khountham

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Jealie Dacanay

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LATEST ARTICLES

Open House Signboard

January 19, 2023

14 Open House Ideas That Generate Qualified Real Estate Leads

Open houses have been a staple of the real estate industry for decades to increase lead generation and business opportunities, but they have changed over time. Staying ahead of new, unique open house ideas and trends maximizes your time and effort and brings more qualified leads into your sphere. Excellent open house ideas, like having food, social media advertisements, and virtual tours, help your property stand out, increase property interest, and acquire contact information from prospective buyers and future sellers. These are 14 real estate open house ideas to help you generate interest and leads for your properties: 1. Choose the Right Open House Time & Day Timing is everything when it comes to showcasing property at an open house event. Although weekends are popular days for agents to host open houses, depending on the property and area, it may not always be the best day for that specific property. For example, family-friendly neighborhoods may have homeowners occupied with family events and obligations, making it difficult for them to attend on the weekend. Instead, have open houses on weekday evenings to capture additional opportunities. Most open houses are offered during the day to maximize natural light. However, if a property has a beautiful city view in the evening that increases buyer interest, hosting an evening open house and marketing the city lights can get more people in the door and get you more real estate leads. Choosing the right open house time and day for a specific property is crucial to shortening the property’s time on the market. 2. Electronic Open House Sign-ins Collecting open house visitor contact information is one of the best tips for open houses. Not only should you have a sign-in sheet for anyone who stops by, but having a digital sign-in sheet eliminates the need to decipher handwritten contact information. Digital sign-in sheets also allow for additional branding and make it easier to collect certain notes on visitors. For example, allow visitors to identify whether they are a buyer or a real estate agent—and when the buyer is looking to move. These filters come in handy during the follow-up process. Agents can utilize platforms like to create online sign-in sheets directly in an open house application. The sign-in sheets sync with customer relationship management (CRM) software for better lead collection and follow-up. Curb Hero also provides digital marketing tools for agents to also create landing pages for their listings and converts social media followers to leads. 3. Highlight the Property’s Best Features The most successful real estate agents look at the property through the eyes of the ideal buyer when coming up with open house marketing ideas. Identifying the best features of the property that will generate the most leads will provide you with a more targeted open house attendees list. Not only should you highlight these features during your open house tour, but you should also mention the feature in the online property description and throughout your marketing materials. For example, if you have a stunning backyard pool, draw additional attention to it by setting that area up with drinks, pool floaties, and nice patio pillows and furniture. If part of the home has nice hardwood flooring, let the natural wood show rather than covering it with a rug. Any feature you deem worthy of marketing should be visible and presented in the best possible way to garner a strong first impression from open house attendees. 4. Provide Food & Entertainment One of the best ideas for open houses is to provide an incentive to attend the open house event. Adding on food and entertainment can be a motivating factor to increase attendance from interested buyers. Aside from speakers and other attendees, EventBrite cites food as the second-most important factor when people decide if they’re attending an event. Perhaps there is a new bakery in the neighborhood you could get catering from that would entice people to stop by for a taste while also seeing the property. Fun open house ideas that include good food and entertainment are also very unexpected since most open houses are just about the property itself and lack any additional bells and whistles. Although food is a huge draw, be mindful of what you serve. You don't want to serve anything that requires too many utensils or space to sit and eat. Finger foods and hors d'oeuvres served cold or at room temperature are great options to allow guests to still move through the property. You also want to keep the homeowner’s space nice and clean, so don't serve food that may stain their furniture. 5. Offer 3D & 2D Virtual Tours Offering 2D and 3D virtual tours is a valuable open house tip because it offers those unable to make your event in person an opportunity to still see the property. It also allows prospective buyers to have an open house experience at any time convenient to them without the need to disturb property sellers and have them vacate the property. Agents can use 2D and 3D tours in their marketing and promotional materials as a way to collect additional leads. Sharing snippets of the tour to prospective buyers can give them a preview of the property, thereby making in-person visitors more motivated to put in an offer. Agents can also have a registration form to collect leads for buyers who want to see the full tour. To enhance the presentation of your listing, agents can create video marketing content with 3D tours from . Matterport’s 3D technology helps agents reach a wider audience with standout features like Mattertags, floorplans, and the ability to virtually stage their properties. It offers 360 cameras to capture a listing’s space, but agents can use their phones and Matterport’s mobile application to produce 3D models of their property. 6. Strategically Placed Signage Real estate open house signage is essential for letting people know about your listing. Agents should list open house times on third-party websites like or , but having outside signage strategically placed can create more foot traffic to your open house. Some open house tips for signage include having a prominent sign at the property and placing one on a nearby busy road with balloons to draw the attention of passing cars. This is particularly helpful if other open houses are happening in the neighborhood and they might not have seen your property online. Another place to include open house signage is with nearby businesses. Many coffee shops and cafes have corkboards or public bulletins that allow you to post signage. This can gain neighborhood traffic, but also those traveling to a neighborhood they’re interested in moving to. Like the above image, the bulletin board is right near the milk at a coffee shop, so those who are topping off their coffees can stop and see your open house information. To print open house signage, agents can use to quickly and professionally print out signage. Agents can select from various signage options, like yard signs, banners, posters, and flags, to appropriately market their open houses. VistaPrint provides premade templates, or you can choose to upload your own custom design. It connects agents with professional designers to help create the perfect sign design. 7. Leverage Brand Partnership to Access Larger Reach Many local or national brands have large client contact lists and strong brand recognition. Partnering with brands for your open house is a creative open house idea that can draw a lot of attention to your event. The partnership is mutually beneficial because you can draw in attendees to your open house while the brand can increase its customer base. Brand partnerships can range from a beverage partner to a local florist to a mortgage professional—reducing open house expenses. In exchange for goods or services, you will usually be expected to help pitch in with marketing their brand during your outreach efforts for your open house. Adding their logo and company information to your flyers and newsletter can help with expanding their brand recognition, but if it’s a strong brand, then you can use that to your advantage to get more attendees. 8. Use Digital Marketing Advertisements With 4.9 billion social media users, open houses should also be marketed online to have a larger and more targeted reach. Social media allows agents to market their open houses to their social media followers. Agents can also create social media ads that will be shown to a selected audience. For example, choose to show the sponsored ad to a targeted area or ZIP code in addition to choosing different client attributes like those looking to move in the near future. Social media is one of the most affordable ways to market your listing, and the power of social media lets users easily share your post with their network, creating more ad impressions for you. Some platforms like Facebook allow users to add a registration form or “learn more” button—helping you collect prospective buyer leads or direct viewers to your website’s landing pages. Even if they don't attend your open house, you can convert them later. 9. Invite the Neighbors A property’s neighbors may not be the most motivated buyers. However, it's still an opportunity for real estate agents to develop their business. It's an opportunity for you to introduce yourself and your services while also showcasing the work that you put into listing a property. That way, if they list in the future, they will be inclined to reach out to you. Go around the neighborhood with attractive door hanger invites to invite those closest to the property. Also, allow them to invite any interested friends, family, or colleagues. Another benefit of inviting the neighbors is to show them what their property could potentially be valued at. Neighbors are usually curious about what their neighbors’ homes are selling for and what the property looks like. Welcoming the neighbors to your house can encourage them to sell at the current market conditions and give you more listing opportunities in the future. 10. Collaborate With Other Agents The real estate industry can be extremely competitive because agents are generally independent contractors working solely on commission. However, that doesn't mean agents shouldn't collaborate for mutually beneficial reasons. Although you probably do not want to share your listings with other agents, building relationships with buyer’s agents who have clients who might be interested in the property can be advantageous for both parties. These collaborations don't always have to exist during the open house hours the general public is invited to. Share a new listing with other agents prior to listing it on the market, also known as a broker open house. Agents can view the property without clients, gathering information directly from the hosting agents. This way, agents can entice their clients to view a special listing that is not on the market. It could even eliminate your open house altogether if you get a buyer before the first open house. 11. Incentivize Open House Visitors With Prize Raffles Doing raffles at open houses can draw in attendees interested in the prizes offered, but it allows you to collect prospective client information. Visitors may want to bypass the sign-in sheet because they don't want to receive spam emails or follow-ups; however, if visitors want to win a prize, they will be more inclined to provide their contact information. You can also decide to use raffle slips as a substitute for a traditional sign-in sheet. Depending on what your budget allows, try to get prizes that are substantial enough to attract attendees, like gift cards, spa services, or local sport event tickets. Aim to have multiple prizes with varying price ranges. That way, you not only have a few more winners but can also develop better relationships with the winners. Agents should make sure to include the presence of a raffle on their invites and marketing materials. Prizes that interest your contact lists will persuade guests to participate. 12. Stage the Property & Add Additional Decor Empty properties should be staged with furniture and decor to give prospective buyers an idea of how the space might look if they lived there. A staged home sells 30% faster than unstaged properties and has a 20% higher sales price on average. Therefore, not only will the effort upfront mean you can close a deal faster, but your commission income could also increase significantly. Although it may feel like a large investment to stage an entire property, your return on that investment will make it worth the initial expense. For properties that currently have homeowners living in them, small additions to the property can help prepare the property for an open house. Homeowners may not have accent pillows on their couches or lamps on the side tables that are used on a daily basis. Adding small touches like these could pull a room together and make it present more professionally. Real estate agents could use these add-ons to their advantage, like a branded doormat containing your logo and contact information. 13. Provide Customized Promotional Items Agents should market themselves and their brand during an open house. An easy way to do this is by having goodie bags or promotional items at the open house so people can take your contact information with them. Branded tote bags with open house flyers inside of them can be an excellent way to have people reach for the bags and take them home. Their use of your bags for groceries or everyday activities helps increase your brand placement to others who see the bag. These items can also be as simple as branded pens or refrigerator magnets. offers promotional items with a variety of tote bags for all occasions. It’s a one-stop shop for all customized marketing products. Agents can select from over 1,500 tote bag options with a wide range of materials, quantities, and costs to fit their needs. In addition to offering a regular cotton tote bag, agents can get creative and print beach bags, toiletry bags, or even laundry bags that might get more frequent use by your open house attendees. 14. Always Follow Up With Your Open House Visitors The key to having a successful open house is follow-up. Having a few follow-up email templates pre-drafted before your open house helps you send them out quickly after the event. Following up with open house attendees acknowledges their presence at the event and opens up the opportunity for conversation. You could ask for their feedback to help you determine the next marketing steps to sell the property, or you could share with them a price change that might pique their interest. Having a customer relationship manager (CRM) connected to your digital open house sign-in sheet helps you nurture that relationship. CRMs like have robust email marketing tools that allow you to track email campaigns as well as email segmentation, so you can send the right message to the right contacts. For contacts collected at open houses, you can have a segment specifically for them, sharing listings you have available in nearby areas. Bottom Line Some of the top open house tips can be executed simultaneously to create a larger impact at your open houses. These open house event ideas should help you quickly receive offers on your property, increase your contact lists, and bring additional business for the future. Although open houses have been around for some time, keeping up with the latest open house ideas and trends can provide you with a lead generation strategy to grow your business over time.

WRITTEN BY: Aloun Khountham

Aceable Agent logo

January 18, 2023

Aceable Agent Review: Features, Alternatives & Pricing for 2023

Aceable Agent is a national online real estate school pioneering in affordable distance prelicensing, continuing education, and professional development courses. Students have access to self-paced courses, real estate exam preparation, a money-back guarantee, flashcards, audio lessons, and instructor support. Based on our Aceable Agent review, the school is an excellent choice for aspiring agents looking to complete their prelicensing courses on the go. Aceable Agent Reviews: What Users Think of Aceable Agent Is Aceable Agent legit? Based on positive Aceable real estate school reviews, students recommended its courses as they were easy to understand. One Aceable Agent review said that reading the lessons helped them stay focused. Another customer appreciated how specific the learning materials were, adding that short videos helped him understand concepts better. One agent appreciated the school’s modern classroom experience and easy-to-use interface, which allowed her to access the course on her mobile phone and laptop. Trustpilot: 4.9 out of 5 based on 6,242 Aceable real estate reviews Indeed: 4.7 out of 5 based on 25 Aceable real estate reviews In less favorable Aceable Agent reviews, one student was disappointed that he couldn’t retake the level assessments. Another negative review said that the practice test didn’t have similar questions to the final exam, which made him feel ill-prepared. Aceable Agent’s courses are also very limited and are only available in 14 states. If you need post-licensing and continuing education (CE) courses to keep your license active, check out courses from other real estate schools, like and . Would Our Expert Use Aceable Agent? We recommend specifically for aspiring agents who prefer self-paced prelicensing education on the go. With a robust mobile application, students can sync their online courses across multiple devices to complete their education, whether at home, at work, or in a coffee shop. What we like most about Aceable Agent is its tiered prelicensing packages, including instructor support and Lite Exam Prep. Premium plans also provide private tutoring, helpful to students needing direct guidance from experts. However, Aceable Agent is only available in 14 states, with only prelicensing education in most locations. There are post-licensing and CE courses in very few states. This makes and a better option for aspiring and experienced agents looking for online real estate education across the country. Instructor support in Aceable Agent is only via email, which may provide slower responses than phone calls. Types of Education Available at Aceable Agent primarily offers prelicensing education with exam prep bundles in 14 states. There are also post-licensing and CE courses in select states. Read on to find courses available in your area. Prelicensing As mentioned, Aceable Agent’s prelicensing education is only available in 14 states. These courses are designed for students who want to become a real estate agent and developed by real estate experts to be mobile application-friendly while also meeting each state’s course requirements. The self-paced learning slides, along with the ability to download learning PDFs, allow students the flexibility to complete the course on their own time with or without an internet connection. Although courses are primarily online, students can contact instructors via email to get adequate support for completing the course. All prelicensing packages include real estate practice questions to help students prepare for the state exams. In some state packages, like New York, Aceable Agent offers career assistance courses to help agents find a sponsoring broker. The table below outlines what’s included in each Aceable Agent prelicensing package. Note that the plans vary slightly by state. *Not available in all states Aceable Agent Alternatives *Pricing is for comparable options; the exact price depends on location, course selection, and learning format. Aceable Agent Pricing & Plans Pricing for courses varies by state due to each state's required number of education hours. Prelicensing courses are divided into three plan options: Basic, Deluxe, and Premium, starting at $116. Aceable Agent’s post-licensing course is only available in Texas and offers bundled course options and individual courses to meet the state's requirements. CE classes are also offered in limited states through Aceable Agent’s partnership with . All plans include customer service support, a money-back guarantee, downloadable PDFs, and state-approved content. Upgrading to Deluxe and Premium prelicensing plans will include extra features such as webinars, live Q&A, private tutoring, and extra exam preparation from . *Pricing varies depending on location and course package. General Aceable Agent Features enables students to obtain their real estate license by providing convenient education to help them advance in their careers. Through self-paced online courses, flexible learning styles, an advanced technology platform, and an Ace or Don’t Pay Guarantee, Aceable Agent simplifies the process for aspiring and active agents to complete necessary coursework. In addition, Aceable Agent gives students access to state-approved instructors, along with an online platform that is tech-savvy, easy to navigate, and can flow with the busy schedule of aspiring and experienced agents. Additionally, the interactive learning videos and answer boxes in the prelicensing course assist students in passing the required exams and equip them with skills to eventually become real estate brokers. Ease of Use for Aceable Agent technology-forward platform makes the course easy to sign up for and begin on any device. The software was designed to be intuitive for all students without being too technically complex. The course dashboard has an easy-to-read navigation bar outlining course lessons and topics along with the course completion rate. Course content is presented in slide-based lessons, so you can easily move through the materials, answer course questions, watch videos, and pause when necessary. The auto-save feature ensures all work is saved, and you can pick up exactly where you left off. Courses are further synced across all your devices, so you can take your education anywhere. Aceable Agent’s website is also easy to navigate. Just click the course you need in your desired state to view all the available education packages, along with course rates and inclusions. Bottom Line Aceable Agent is one of the best online real estate schools for students looking for convenient education to obtain their real estate license. The free mobile application allows course completion from anywhere and anytime, reducing any barrier to successfully completing the course within an appropriate period. Based on our Aceable Agent review, the school’s prelicensing packages, along with exam prep courses and an Ace or Don’t Pay Guarantee, empower aspiring agents to successfully pass the actual licensing exams.

WRITTEN BY: Jocille Ann Morito

Showing how youtube views make money.

January 18, 2023

11 Top YouTube Real Estate Tips for Agents + Examples

Video is one of the most-consumed types of online content that you can leverage to grow your real estate business and brand. With more than 2.6 billion active users each month, YouTube is the obvious choice to host and promote your content. With the right tools and tips, you can create a YouTube real estate channel that attracts your audience, generates highly targeted real estate leads, and increases your revenue at a high return on investment (ROI). Here are 11 ways to generate highly targeted YouTube real estate leads: 1. Optimize Your YouTube Real Estate Channel One of the most important pieces of a strong real estate YouTube strategy is optimizing your channel’s design and content. Think of your channel page as a landing page, where you get a valuable opportunity to establish who you are and how you stand out from your competition. Ultimately, the goal of creating YouTube real estate videos is to attract leads and convert them into clients. To do that, viewers need to have a clear understanding of the value you provide to them. It also needs to be easy for them to continue watching your videos and sign up as one of your leads. Optimizing your channel means intentionally designing your brand, content, and the organization of your page. The main areas to optimize include the following: Profile image: Although it’s small, your profile image will appear on every real estate video you share. Use your realtor headshot and make sure your face is clear, without distractions or busy backgrounds. Banner: Your banner is arguably the most valuable space on your YouTube channel page. Include your logo, contact information, and tagline or brief description of what you do. Use our Facebook cover photo tips and simply adjust the image size in . Channel trailer video: This is a pinned video at the top of your channel page. Take this opportunity to create or choose an engaging video that clearly shows what you offer and the type of content viewers can expect from you. Trailer description: The trailer video description is the first thing viewers see on your real estate YouTube channel, so it’s even more important than your “about” description. Use the opportunity to describe the video and name specific questions and problems you help clients solve. About section: The “about” page will generally be viewed by people considering whether they should subscribe to your channel or reach out to you for help. Make sure you write a short real estate bio that gets to the point and identifies your niche and standout qualities. Playlists: Playlists are key for targeting different types of leads. For example, buyers and sellers have different questions and concerns, so create specific playlists for each customer's personas. This will draw them in and increase your conversions. Here’s an example of how one California realtor, Jeb Smith, organized his YouTube playlists: As you optimize your real estate agent YouTube channel, make sure each element is consistent with your real estate branding. This includes designing a logo and choosing brand colors and copy that speaks to your ideal client type and represents your personality. If you aren’t familiar with branding or designing, getting professional assistance is well worth it. With a company like , write a brief that describes your needs, like a logo, YouTube banner, or a complete brand kit. Then a variety of designers will present their ideas, and you decide on the design that best fits your style and needs. Start building a strong brand with 99designs today! 2. Choose Your Video Editing Tools Strategically One of the reasons YouTube is so powerful for real estate marketing is that video is more engaging than written text. In fact, real estate listings that have at least one video receive 400% more inquiries. However, your videos must be clear, organized, and engaging to attract and maintain an audience. To create engaging videos that generate real estate leads effectively, you’ll need tools to edit and produce your videos professionally. Remove awkward pauses, mumbling, and fuzzy sections to keep the video flowing steadily and eliminate errors. Make sure there are no unnecessary background noises like beeping, gusting wind, or outside conversation so your viewers can hear you clearly. Consider adding subtitles and background music to make your video more appealing, accessible, and understandable. Luckily, editing videos for YouTube doesn’t require expensive or confusing high-end video equipment, software, or even training. , an easy-to-use video editing software, can easily upload, trim, customize, edit, and share your videos. It doesn’t require hours to learn how to use the tool, and it provides a range of real estate-specific video templates like listing videos, explainers, and agent testimonials. Try Animoto for free and see how it will help you gain success with YouTube for real estate agents. 3. Write Search-optimized Copy Since YouTube is owned by a search engine (Google), YouTube search engine optimization (SEO) is arguably the most effective way to get views and drive traffic to your YouTube real estate channel. Optimizing your videos for YouTube searches means creating videos based on keywords and covering topics your target audience is searching for. For instance, if you are looking for first-time homebuyers, use keywords like “affordable homes for sale,” “buying your first house,” or “how to buy your first home.” Since your content will likely be highly localized, your keywords should be used in conjunction with locale, such as “homes for sale in Dallas.” Utilize programs like to determine the best keywords for your content. Real-time tracking of keywords will assist in targeting keywords that bring the most traffic to your YouTube videos. Once you’ve determined a few keywords to target, make sure to place the keywords throughout your video and content. This will help YouTube learn the topic and correctly rank it in searches. Places to add keywords include the following: Title: Include the primary keyword in the video’s title and add power words, like “discover,” “alluring,” or “nostalgic,” to communicate the value that the video offers (for example, “Nostalgic New England Colonial Home Tour” or “Discover the Value of a Real Estate for Your Home Search”). Description: Include the primary and any secondary keyword(s) in the video’s description, and use short paragraphs for readability. Don’t forget to add links to other related videos and a call to action (CTA), like visiting your blog or subscribing to your monthly newsletter. Subtitles: Adding subtitles to your YouTube real estate videos helps with SEO because Google can crawl all the subtitle text in the video. Even more importantly, it makes your content accessible to all viewers. Custom thumbnail: YouTube allows you to choose from automatically generated screenshots within your video, but it’s important to customize your thumbnail with a high-quality image. Simply choosing a screenshot wastes extremely valuable space since viewers often read the text on this image before the actual title of the video. While your thumbnail may not directly help the Google algorithm, it will help viewers choose to watch your video among a sea of other real estate videos. Google is an amazing tool you can leverage to help your audience find your videos and increase your success. Keep in mind, however, that search engines should only be used as a tool to reach your audience, not as the sole focus of your videos. If you become too focused on keywords and algorithms, you’ll lose your connection with viewers and ultimately won’t get new business from your videos. Make sure that your priority is always to provide value to your audience. 4. Post Engaging YouTube Real Estate Videos The key to gaining success on YouTube is posting interesting videos that actually help your audience. This might mean teaching them new information or even entertaining them at times. Fortunately, creating engaging content that makes you successful in real estate doesn’t require reinventing the wheel. You simply need to be authentic, be clear about who you want to serve, and provide value. There are many different types of YouTube videos you can create. To help you start generating ideas, here are three common and effective types: 5. Include Calls to Action (CTAs) A call to action (CTA) is vital to every piece of real estate marketing content, providing a clear next step for the viewer. They should be simple, like asking users to leave a comment, subscribe to your channel, click on a landing page, or sign up for a mailing list. If you create content on other platforms like Instagram or a blog, you might be accustomed to writing CTAs at the bottom of every post. However, YouTube content should present multiple CTAs and be placed at the beginning, throughout, and on the end screen of your real estate videos. YouTube provides a particularly large range of ways to present your CTAs to your audience. Here are some ways you can and should include the CTAs: By verbally mentioning them within your video In cards or annotations that appear during the video Within the video description On the beginning and ending screens CTAs do not need to be complicated. In fact, simple calls to action are more likely to resonate with viewers, and they are easier for you to consistently mention. Choose from a few different phrases like, “Don’t forget to subscribe for more information,” “Click the link in the description for a free home valuation,” or “Follow me on Instagram for updates.” 6. Target Your Audience With Relevant Content Make sure your YouTube channel isn’t flooded with overly general content. If you try to appeal to every potential type of real estate client, you’ll end up with content that doesn’t appeal to anyone. Instead, create specific content to establish yourself as the go-to expert, targeting your niche audience and ideal buyer types. For example, your real estate niche could be expired listings in and around Madison, Alabama. Instead of creating a general first-time homebuyer video that will get buried among thousands of similar videos, create a video series about the reasons home listings in Madison expire and how you successfully sell homes in that city. You will attract a very targeted audience much more quickly and generate much more qualified leads. 7. Connect YouTube to Your Website & Landing Page Although video views are important, having people watch your videos alone is not going to grow your business. You must make a natural transition for viewers to become one of your leads, and that is most frequently done with real estate landing pages or websites. Add links to your website in every video description, in the text on your video, and on your channel’s home page to direct traffic to your website and landing pages—capturing as many leads as possible. Consider offering something valuable, like a home valuation or comparative market analysis (CMA), through a sign-up form on your website. Draw attention to this offer in videos, explaining why they are valuable and how your audience can get their own. If you don’t have a website or landing pages with lead capture forms, you can get one up and running in just a few hours with . With over 30 beautiful real estate IDX website templates, an easy-to-use design platform, and a marketplace of website and marketing services offered by professionals, Placester has everything needed to build a real estate business more effectively. 8. Promote Your YouTube Channel on Other Platforms As powerful as YouTube for real estate agents can be on its own, there are no marketing methods that will magically grow your business without effort. You need a promotion strategy to get the maximum results out of your YouTube real estate content, especially in the beginning. Instagram post promoting YouTube real estate video (Source: @aarealestate_) Promote your YouTube videos in real estate by: Cross-posting YouTube real estate videos to your other social profiles Share short clips of the video on TikTok or Instagram Reels Embed videos in emails and send them to your lists Embed YouTube videos on a blog post or landing page Ask your social media connections to share your videos Run ads to drive traffic to your YouTube videos Your promotion strategy can be done manually, but it will likely take hours to complete for every new YouTube video. A much more efficient way to build your success is by using a tool like , which provides publishing and scheduling features, as well as extensive insights into your audience’s needs. Sprout Social integrates directly with YouTube and every other popular social platform, so you can schedule your videos to publish on multiple platforms at once. Learn more about how Sprout Social can massively improve your real estate YouTube channel. 9. Actively Encourage Comments & Subscribers Every time you post real estate videos on YouTube, ask viewers to like and comment on the video and subscribe to your channel. This should be one of your CTAs, for reasons mentioned above, but these engagement metrics are particularly important for the YouTube algorithm. The more engagement you receive, the more likely YouTube is to show your videos. Another reason why video engagement is vital to your success on YouTube for real estate agents is that it directly grows your audience. It reveals who your audience members are and allows you to start building relationships with them. They will be able to ask you questions and interact with you, which will showcase your value and expertise to attract clients. Every time someone comments on your video or subscribes to your channel, add their name as a contact in your customer relationship manager (CRM). Using a CRM with a visual pipeline, like , you can easily track each time a lead interacts with you or your videos. Pipedrive also uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze how each audience member interacts and identify which are more likely to respond or convert. 10. Partner With YouTube Influencers Even though there are many real estate professionals who are already using YouTube to grow their business, you don’t have to consider all of them as your competition—especially once you establish your ideal clientele. Instead, you can actually partner with other YouTubers in the real estate space to create something that benefits both professionals and audiences. Real estate influencer interview with an agent (Source: YouTube) Find YouTubers who have an audience similar to your own and who already have a large audience. If you don’t have any connections to them, start supporting them by simply liking and commenting on their videos. Then, reach out and offer a way that you can provide value to their audience. For example, you could collaborate with popular real estate investors and teach their audiences how to successfully choose and work with real estate agents. By working with other YouTube influencers, you’ll continue to establish yourself as an expert and get in front of a larger number of potential clients. 11. Advertise on YouTube If you’re serious about growing a substantial audience on YouTube, advertising on the platform is a powerful and relatively accessible way to get results quickly. Since YouTube has advanced targeting data and algorithms, it’s one of the best and most cost-effective ways to run highly targeted ads that bring views to your videos from your desired audience. Plus, real estate ads on YouTube typically have less competition than ads on other platforms. This is partially because most real estate agents don’t have YouTube channels, so by having one, you’re already a step ahead. There is also no minimum cost for advertising on the platform, but you can expect to pay between 1 cent and 3 cents per click or view. All YouTube advertisements should clearly display the value that you provide as a real estate agent so that you grab the attention of site users and get them to take immediate action in connecting with you. However, the type of ad you choose is up to your discretion and unique strategy. The primary types of YouTube ads include the following: Skippable in-stream ads: Video ads that appear in the middle of another YouTube video, and can be skipped by the user after a designated period of time Non-skippable in-stream ads: These ads also play in the middle of another YouTube video, but cannot be skipped by the user. They are a maximum of 15 seconds long. In-feed video ads: In-feed ads appear similar to a related video on the right-hand side of the user’s screen. You are only charged for the ads when viewers click on them. Bumper ads: Bumper ads are only six seconds or shorter, and play before, during, or after another YouTube video, and are similar to non-skippable in-stream ads. Outstream ads: These are video ads that appear on websites and apps across the internet. Masthead ads: Masthead ads are placed at the top of the YouTube home page and autoplay without sound for 30 seconds. Why Agents Use YouTube for Real Estate Lead Generation YouTube is one of the most powerful and underutilized platforms for real estate agents to grow their audience and generate leads. Most real estate agents see Instagram and Facebook as simpler and more accessible platforms to build an audience, but 112 million people use YouTube every day. Although it takes more time to create engaging and well-designed videos, this channel can be an incredibly powerful tool to help grow your business. Here are six reasons why YouTube is effective for real estate professionals: Bottom Line Many agents don’t even consider using YouTube as a marketing and lead generation strategy for their business. However, it can be a lucrative and incredibly powerful way to attract leads and clients and build a reputation as a local real estate expert. Make sure to establish your brand and YouTube strategy, target the right keywords, and provide value to your audience. With these strategic choices, YouTube could be the source of your real estate success.

WRITTEN BY: Kaylee Strozyk

We Know Real Estate book

January 17, 2023

9 Items to Include in a Winning Prelisting Package (+ Free Checklist)

A prelisting package (also called a pitch packet or pitch deck) is a document you send to sellers before a listing meeting to introduce yourself and explain why they should list with you. It includes elements like a personal introduction, marketing plans, and performance statistics to show potential clients that you understand today's market and are a valuable asset to their homeselling process. A comprehensive prelisting package has the power to take a potential client from skeptical lead to loyal customer. Download our free prelisting checklist below and then read along for a breakdown of each element to include in your prelisting package. This thorough checklist can help you save time when developing your own real estate prelisting packet. It includes the components essential for creating a package that shows sellers you are a trustworthy and responsive professional focused on helping them throughout their homeselling journey. 1. The Introduction Letter The introduction of your prelisting presentation should be a personalized letter that directly addresses the homeowner and explains what the package includes. You don't have to write a new letter every time, and you can save time in the future by creating a basic prelisting packet introduction letter, but you should include some personalization. Since your prelisting presentation packet is meant to demonstrate why you are uniquely qualified to sell their home, sending them a generic package with clip art won't be impactful. Instead, prepare an introduction letter template for types of listing clients, like FSBOs (for sale by owner), expired listings, referrals, or leads from your sphere of influence. 2. A Brief Professional & Personal Biography The next section of your prelisting package template should be a brief biographical summary (aka bio section), similar to a resume. While your leads won’t have the time or interest to read through your junior high soccer history, they want to get a sense of your success as a real estate professional and who you are. After all, they will be working with you on what may be a stressful and emotional transaction for the next few months. Make sure your bio includes the following: Brief summary of your experience What makes you unique Testimonials from former clients Your headshot Any real estate designations and their importance (make it clear how it helps your clients) Personal tidbits about you so clients can relate 3. Introduction to Your Brokerage & Team While most homesellers focus more on the real estate agent than their real estate brokerage, providing a brief overview of your brokerage and team is beneficial. It shows clients a glimpse of what services you can offer and that you have additional resources at your disposal. Include information about your brokerage’s history, sales records, awards, and current or recent real estate listings comparable to the prospect’s home. Also, add evidence of your firm’s marketing prowess to assure prospective real estate clients that a top-notch brokerage further supports your efforts. If you work within a real estate team, this is the time to introduce each member's name and job position, especially any team members the sellers will be in contact with or may be working with in case of your absence. Include short bios with headshots of your team leader, associate broker(s), marketing support, and virtual assistant to let your potential listing clients know who they should talk to if issues arise. 4. Marketing & Advertising Plan While you should hold off on making specific pricing recommendations or sharing customized marketing plans, you should include an overview of the marketing skills and tools you plan to use to capture and generate high-quality leads. The following are some examples of marketing materials and strategies to help you grow your audience and increase your engagement: Virtual staging or tours Online real estate ads through social media platforms Direct mailing with the assistance of or Postcards using or templates and designs Flyers using custom templates Social media posting on Facebook or Instagram Syncing your real estate listings to various online platforms, like or Furthermore, include a marketing case study to show how you achieved a successful sale with a similar home. The study should provide specific details about the tactics you used to demonstrate a property’s value, time on the market, and marketing channels you used. For example, if you’re pitching an FSBO lead, include a marketing case study on an FSBO property you recently closed. Show the channels you used to market the property and statistics to depict these channels' success and closing timeline. If you don’t already have a system for marketing, take a look at the following options that make your marketing efforts more efficient and stand out from the competition: 5. Statistics Showing Strong Performance Along with introducing your brokerage, include statistics about your performance and the performance of your brokerage. These numbers will show your listing clients how quickly you’ve been able to sell houses and how well you can achieve (or even exceed) the listing prices. Statistics like the average days on market, the percentage of sales closed over ask, and the number of sales closed in a specific area will support and act as evidence for your claims. Include pictures and data for comparable properties to show your neighborhood expertise. This can help establish your presence and value of knowledge in the area your potential client is selling their home. 6. An Overview of the Sales Process Including an overview of the sales process gives homeowners a clear view of their next steps and helps them envision working with you. While you don’t need to write lengthy explanations of the sales process or cover all of the possibilities, a bulleted list of the basics will go a long way to educate your clients and demonstrate your value. Be sure to include information about how negotiations work, the fee structure for sellers, and any additional services they’ll need, such as title company, escrow, real estate attorney, and mortgage broker. The list you give clients should match your real estate listing checklist to keep everyone on the same page throughout the process. 7. Market Statistics & Explanation of Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) The prelisting package is the place to introduce local real estate market data. Include a few statistics about similar homes in the prospective client’s area and mention that you’ll present a comparative market analysis (CMA) during your meeting. Don’t send the complete CMA to the sellers before your listing presentation, but explain what it is and how it will help them price their home accurately so they can get the most money from the sale of their home. Providing this data and information gives homeowners time to think about the market data and anticipate the information that will be included in your CMA. You can also mention that you will need to tour their home before making a final pricing recommendation and ask to set up a time. 8. Sample Contracts & Disclosures Including a sample real estate listing agreement contract in your prelisting packet helps sellers think past getting their property on the market. Homeowners are often so focused on the overwhelming number of tasks and decisions they’ll have to make to list their home that they don’t think about other vital details, like contracts and disclosures. Including these documents prepares them for what they’ll face during and after accepting an offer. When you and the homeowners are on the same page about the homeselling process and their goals, it allows the whole process to run more smoothly. It will also give you a moment to explain these documents, so homeowners are given transparency throughout the process. Discussing potential disclosures during the listing presentation often reveals important information that prevents problems or miscommunications. 9. Checklists & Anticipatory Questions A great way to end your prelisting package is with a checklist and questions for the homeowners to consider when choosing an agent to list their home. This helps prepare them for your listing presentation meeting and shows them that your priority is genuinely helping them in the best possible way. Of course, when you present a list of questions to ask a real estate agent, you should also be prepared to answer each question. You can also personalize these questions based on the seller's situation. For instance, if your potential client is an FSBO or expired listing, include questions like "How long have you been trying to sell your home?" and "Do you have access to all the appropriate contracts, disclosures, and other legal paperwork?" Prelisting Package Best Practices Like most effective marketing materials, building an excellent prelisting presentation is as much an art as it is a science. What you include will be primarily determined by your experience, preferences, skills, and what type of homeowner you’re pitching. This is why you want to keep the various sellers in mind when constructing your package—to tailor it to their particular needs. For example, a for sale by owner (FSBO) lead needs different types of education than a typical seller, e.g., the value of working with an agent rather than selling their home independently. A first-time seller might need a more in-depth understanding of the homeselling process than someone who’s sold multiple homes. Or an expired listing seller might need to be re-encouraged to work with an agent if their first agent failed to sell their home the first time. However, in general, a prelisting package should address the following: Demonstrates how the real estate agent can sell the client’s home to meet the homeowner’s goals Describes what the homeowner can expect during the process of selling their home Give the homeowner an in-depth look at the agent’s marketing and sales skills Provides statistical and social proof of the agent’s successful track record Provides the homeowner with a realistic view of the marketplace and how it relates to their property It is also a good idea to send a prelisting package at least a couple of days before your first meeting with a potential client. This way, the sellers can review the prelisting package before the actual listing presentation. Examples of Prelisting Packages Here are some examples of pieces of prelisting packages that will guide you in creating an excellent prelisting packet that will surely convert your leads into clients. These prelisting package examples showcase the above-mentioned items, like an introduction letter, professional biography, and market statistics demonstrating the agent's expertise and achievements. Bottom Line Your prelisting package is one of the most effective and influential real estate lead generation tools you can create, so spending some time and money to make it shine can positively impact your entire business. By creating different real estate prelisting packages for different types of homesellers and including the correct information, you’ll maximize your chances of converting real estate leads into real estate listings.

WRITTEN BY: Jealie Dacanay

LinkedIn on phone screen

January 12, 2023

How to Generate LinkedIn Real Estate Leads in 8 Steps

LinkedIn is a professional networking and career development website that can be used by real estate professionals to make connections, establish their online identity, and generate business. By creating a captivating profile, posting real estate-related content, using paid advertising, and nurturing your online connections, using LinkedIn for real estate agents can provide steady brand recognition and a targeted online reach that yields real estate opportunities. We’ve found eight ways real estate agents can use LinkedIn for real estate leads with both organic and paid strategies: 1. Build a Compelling Personal LinkedIn Real Estate Profile A LinkedIn profile acts as a landing page for your personal brand. Agents who want to generate real estate leads should have a page that clearly identifies their profession through a professional headshot, headline, and profile summary. When people visit your page, they’ll clearly understand what you do and your services. Agents should consistently update their profiles to ensure prospective clients have the most accurate information on where they work, some of their most recent projects, and their newest acquired skills. 2. Create a Business Profile If using LinkedIn for real estate agents, you should have a business profile and a personal profile to give credibility to the products or services offered. Business profiles or company pages are similar to personal profiles but highlight the businesses’ expertise, services, employees, and accomplishments. This strategy will also increase additional exposure to your business because there is not only an additional landing page created but also additional tools provided to increase page following and engagement. 3. Increase Your LinkedIn Real Estate Professional Network Once you’ve created your personal LinkedIn real estate profile, your next objective should be to create as many meaningful connections as possible on the networking site. Eighty percent of professionals say you can elevate your career through professional networking. However, collecting LinkedIn connections won't just result in success for your business. You have to make connections beneficial to your business. On LinkedIn, connections are made when you or someone you invite to connect accepts the invitation. There are different levels of connections on LinkedIn. The degrees of connections on LinkedIn: 1st-degree: These are LinkedIn users who have accepted your invitation to connect, or you’ve accepted their invitation to connect. These users will have a 1st-degree icon next to their name in search results or on their profile. You can send direct messages to 1st-degree connections on LinkedIn. 2nd-degree: These users are people who are connected to your 1st-degree connections. They will have a 2nd-degree icon next to their name in search results or on their profile. Connect to these users using a connect button via their profile page or in search results. 3rd-degree: These are LinkedIn users connected to your 2nd-degree connections and have a 3rd-degree icon in search results or on their profile page. You are unable to connect to these users directly but have the ability to message them via InMail. You will often only see a reduced profile for 3rd-degree connections unless you have a premium LinkedIn account or share a LinkedIn group connection. Followers: These are LinkedIn users who choose to follow your public updates that show up on their LinkedIn feed. 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections, along with followers, are opportunities to become your 1st-degree connections. To connect with 3rd-degree connections, find someone you have a mutual 2nd-degree connection with and connect with them to make the 3rd-degree connection a 2nd-degree connection. Then you can connect directly with the 2nd-degree connections. 4. Leverage Your Sphere Of Influence Your sphere of influence (SOI) will be the most beneficial to your professional networking results. An SOI is a list of professionals you know both personally and professionally. They can provide you with business opportunities by sending a referral, helping market your services, or can give you direct contacts. Many times, people in your SOI will be family, friends, colleagues, past clients, or even your neighbors. Because these SOI relationships can be personal, many people choose to exclude these connections for fear of intermingling personal and professional relationships. Don't be shy about connecting with your SOI on LinkedIn. Not only are they familiar with you, so they’ll easily accept the connection, but then you’ll have access to their connections. Access to their connections allows you to create a larger network by having someone in common to help with referrals or introductions. 5. Define Your Niche & Set Goals LinkedIn for real estate lead generation should be treated like any other marketing tool. The best use of your marketing effort should help you stand out from your competitors and position yourself as an expert in real estate. To do this, agents should always have a defined real estate niche so their marketing efforts are maximized and clearly defined. A real estate niche can be based on location, activity, property type, or situational, which can be leveraged on LinkedIn to connect with prospective clients with similar interests or goals. 6. Post Real Estate Content Real estate agents can post different LinkedIn real estate posts like videos, documents, article links, or just plain text. Posting relevant content establishes your knowledge and credibility of real estate. When others see your posts and see them often, there is a greater chance to start a conversation and develop better connections with relevant and like-minded users. When users “like” or “share” your content, that post will show up on your 2nd-degree connection’s feed, and there is an opportunity that a new lead may see your content and prompt them to connect with you. Therefore, agents must constantly post so that you increase the likelihood of creating more interactions with the network. Similar to social media marketing, agents should create a content calendar to help them with consistent posting on LinkedIn. Create Quality Content Social platforms will filter how your content appears to social media users by using an algorithm that determines the relevancy of your content to each user. These algorithms will affect your post’s performance and its reach. The LinkedIn algorithm will rank and filter your content to determine its quality and display it accordingly. If your content engages with likes, views, comments, etc., to a sample of your audience, it will continue to display your content to a broader audience. With knowledge of how the algorithm works, users can modify their content so it is shown to their desired audience. There are some tips to ensure your content is not flagged as spam. Since the LinkedIn algorithm rewards content that is interacted with consistently, you want to also interact with other users’ content as well to reciprocate and welcome engagement on your content. You can comment on others’ posts, but if you’re not ready to dive into leaving comments, you can leave a “reaction.” LinkedIn reactions are expressions that allow users to participate more easily in conversation with others in their network. You can like, celebrate, support, love, mark something funny, designate it as insightful, or add a curious expression. To help with LinkedIn real estate posts, platforms like  support social media management—integrating with social platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok. The platform lets you create and schedule posts in advance, and it will automatically publish the content on your behalf. The presence of a mobile application lets you manage your posts on the go without needing the transfer media between devices. 7. Utilize Paid Advertising Opportunities To help increase your reach, agents can use LinkedIn ads for real estate advertising to meet your marketing goals. Additionally, according to HubSpot, LinkedIn is 277% more effective for generating leads than Facebook and Twitter. allows advertisers to define their marketing objectives as awareness, consideration, or conversion. Awareness creates brand awareness, and consideration will increase your website visitors, engagement, and video views. The conversion objective will provide you with lead generation, website conversions, or job applicants. After identifying the advertising objective, agents can select the audience they want to reach with the campaign. Agents have over 20 different audience categories, like company size, member schools, groups, skills, and titles. Following the target audience is selecting an ad format. The ad formats on LinkedIn fall into different categories. Select from creating sponsored content, document ads, message ads, dynamic ads, and text ads to market your services. Finally, agents must identify a budget and schedule for the advertising campaign. There are three price options to select from: Cost per send: The best option for a Message Ads campaign. You are charged for each message that is successfully delivered. Cost per click: Best pricing option for action-based campaigns like conversions or event registration. Cost per impression: Usually a good fit when brand awareness is your marketing objective. You’ll pay for each impression or view of your ad. Once you choose the pricing structure, agents can identify a daily budget, start and end date, and total budget. Regardless of the campaign time frame, agents can cancel the campaign anytime. Paid advertising allows agents to reach professionals on the network they might not otherwise connect with through their various degrees of connection. With financials being an important role in buying or selling a home, the professionals on LinkedIn are most likely to be homeowners or in a financial position to purchase one. The right audience reach on LinkedIn can contribute to overall business growth. 8. Nurture Your Contacts Online & In-person Nurturing your connections on LinkedIn is essential to developing deeper relationships. On LinkedIn, ways of nurturing your contacts include email, likes, comments, and messages. Sending direct messages to your contacts to congratulate them on their new role or related to one of their recent posts can help you build rapport. Liking or commenting on their posts can ensure you and your business stay top of mind. Although LinkedIn supports InMail, they don't directly send emails to your connections to their third-party inboxes. However, you can export your contacts and their contact information to import into a customer relationship manager (CRM) to take your relationship to email marketing. CRM systems like have a LinkedIn integration. The integration helps pull in contact and company information like job title, location, industry, and company size into the CRM profile. Through the CRM platform, you can add the connection to an email drip campaign or even send InMail to stay top of mind. The most beneficial connection is taking the relationship offline. Agents can have a more meaningful conversation with prospective clients in person, but also an opportunity to get to know them personally a little better. Not every LinkedIn connection will want to meet offline, but agents can persuade connections by offering an event that aligns with their interests like a networking happy hour, sales meeting, or a conference. Bottom Line Since is mainly used for professional networking, you’ll be on a platform with professionals interested in learning about your services. After learning how to use LinkedIn for real estate leads, agents find it an excellent resource for generating organic and paid opportunities. By posting and engaging with other users on LinkedIn, you continuously build your professional network to create a sales funnel of prospective clients.

WRITTEN BY: Aloun Khountham

PrepAgent logo.

January 11, 2023

PrepAgent Review 2023: Pricing, Alternatives & Features

PrepAgent is an online real estate exam preparation program designed to provide aspiring real estate professionals with tools to pass their state’s real estate exams on the first try. It features a 100% money-back guarantee, interactive practice questions, video explanations, and live group webinars to help with content retention. According to our PrepAgent review, it is best for students who want exam prep materials delivered through various formats like audio, video, and live interactive experiences to meet different learning styles. PrepAgent Reviews: What Users Think of PrepAgent Most of the positive PrepAgent reviews were from agents who passed their state exam on their first attempt to obtain their real estate license. Students found the instructors knowledgeable and highly experienced real estate professionals. Some students remarked that the instructors helped them understand most of the vocabulary and taught subjects that are needed for the real estate exam. One user said the app is great and easy to use, especially the practice tests. Facebook: 5 out of 5 based on 1,089 PrepAgent reviews Apple App Store: 4.4 out of 5 based on 70 PrepAgent real estate reviews Google Play: 4.4 out of 5 on 66 PrepAgent reviews There were limited negative real estate reviews of the exam prep program. One user commented that the only thing they noticed with the app is that when you close your app and open it, it logs you off automatically, and you have to log back in every time. For students who want a seamless mobile application experience, prelicensing and exam prep can be launched and completed directly through a mobile application. Would Our Expert Use PrepAgent? Many aspiring real estate agents wonder if is worth it, and based on our review, we believe PrepAgent is an excellent school that will help you become a licensed real estate agent. Students benefit from the extra practice provided by PrepAgent, assisting them in passing their state exams. Our favorite PrepAgent feature is its self-paced online learning on mobile, computer, and tablet devices while also offering interactive vocabulary worksheets and live webinars for students needing hands-on assistance. Plus, the no-risk, money-back guarantee ensures students feel satisfied with the program. However, PrepAgent provides course access for one week, one month, or one year, which can be too short for certain students. For students who need extended time to study, check out , whose exam prep course is available for 15 months from the date of purchase. Types of Education Available From PrepAgent Unlike other education providers, focuses solely on preparing aspiring agents for their real estate exams. Therefore, it doesn’t offer education courses for prelicensing, post-licensing, or broker licensing. However, it includes additional resources like tutoring and crash courses. Exam Prep PrepAgent offers real estate exam preparation in all 50 states with courses best suited for students who are currently enrolled or have recently completed salesperson or broker prelicensing courses. Based on the package purchased, each plan is tailored to varying levels of preparation for taking and passing the state test on the first try. All programs are online and self-paced. However, live webinars, interactive flashcards, and vocabulary worksheets can be added for additional costs. Students who want a quick refresher if they completed their prelicensing courses recently may only need a week to review the test materials available in the basic plan. However, as students need additional assistance and more live hands-on review, they can choose the Premium or Deluxe plan. Also, exam preparation materials cover both state and national content. Private Tutoring Private tutoring via web conferencing can be purchased for an additional $75 per hour to get one-on-one help studying with instructors. Schedule as many sessions as needed to feel comfortable understanding state exam material. Choose and schedule your PrepAgent's private tutoring sessions Tutoring is geared toward students who learn best with individualized attention. Instructors will initially gather information on learning styles, which topics and materials need review, and study habits. They’ll also provide tips and tricks to help students pass the state exam. Real Estate Crash Courses Crash courses from are live courses led by experienced private tutors for $69. Courses last three to four hours and are scheduled on the weekends. They cover the national and state exams and a real estate math course. The crash courses are meant for students currently studying for their state exam and are looking for one last review before taking the test. Since courses are live, students can interact with the instructor and other participants for a live review of the material expected to be on the exams. PrepAgent Alternatives PrepAgent Pricing & Plans Aspiring real estate agents can choose from three packages offered by , depending on their learning needs and budgets. Each package is priced the same across all states for salespersons and brokers, starting at $59. This is helpful since most students have incurred additional expenses as they complete their prelicensing or broker licensing courses. However, the course access time does vary significantly based on the plan selected. All packages offered by PrepAgent include a money-back guarantee, along with national and state-specific practice questions and explanations. Students pay a one-time fee for each package with no recurring charges. If students feel they would like to have added features offered in the premium and deluxe plans, they can upgrade them anytime. Upgraded plans offer exam prep videos, e-books, interactive flashcards, and access to live webinars. General PrepAgent Features online exam prep courses meet a variety of learning styles, so agents and brokers can start a successful real estate career. The features provided can be tailored toward visual or auditory learners based on what students need to retain exam materials best, and the website offers informative items like a real estate dictionary, free practice exams, and state exam information. In addition, the money-back guarantee protects the students’ interests if they are unsatisfied with the course. The following are standout features that help students maximize their exam preparation: Ease of Use for PrepAgent Students can access exam preparation materials immediately after creating an account and completing the purchase. No software must be downloaded or installed to begin real estate exam preparation—only internet access is required. Once signed on to the exam prep dashboard, identifying which feature to participate in is as easy as pressing a button. Since the program is self-paced, students can choose their own paths according to the topics they need the most practice. They can start with practice exams, vocabulary, or flashcards in no specific order. Audio lessons and e-books can be downloaded for easy offline access. Bottom Line For an interactive, risk-free, user-friendly platform to review exam materials, is a budget-friendly exam prep option. It provides the necessary content in various learning formats to ensure students retain information and pass the exam on the first try. It’s an excellent school for simple, straightforward learning and best for students who need a little extra practice before they begin their real estate careers.

WRITTEN BY: Jealie Dacanay

iNCOM logo as feature image.

January 10, 2023

iNCOM Review: Is It Right for Your Real Estate Business?

iNCOM is one of our top real estate lead generation websites earning a 4.56 out of 5 rating. Our evaluation was based on 25 criteria like general features, marketing and advertising features, customer support, expert score, and ease of use. Through our analysis and iNCOM reviews, we recommend iNCOM for its affordability and extensive search engine optimization (SEO) tools to increase visibility through custom real estate websites and landing pages. iNCOM Reviews: What Users Think of iNCOM real estate reviews show that clients appreciate the quality of customer service received from iNCOM when asking for assistance. One user said the platform has a great marketing and client management system and that its lead generation system is very effective, resulting in a huge return on investment. Aside from these, another user praised how iNCOM has helped him make the fine adjustments to get the website to look exactly how he wants it and that it's easy to update the site. Google Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 based on 178 iNCOM real estate reviews G2: 5 out of 5 based on three iNCOM website reviews In less favorable iNCOM reviews, one client had difficulty with the monthly automatic renewals and required notification before the payment was processed. If monthly cost is an issue, is the most affordable platform providing a free plan, and paid plans start at $50 per month for two users, which include online landing pages and lead generation web forms. While it isn’t a real estate-specific CRM, you can use it to gain insights about online real estate marketing through its free educational resources available in the HubSpot Academy. Would Our Expert Use iNCOM? Based on our iNCOM real estate review, we recommend it as a website design and online marketing solution for its standout features, including a custom website and real estate landing pages to help you to capture and nurture leads. Additionally, the platform gives you access to analytics—helping you better understand website visitors' behavior. It also provides training and support to make sure you make the most of the platform's features and be more successful in real estate. However, while iNCOM provides website analytics, the CRM may need more in-depth reporting features to understand sales pipelines and performance. For more data-driven reporting, check out the customizable visual reporting features in Pipedrive. also features an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered sales assistant and extensive third-party software integrations to assist agents in lead generation. Alternatively, if you're looking for a free solution, check out our list of the best free CRMs for real estate. iNCOM Alternatives iNCOM Plans & Pricing real estate pricing is broken into two plan categories. iNCOM’s Agent Plan is geared toward individual agents and small partnerships with limited back-office features, whereas the Office and Brokerage Plan supports a larger team with tools to streamline internal communication. All packages include the CRM, a website with access to design themes and customization, tools for generating real estate leads, and search engine optimization (SEO) tools to help drive traffic to your website. Each plan also includes lifetime support from the iNCOM team. It provides monthly training seminars, on-demand training videos, news alerts, and phone and email support. Agent Plan Agent Plan has the necessary tools to differentiate your website from your competitors. It includes customizations, themes, testimonial pages, widgets, and mortgage calculators. Lead generation and lead capture tools drive website conversions by ensuring visitors provide their contact information through custom forms, lead management tools, visitor registration, and landing pages. Tools to increase your online presence are available through social media integrations, built-in SEO tools, blogs, and listing syndication. As visitors explore your website, features, such as property detail pages, Internet Data Exchange (IDX) and virtual office website (VOW) integrations, sold listing data, and Google property mapping tools, ensure your website is a one-stop shop for potential clients. Office & Brokerage Plan Office & Brokerage Plan includes everything in the Agent Plan but has tools to develop and manage a larger team of agents. For example, it provides a dedicated section of your website focused on recruiting new agents. The plan also allows for individual agent pages with their contact information and available listings specific to that agent. The plan includes document management for housing training and onboarding materials in an agent intranet accessible by your team. Agents can subscribe to specific document categories within the intranet to receive notifications when documents and materials are uploaded or updated. These materials can include updated sales documents, training materials, and office policy changes. iNCOM Add-ons In addition to the two iNCOM plans listed above, real estate professionals can also purchase add-ons to enhance their marketing and communication efforts: ReCall Marketing: ReCall Marketing retargets website visitors with display ads to drive traffic back to your website. Pricing starts at $45 per month for 10,000 impressions per month. Custom real estate landing page: A branded or unbranded real estate landing page to market your business with lead integration directly into the CRM. For hosting, select a landing page for $299 plus $29.99 per month. Add pay-per-click marketing and remarketing to the landing page starting at $125 for campaign setup plus a $100 per month management fee. Google AdWords: A marketing team assists with determining the best keywords to boost your website traffic through Google Ads. The monthly management fee starts at $100 per month plus a predetermined Google Ads budget. Facebook Ads: For $100 a month plus your monthly ad spend, iNCOM’s marketing team will design, create, and manage Facebook ads to target buyers and sellers. SEO marketing: Search engine optimization (SEO) allows your website to appear higher on the front page of search engine results for a greater probability of attracting a website visitor. Agents may receive an SEO package quote depending on the selected real estate keywords and your location. The pricing package will include a setup and monthly fee and requires a one-year commitment. General & Advanced iNCOM Features The features available through limit your need for multiple vendor platforms to perform similar functions. For example, you won’t need a website hosting platform and designer, a separate CRM, or a listing syndication platform, as iNCOM provides them under one umbrella. Having a website front-end and back-end to handle back-office functions enables agents to grow their teams. Available integrations drive website visitors and increase leads with domain syndication, social media, paid marketing, and listing syndication. Some of the features that make iNCOM an effective real estate marketing and lead generation platform include the following: Ease of Use With the support provided by the team, it’s easy to launch your website and start using your CRM to generate and manage leads, although it does take some time. All website customization can be done by yourself and website themes can be changed with a single click. The CRM allows importing contacts in bulk or manually, whichever you prefer. IDX integration ensures your website visitors can search multiple properties without you having to add them to the website manually. If you have exclusive listings uploaded into the system, the distribution tools syndicate those listings to maximize exposure under one platform umbrella. Consider outsourcing if you don’t have time to customize the website or landing pages. You can keep your costs low by hiring a freelance website marketing expert from to take on aspects of page design or copywriting you don’t want to tackle alone. How We Evaluated iNCOM The best real estate lead generation websites provide real estate professionals with tools that assist in generating leads and converting them into clients. We researched lead gen websites based on the following criteria: Bottom Line iNCOM’s features and application make it an all-in-one solution for launching a website and generating leads. You can scale your website according to your business needs, whether an individual agent or a large team. The easy-to-launch platform attracts, obtains, and nurtures prospective clients to help increase your deal flow regardless of your level of real estate experience.

WRITTEN BY: Jealie Dacanay

Placester logo as feature image.

January 10, 2023

Placester Review: Is It Right for Your Real Estate Business?

Placester is one of our top real estate lead generation companies earning a 4.8 out of 5 rating. We reviewed 24 criteria such as lead generation features, pricing, advanced features, customer reviews, and ease of use. Based on our analysis and Placester reviews, we recommend Placester for real estate agents and brokers looking to create lead generating websites and custom landing pages. Placester Reviews: What Users Think of Placester The vast majority of reviews said users found it easy to create and manage their websites, saving weeks of time creating a website from scratch. Customers who worked with a website manager to complete their website were thrilled with the service, communication, and easy process of creating a custom, professional website. Featured Customers: 4.7 out of 5 based on 25 Placester reviews G2: 3.6 out of 5 based on 80 Placester reviews A few users who had switched to Placester after trying to host their own website noted that customization options are limited in comparison. Other Placester website reviews noted that they expected better search engine optimization (SEO) functionality and results after starting with Placester. Placester is not the most budget-friendly option for new real estate agents and does not automatically provide new leads or clients. If you need more immediate leads, you may prefer a platform for purchasing real estate leads like , which provides exclusive leads and multiple communication methods. Would Our Expert Use Placester? We recommend because of its easy-to-use website building functionality and its wide range of support and service options. If your budget is tight, the DIY plan allows you to take advantage of its attractive IDX website templates and easily add blogs and content to increase your traffic and build your pipeline. As your business grows, outsource one-off tasks in the service marketplace or upgrade to the done-for-you plans to have your website managed by professionals. This is an ideal solution for agents, teams, and brokerages that want to save time hiring freelancers or assistants just to manage their websites. As noted above, Placester is not the most budget-friendly option for new real estate agents, and it does not automatically provide new leads or clients. The Placester CRM includes only basic features, so you’d be wise to integrate it with a more robust CRM to more efficiently generate and nurture leads. For these reasons, Placester may not be ideal for new agents who urgently need to get clients and build their pipeline, or for professionals who want an all-in-one marketing solution. If you’re a new agent looking for a more comprehensive tool that includes websites, advertising, and a robust CRM, check out . Placester Alternatives Placester Pricing & Plans As part of our review, we looked at its plans, pricing, and features included in each tier. The Placester pricing structure is divided into three paid plans, starting at $79 per month. All three Placester pricing tiers include access to the real estate website designer, templates, IDX listing capabilities, and CRM. In addition, the Placester cost will decrease if you are a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Users can sign up for a 30-day free trial of the DIY plan to get an inside look at Placester before purchasing. For a further breakdown of what each plan entails, as well as Placester add-ons, click on the tabs below: General & Advanced Placester Features core features enable agents, teams, and brokers to enhance their online real estate marketing efforts with a professional and functional website that successfully generates real estate leads and builds their brand authority. Not only does the intuitive drag-and-drop editor make it easy for an agent to publish their own website, but there are a variety of done-for-you and management options for professionals who want additional support on any level. It is one of the only real estate website designers that doesn’t limit the number of posts or pages you create, which maximizes your ability to attract qualified leads online. The addition of an advanced IDX listing search acts as a lead magnet to invite users to your website to search for available properties. Here’s a closer look at Placester’s key features: Ease of Use Customer reviews almost unanimously state that it’s extremely easy to navigate. The code-free site editor, in combination with the website templates, enables users who aren’t particularly tech-savvy to publish a beautiful website in a matter of hours. In addition, the support offered within Placester resources and the availability of real estate marketing experts is unmatched, whether you purchase one-off services or opt for the DFY plans with full support. If you’re looking to grow your success in real estate through a website, Placester is an ideal solution. How We Evaluated Placester The top real estate lead generation companies for realtors offer tools and features that assist agents and brokerages in generating and converting more leads to clients. We examined lead generation companies for realtors based on the following criteria: Bottom Line To answer the question, “What is Placester?” we performed in-depth research into Placester reviews, features, resources, tools, and support. We found Placester to be an extremely user-friendly website designer with templates and tools to help agents, teams, and brokerages easily create a professional website to generate leads and build their brand authority. Its built-in lead generation tools and a wide variety of support options help real estate professionals grow their business efficiently, especially when used in tandem with other real estate marketing tools. Start your 30-day free trial today.

WRITTEN BY: Kaylee Strozyk

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