Real Estate to #realestate: Bringing the Home Hunt to Social Media

Like most women in my age bracket, I’ve got a Pinterest account. I personally don’t use it much, but I log on occasionally to peek in on the boards of friends I follow. Amid all the mason jar handicraft tutorials, faux-rustic wedding ideas, and Oreo-brownie-cookie hybrid recipes, there’s a growing trend – and it’s one that homebuyers and -sellers can get behind.

When you mash up pinning and real estate, the most likely result is a flood of tasteful home decor boards and dreamy “honey-do” inspo. There’s plenty of the pretty stuff out there, no doubt, but more and more agents are using Pinterest to showcase homes for sale and to share practical tips for consumers entering the market. From gorgeous, hi-res pics of fresh listings to useful “do’s” and “don’ts” of buying and selling, the web’s one-stop shop for Mod Podge-aholics and girly daydream fodder is rapidly becoming a practical tool for current and future homeowners looking to inject a little productivity into their down time.

Savvy real estate pros are moving in on Pinterest, long the bastion of DIY’ers and daydreamers. Social media connects agents with current and future homebuyers and sellers in a hip and innovative way. CC photo credit: Faylyne

That’s the gist of the real estate-social media marriage, in a nutshell: buyers and sellers are going to browse their feeds anyway, so why not maximize those moments? It’s the same rationale that’s growing the #realestate hashtag on Instagram. While agents long ago figured out how to harness Facebook, Google+, and really awesome blogs – oh, hey there! – to amp client interaction and create an effective, personable web presence, the trendier, newer social media hubs are arming real estate pros with a whole new means of engagement. Buying or selling a home is a big event in a person’s life, and is likely to be lurking in their minds as they are enjoying a coffee at home or taking a 10-minute internet mental health break at work. When they idly log onto their Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, why not give ‘em what they want? Could be that they stumble upon the rowhouse of their dreams, or learn something useful about state law concerning the disclosure of haunted houses (no… seriously).

If you are ready to buy or sell your home, a little Instagram surfing is a nice, low-pressure way to test the waters and immerse yourself in the real estate market experience. And look at it this way – you wanted something new to browse, anyway.

Check out:

– A few exceptional real estate instagram profiles

– Pin mania! homes.com and Property Philly