Why-Every-Realtor-Needs-a-WebsiteBefore the Internet, a majority of home buyers would scour newspapers to find a home, and even drove around in their cars in search of an open house.

Today, everything is different.

According to The Digital House Hunt, an extensive report on real estate consumer trends conducted by Google and the National Association of Realtors, 43% of home buyers looked online first when searching for a property and 87% of all generations connected with a real estate agent before buying.

Buyers and sellers now have virtual tours, apps, search engines, and more to assist in the real estate process. The most common feature used? Property listings. Most of this is done from a mobile phone before a real estate agent is even contacted. The largest group of first-time home buyers, about 68% of the market, are Millennials, and 94% of them search online for information. Check out the Real Estate in a Digital Age report for more valuable statistics.

What does this mean for a Realtor in today’s world? They need a website to be found, trusted, and contacted!

Nearly every firm has a website that shows listings, staff photos, and customer reviews and testimonials. However, most individual agents do not, even though they should.

Here’s why:

Long-term Growth

Over 75% of Realtors do not have a real estate blog. This is a shame for those who don’t and a huge opportunity for those who do.

A self-hosted real estate blog that is updated regularly with original, valuable content will be indexed by search engines for years to come, no matter what agency someone is currently associated with. This means being found, for free, by potential clients with no extra effort for something you’ve already done. This is the basic concept of search engine optimization (SEO).

Readers that find your content useful will also share it across their social media networks and among friends, providing free leads for the future.

Authority and Credibility

In addition to providing valuable content, a self-hosted real estate website provides something called “authority” on the subject, which means visitors will view the agent as a credible source and will be more likely to conduct business with him or her.

A 2013 study by Choice Home Warranty reports that 67.5% of surveyed Americans mistrust real estate agents. A website can help build trust that might not otherwise be there and build healthy business relationships for years to come.

This is especially true if reviews and testimonials from previous clients are displayed prominently for everyone to read. In fact, 90% of survey participants in a customer service research report conducted by Dimensional Research claimed positive reviews impacted their buying decision.

Trust in a REALTOR® is king. A proper website that is launched correctly helps build that trust, and ultimately, increases exposure and sales.

Now that you know why every real estate agent should have their own self-hosted website, contact TyTech Solutions to get started on yours. Mention promo code “REALESTATE2017” to save 50% on a custom 5-page build and lock in a year of free hosting for your new site.

We look forward to connecting you with new clients in the digital space!