Real estate blogs are an ideal way to keep up to date in a fast-moving industry. To do an effective job of helping clients buy and sell homes, a real estate agent needs to be familiar with market trends for properties, current real estate technology, home design and renovation trends, and other industry news.
Blogs Every Real Estate Student Should Follow
Starting to follow these five top blogs about real estate helps future real estate agents keep up to date with important information pertaining to their careers. Equally important, a student’s familiarity with key industry resources will make a good impression on brokers or other potential employers. Although professionals will also need to follow local market trends, the five blogs discussed below cover important national trends.
- Realtor
- Zillow
- Houzz
- Inman
- Housing Views
1. Realtor
Realtor.com is the website of the National Association of REALTORS®, a leading professional association for real estate agents. It includes a broad range of resources for both consumers and industry professionals. Its Real Estate News section is essential for keeping up with major news and trends, including sales techniques, technology, and market projections.
2. Zillow
Although designed more for home buyers and sellers than real estate agents, Zillow Porchlight is required reading for student or professional real estate agents. It gives unique insights into fashions and trends in housing. The photographs show beautifully staged homes and the accompanying text reflects marketing strategies for everything from tiny houses to off-grid properties.
3. Houzz
One of the most frustration words a real estate agent can hear is “but.” A buyer may love everything about the house, “but” hates the kitchen or flooring or entryway. Keeping up with Houzz & Home Renovation Trends helps real estate agents understand design and renovation possibilities and make useful suggestions both to buyers who are interested in a property but dissatisfied with certain features and sellers in the process of staging homes.
4. Inman
Inman is a leading site for real estate news. Its Real Estate Agent News section focuses on practical information for agents, including new trends and technologies. Although it does require a paid subscription, many brokerages offer access to agents as a benefit and it is also free with membership in the Residential Real Estate Council, a professional organization that offers real estate students courses, webinars, networking opportunities, and other benefits.
5. Housing Views
Although performance as a real estate agent is client-oriented, and many of the best real estate agents are distinguished by their skills in working closely with people behind the scenes, it is important to know hard data and economic forecasts that might affect the housing market. HousingViews is an online publication of S&P Dow Jones Indices that provide statistical information and analysis. The articles are especially strong on nuts and bolts topics such as interest rates, regulatory changes, tax issues, and economic forecasting.
Your Career in Real Estate
Both studying real estate and working as an agent are time-consuming and involve substantial amounts of reading and web surfing. Another feature of most real estate agents’ lives is hours of driving to show properties. Listening to blogs in the form of podcasts can make driving time more productive.
A healthy way to fit keeping up with real estate blogs in a busy schedule is viewing real estate blogs on a tablet while peddling a stationary bicycle or working out on an elliptical trainer.
