There are far too many real estate websites that literally have nothing in terms of quality information and content. Having a real estate website with nothing helpful on it is possibly worse than having no website at all.
There are plenty of articles out there that talk about the reasons why every real estate agent should have a blog. A high-quality real estate blog can be huge and provide a real estate agent a huge advantage over other agents in terms of traffic and leads.
A top real estate website is not only as simple as having a high-quality blog and listings though.
Since most buyers are not only interested in the home they’re purchasing but also the local community, doesn’t it make complete sense to have local community pages on a real estate website?
I know you’re nodding your head right now agreeing that this makes complete sense.
As a top Penfield NY real estate agent, I find it extremely important to provide information about the local Penfield community as well as all of the other communities that I sell real estate in. A top local community page should be nothing less than spectacular so that when a local resident reads it, they leave feeling that you’re the local expert in that community.
So now you’re probably asking, what should a top local community page include? What are the benefits to having local community pages on a real estate website?
Keep reading to find out the type of information you should include on a local community page and also to learn about the benefits of having detailed community pages.
Real Estate Market Overview
One of the most important things for residents of a community - or those thinking about moving to the community - is the real estate market. One of the most important pieces of information that people want to know about local communities relates to home values.
Some of the information that local community guides should provide include a range of home values. I suggest taking it a step further and breaking it down by areas within a community.
For example, in my Brighton NY Realtor guide I discuss the area known as the “Twelve Corners” area and explain that the average home value is roughly $170,000. I will take a community and break it down by the different areas which is important since some communities have significant changes in home values from area to area.
Within a local community guide, there is other real estate market overview information that you should consider including.
Some of the best information to include is:
- the average age of homes
- where a certain area is located within a community
- information pertaining to the inventory levels in a community
Chances are each community has a fairly stable market absorption rate, which is typically a great indicator for determining whether a market generally sees a seller’s market, buyer’s market, or a balanced market.
Local Schools
Another great thing to include in a local real estate community guide is information pertaining to the local schools. One of the biggest reasons that people will choose one neighborhood or not is the school district. (This is especially true for those who have children.)
Within the community page, you should make it a point to provide information about the local schools and where they are located. Information such as how many elementary schools is important for people considering a community.
I also strongly suggest talking about awards and honors that a local school district has received.
For example, if a local school district has won numerous awards as being a top district in your state, then MENTION IT! Other great information to provide about a school district is how much money per student they spend and how many students per teacher, librarian, and counselor.
Local Economy
People who are considering an area are always interested in the local economy.
Is the community a thriving community?
Declining community?
Providing information to people about the most popular professions in an area or about the unemployment rate percentage is helpful information.
Additionally, it’s a great idea to reference any top employers in the community that are sparking the economy. Is there a company that is hiring tons of new employees in the community? If so, then this is something you’d definitely want to include in your local community guide.
For example, if a local Rochester NY company such as Wegmans Food Markets was planning on hiring 1,000 local residents in the next couple years, including this with helpful links to reliable sources is a great idea. This obviously would have a huge impact on the number of people relocating to Rochester NY and information people interested in a community would want to know!
Other Information To Include In A Community Guide
There is tons of information that you can include in a community guide.
When I write my community guide I always think of myself as someone who is researching an area for the first time to possibly move there. By thinking to myself, “What would I want to know?” I’m able to include other helpful information.
Other information to consider including in a community guide:
- Transportation & commuting statistics
- Local shopping & restaurants
- Local parks
- Information about local hospitals & other healthcare facilities
- Educational statistics
- Climate information & statistics
Why You Should Have Local Community Guides On Your Website
First and foremost, the primary reason that I believe community guides are a must have on a website is that it provides top notch information about your local community to those looking for the information. It gives a real estate agent the opportunity to show they know the area as well as, if not better than, anyone else!
By constructing a well thought out and detailed community guide, you show that you’re the expert!
Another great reason to have detailed local community guides on your real estate website is for the SEO benefits.
If you write a high-quality community page and know what online real estate marketing strategies to use to get the information out there, your community pages will rank when people type in many variations of search terms.
Wouldn’t you love to put your website in front of people who were searching for terms such as “[City, State] real estate agents”?
How about “top Realtors in [City, State]”?
Maybe a term such as “[City, State] Realtors” catches your eye?
I know for a fact that you’d love to put your website at the top of the search engines for these terms mainly because people searching these terms are obviously looking for a real estate agent. This potentially means they are looking to buy or sell a home.
Don’t believe me that it can work?
Try doing a Google search for top Webster NY Realtors and see what you come up with… It works doesn’t it?
Try other variations of the search term such as Webster NY real estate agents, Realtors Webster NY, top Realtors in Webster NY, and many others and you will see my Webster NY community guide will come up on the first page of Google.
Final Thoughts
Real estate websites with high-quality community pages will get high-quality leads.
Many of the leads that are received because of a community page are actually leads that are potentially better than referrals. The primary reason a lead that is received as a result of a community page can potentially be better than referrals is because the person contacting you is typically close to making a decision to buy or sell a home.
I promise that if you put together top notch community pages and promote it like a pro using content curation, social media, and other SEO techniques, you will see results from community pages.
It’s important to always remember that as a real estate agent you need to provide quality information for your LOCAL residents.
And community pages is a great way to do so!
Kyle Hiscock is a top Greater Rochester NY real estate agent with Nothnagle Realtors. He actively writes helpful content on his popular, Rochester’s Real Estate Blog, and is always staying up to date on what’s going on with the Rochester NY real estate market. Check out his RESAAS profile ›
