Help Your clients visualize life in local neighborhoods

It’s no secret that humans are visual creatures, but what exactly does this mean for your real estate business?

Agents that can help their clients visualize a future life in local neighborhoods are more likely to close a sale compared to their competitors.

It goes beyond the presentation of the house. Of course, buyers want to know that the house is in good condition and right for their needs, but what about the neighborhood?

What school district is this address zoned for? How far away are grocery markets, pharmacies, and gas stations? Are there any parks or trails nearby? Is the neighborhood safe?

These are just some of the questions that potential buyers have — and this is exactly why we created our Neighborhood Guides product. Even if they don’t immediately verbalize these questions, these are issues that buyers factor into their final decision.

So that raises the question: how can you as a real estate agent help clients visualize life in these neighborhoods?

Fortunately, you already have the answer in your pocket.

If pictures and video taken through a cell phone can help agents sell a house, then why not the neighborhood? No home is ever sold in a “vacuum,” so to speak. There’s always the larger community that surrounds that home. In virtually every case, the neighborhood will factor into the purchasing decision.

Consider some of the following statistics:

• 20% of buyers specifically look for a cul-de-sac

• 20% of buyers want to own property within a gated community

• 15% of buyers are looking to purchase in an up-and-coming neighborhood

• 15% of buyers want to live in a neighborhood with diversity

• 10% of buyers want to live downtown

• 10% of buyers want their home in a historic neighborhood with rich history

• 10% of buyers want to buy within or nearby a resort area

As if those statistics aren’t enough, we also know that 60% of buyers want a home in the suburbs, 30% want a home in the city, and approximately 10% of buyers want a true rural property.

What does this tell us?

It’s easy to focus solely on just the specs of the home and the property. While the square footage, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and value are all incredibly important, these aren’t the only factors.

Buyers also want to visualize a life for themselves outside of their home, in their neighborhood, and in their community.

RELATED: Neighborhood Guides are a win-win-win solution

So how can you bring your audience into the neighborhoods where your listings are?

Through Neighborhood Guides!

Even if the video you create isn’t to support a current listing campaign, it’s important to be making videos about the locations that you represent.

Here’s the good news: you have everything you need to get started in your pocket.

It’s not only easy, but also convenient to capture video footage of your neighborhood, especially if you’re already spending time there.

Visiting a property? Then take footage to or from the way there!

Meeting a client at a local coffee shop? Ditto!

Attending a concert in the area? Potential clients would love to see that!

One of the major misconceptions about video for real estate marketing is that you have to commit to an expensive, time-consuming video shoot.

The reality, though, is that you can capture footage over time. If you frequently sell in a neighborhood, then try being intentional about capturing just a little bit of footage each time you visit. Rolla will help you combine all of those shots into a cohesive video that you can use in your marketing again and again.The best part? The video quality on your smartphone is good enough to accomplish this!

Video stories in and about your neighborhood will make the homes you list in that neighborhood more sellable.

Even if you don’t currently have a listing in that neighborhood, it’s recommended to begin creating a Neighborhood Guide today. If you do so, by the time your next listing comes up, you’ll already have enough footage captured and edited by Rolla to have an effective Neighborhood Guide!

Don’t know where to start? Think about showing off local restaurants, parks, bars, and schools!

These are all elements that add to the texture of a neighborhood’s story.

Another idea is to head to Main Street downtown and begin grabbing a bunch of shots, similar to a more traditional video marketing shoot.

The more you can help your clients visualize their future both at home and in their communities, the happier they’ll be.

Given all the information above and our own data, there’s no denying the effectiveness of Neighborhood Guides in growing an agent’s brand and ability to support more clients!

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