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Top 5 Easy and Effective Listing Posts You Can Write for Your Real Estate Blog

Hey, real estate agents should be too busy to blog. It's a fact. So, sometimes you need quick, easy and effective posts that take minimal time and brain power. So, here are examples of simple posts that will quickly become cornerstone pieces on your blog.

Please note, most of these revolve around you knowing your way around the MLS and listings. Why? Because every successful real estate blogger knows, the bread and butter of their blog are posts about listings.

Read also: The First 30 Days of Blogging

1. A monthly top 10 listings post.

This is a very simple post. Each month, you probably walk through upwards of 20 homes and view even more on the MLS with clients. So, make a list of your favorite picks for various types of buyers.

Examples:

• Top 10 Denver CO Homes for first time home buyers
• Top 10 Salt Lake City real estate investments
• Top 5 Fort Lauderdale Foreclosures

How to implement this post:

• Use MLS data like listing info, address, description, photos (if copyrights do not prohibit you) etc.
• Make your own brief analysis of what makes each home a best buy or good investment (be specific - people like specifics)

Read also:Top 5 Easy and Effective Listing Posts You Can Write for Your Real Estate Blog

2. Use a listing that has sat on the MLS for months to show what prevents a home from selling

Hey, you've been in the house or you have seen it on the MLS. You know the house. The one where the front yard hasn't been tended to or the home is never in showing condition or the MLS info plain old stinks. Or worse yet, the home is just grossly overpriced. Take an explicit example from the MLS of a home that has sat on the market for months and explain all the problems with it and why it isn't selling.

Examples:

• Why this 3 bedroom DC Condo won't sell and how you can make sure yours does
• Why great San Diego Homes like these go unsold
• Why good Portland homes can't sell and bad ones do

How to implement this post:

• Find one home that has sat on the market for a while that you can clearly identify why it has not sold. It is preferable to pick a home that you have been inside.
• Use MLS data like listing info, address, description, photos (if copyrights do not prohibit you) or take your own photos etc.
• What is preventing the home from selling and list things that the Realtor or Seller could do to help this home get sold.\

Read also: Formula for a Successful Blog Post

3. Compare and contrast two similar listings

Take two similar listings and compare them. Determine the features, amenities, benefits and shortcomings of each. Show why one home is a better buy over the other. This is a perfect post to put together after you have been out all day showing a buyer homes because the homes you just saw are fresh in your mind. You probably also have a good understanding of what your seller liked and disliked about each home.

Examples:

• A tale of two Long Beach Condos: comparing studio beachfront condos
• How to spot the best 2 bedroom San Mateo home for your family
• What to look for when looking at Virginia Beach 3 bedroom homes

How to implement this post:

• Find two very similar listings (preferably ones you have been in) - create a 2 column table in your blog post with one listing on the left side and the other on the right.
• Detail each listing: Use MLS data like listing info, address, description, photos (if copyrights do not prohibit you) or take your own photos etc.
• Compare the benefits on each home
• Compare the drawbacks of each home
• Below the table, make your recommendations of what makes one home a better real estate purchase than the other.

Read also: How to write cornerstone and flagship content

EXAMPLE: See Kevin's recent comparison of these two Fair Oaks homes.

4. Show why certain homes actually sold this month

By now, you probably know you need to do market reports at least once per month. In the process of building a market report for your blog you likely have looked at the sold properties. Often you can tell it was perfectly priced, it was undervalued, it had terrific upgrades, it's location was ideal, it had a great Realtor, etc. So, take one of those homes and use it to show how you get a home sold.

Examples:

• Why this Rancho Palos Verdes Home Sold in 3 Months
• How to get your Alta Loma house to sell just like this one did
• What makes a condo Clearwater Beach sell in under 90 days

How to implement this post:

• This post is best done while or shortly after you compile your monthly market report since you will be looking at sold properties. Check out recently sold homes and condos and pick one that would make a good example of good pricing, marketing, seller behavior and go to town.
• Detail each listing: Use MLS data like listing info, address, description, photos (if copyrights do not prohibit you) or take your own photos etc.

Show the specific attributes of the home, the seller, the pricing, the marketing or the Realtor that made this home sell.

5. Show consumers why Zillow data is not useful

OK, I know just about every Realtor out there has a bone to pick with the big 'ol Z. So, here is a kinder, gentler way to pick that bone while educating the consumer on what Zillow data really tells them and why they really need a savvy Realtor (i.e. you)

Examples:

• Is Zillow trying to undersell this 4 bedroom Palos Altos estate
• What to do if Zillow undervalues your Cape Cod home in a Zestimate
• Hey, my Lake Park home is worth more on Zillow than my Realtor is telling to sell for

(Most of these titles were actually driven from questions and answers from TruliaVoices and Yahoo Answers.)

NOTE: Do yourself a favor - take screenshots of Zillow data and post it in the blog post- do not link directly to Zillow data as it can change and more importantly, you don't want to give link love to Zillow when it is your direct competitor on the search engines.

How to implement this post:

• Find a listing that is way over or undervalued in Zillow and the corresponding entry in the MLS. It would preferable if it were your listing so you can show how you claim it to correct the situation
• Detail the listing: Use MLS data like listing info, address, description, photos (if copyrights do not prohibit you) or take your own photos etc.
• Take sceen shot of the Zillow information
• Explain what is wrong with the Zillow data for this particular listing
• Then, detail how you, as a savvy Realtor would act to improve the situation

NOTE: If you have an example of having written a post like the ones mentioned above or have other interesting ways of writing listing pieces, please let me know in the comments of this post and I would be happy to use it as an example in this post or others and will give you a high quality backlink from the RSS Pieces site (PageRank5).

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Part 22 in this list of real estate blog ideas covers everything from ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­how to attack the foreclosure topic to how to target specific prospect markets witquickie glossary posts. See how Realtors across the real estate blogosphere are giving content a unique spin with these 10 real estate blog ideas. 219 down, 146 ¼ real estate blog content ideas left to go!

1. Focus on attracting sellers by covering topics a new home seller will face in the current market condition.

See how the Wagner team wrote a series of posts that focused on attracting sellers by clearly outlining how sellers can compete against bank owned properties, desperate sellers and motivated sellers. These posts not only provide information on what kind of competition exists in the marketplace but also clear advice on what a seller can do to successfully compete against each type of seller.

EXAMPLE: Selling Your Colorado Springs Home: How to Compete Against Bank Owned Properties

Related Posts in This Series:

Selling Your Colorado Springs Home: How to Compete Against Desperate Sellers

Selling Your Colorado Springs Home: How to Compete Against Motivated Sellers

Read more »

Part 19 in this list of real estate blog ideas covers everything from ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­gearing some of your writing to college students, thanksgiving, and writing more details about your neighborhoods.  See how Realtors across the real estate blogosphere are giving content a unique spin with these 10 real estate blog ideas. 209 down, 156 ¼ real estate blog content ideas left to go! 

200.  Create a poll

Getting readers to be more engaged in your web blog can be a little tricky sometimes.  We have covered some great ways for you to get these readers to be a part of your blog and this one I feel tops them off.  Creating a poll is very easy and it allows the reader to give their opinion.  Whether it is about the look and feel of your site, or their feelings on the Real Estate market right now.

EXAMPLE:  Jon Lansner, author of Lansner on Real Estate, has created a category within his blog just for polls.  He creates these polls and then gets the feedback from his readers.  What a great way to engage readers!  Check out some of his polls, and become a part of his reading community.

201.  Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the best time of the year for great food, and a great family surrounding.  Write a post wishing all of your readers a Happy Thanksgiving, and give them a background of Thanksgiving.  Where did it originate?  What are common recipes used?  Are there any special events that are happening?

EXAMPLE:  Take a look at how Zillow writes their Turkey Day post.  Definitely make sure you include a little history, we the people like to be informed of EVERYTHING.

Read more »

Part 20 in this list of real estate blog ideas covers everything from ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­covering National issues such as cancer, to the obvious for the month of October, HALLOWEEN.  See how Realtors across the real estate blogosphere are giving content a unique spin with these 10 real estate blog ideas. 200 down, 165 ¼ real estate blog content ideas left to go!

191.  There is such a thing as Cancer Month 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and what better to write about than just that?  Breast Cancer has been a serious matter for all recently.  Create a post explaining what people can do to help, whether it be fundraisers or a walk for Cancer that are being help locally.
Example:  See how Kristin Collins wrote a post on this same subject called The Power of Pink:  Breast Cancer Awareness in San Diego.  She creates a list of things to do for everyone, which is a perfect way to appeal to readers with different interests.

192.  Get into the Halloween spirit 

I would agree with this post I came across that picking out the perfect pumpkin is "the hardest decision to make".  Normally you go to the same place every year since you were a little kid to pick out the great big pumpkin you are going to carve this weekend with the family.  Create a list of local Churches or businesses selling pumpkins.  Talk about the pricing and what to look for when picking out "the best pumpkin" in the patch!

EXAMPLE:  See how J. Kirby wrote a very simple post on this subject.  Now we all know what is being said in this short post, but remember to expand on ideas to give your readers something to enjoy. 

Read more »

181.   What's so cool about your office?

So I tell my friends how great it is to have such a wonderful office, but what is a "wonderful" office without your favorite gadget?  Tell your readers about something totally awesome you have in your office.  Le them into your life.

EXAMPLE:  See how the folks at Rain City Guide showed their readers about ther cool gadget.

182.  Mortgage payment going up?  Not sure what to do?

Successful people have financial plans made to help them budget their money.  Should'nt you have a plan for when your Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) begins to climb?  Explain the importance of devising a plan on what  a homeowner should do when they eel they are trapped in their mortgage.

EXAMPLE:  Rhonda Porter wrote a great article on, what is your mortgage exit strategy?  See how she was able to give recommendations on what to do in this scenario.

Read more »