How the New Generation Is Changing Home Buying

A new generation of home buyers is beginning the house hunt not by searching online listings or participating in virtual tours and open houses. Instead, young buyers are connecting with REALTORS® and researching properties and neighborhoods on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. (On TikTok, the hashtag #realestate has over 5 million posts.)

These platforms are popular avenues for Gen Z and millennials to consume information in general. One report found that a whopping 80% of Gen Zers spend time on YouTube, another 75% on Instagram and about 60% on TikTok. And 35% of all Gen Zers spend over four hours each day on social media.

But Gen Zers and millennials aren’t the only ones using social media platforms as their primary source of finding information. According to one forecast, approximately 11.3 million baby boomers will purchase a product via social media. Another study found that 83.9% of baby boomers say they feel like social media has improved their lives.

What does this mean for real estate professionals? Now more than ever, establishing an online presence across a wide variety of media platforms is incredibly important to having a successful business.

The Importance of Building a Digital Brand

Having active, up-to-date profiles on all social media platforms will give practitioners a much better chance of reaching their target audience. Social media can help you position yourself as an expert and make important connections with other leaders in the industry. You can also use social media as a tool to educate buyers who may not be familiar with all the ins and outs of purchasing a home, further boosting your credibility.

Perhaps the most powerful opportunity in social media is generating referrals and driving traffic to your website. When people discover you and are ready to take the next step in their homebuying journey, that’s when they visit your website. And that’s where you can convert them into leads.

Standing Out in the Digital Age

Where do you even begin in setting up a high-quality, intentionally crafted online presence, especially across multiple platforms? Here are a few tips to help you get started.

1. Make sure you have a website that you can link to in your social media “bio” section. Often, people will look at your social media profiles as a preview of what you do and who you are, and they’ll want to visit your website for the bigger picture. You’ll need to make sure that your website is simple, professional and easy to use and that it includes multiple reminders to contact you via email or phone. You can quickly create a sleek, professional website with a .realtor™ domain, which is one of your exclusive benefits as an NAR member.
2. Build up content that you can spread out over the week, and consider using an automation tool to schedule and publish posts. Find a day where your workload is a little lighter than usual and create as much content as you can in one go. Once you’ve created and edited this content to your satisfaction, you can schedule it to post on certain days of the week, taking the timing pressure off. Many platforms have free built-in tools that allow you to schedule the posts to publish ahead of time.
3. Set aside time to respond to messages and comments. While you want to try and respond to audience interactions as quickly as possible, sometimes there will be comments or questions that require more thought. Depending on the growth of your following, you may also have an overwhelming amount of interactions on your profiles. Set aside an hour or so each day to go through and reply to messages and comments.

Leveraging the .realtor™ Domain and Website

NAR members can claim their .realtor™ domain (free for the first year), which includes a professional website with a number of templates to choose from. You can even choose to pay for concierge services that will help you register your domain, connect your social media, add a photo gallery and more.

Having a .realtor™ domain immediately tells customers that you’re a trustworthy, reliable real estate expert. It tells people what you do in an instant. Your website will help you stand head and shoulders above the competition, all while providing potential clients an easy and effortless way to access your accomplishments, the areas you service, and your digital portfolio.

Social media is here to stay. The digital world is rapidly changing the way that people approach home buying, and it will continue to create trends that impact the real estate industry. So, don’t miss out! Get started with your .realtor™ domain so you can begin building your digital brand and guarantee future business growth.