Three in four homebuyers report using the internet frequently in their home search. Therefore, your online presence is key to gaining new clients. There are several ways you can boost your online profile, and in this week’s tech corner we outline two relatively simple, free tools.
Zillow and Trulia both offer free online profiles for real estate agents. These profiles don’t take the place of having your own full real estate website, but they’re a good way to hook into an existing network of potential clients.
Each profile takes just 10-15 minutes to set up. Their features are mostly the same, including sections for:
- a profile photo;
- a brief bio;
- past sales;
- active listings; and
- reviews from clients and associates.
Zillow also includes a video option, where you can upload anything from a testimonial from a past client to a video where you can tell viewers more about yourself. Plus, when someone visits your listing on Zillow, you are automatically featured at the top of the listing — for free.
Trulia gives you the option to view and email your client listing stats so you and your client can see how many times it’s been viewed on Trulia.
Not a fan of the listing aggregators? Though they may not have the most reliable estimates, they’re good at driving online traffic. Zillow reports 70-80 million unique visitors to its site each month, and Trulia reports upwards of 50 million unique visitors.
Here’s another statistic that might convince you: Zillow reports that four out of five of all U.S. homes have been viewed on their site. That means if you’re listing a home, you better believe a potential buyer is going to visit it on Zillow.
Sign up for a Trulia Agent Profile here, and sign up for a Zillow profile here.