Green Building Trends for 2024
As we celebrated Earth Day earlier this week, it's an ideal time to check out the builders who are working to add more ecologically-friendly features to their products.
When asked about their motivation to build green, the reasons weren't all about profits. Instead, the top reason given by 48% of respondents was that it was the right thing to do. This was closely followed by the desire to build healthier homes. Other reasons included:
- Code Requirements (36%)
- Reputation in Industry (30%)
- Differentiate Product in Local Market (23%)
- Market Demand (18%)
- Tax Credits or Government Incentives (16%)
On a regional basis, more dedicated green builders (45%) are doing business in the Northeast region, with the Western region coming in second place.1
Supercharge Your Notes with Hashtags
Taking notes is a daily part of most agents' lives, but that doesn't mean you don't find this process frustrating. In particular, locating and organizing the notes you've taken for a particular listing or event can be a real hair-puller. However, a new app can help you view all your notes easily by adding hashtags.
The Relanote app has the usual note-taking app features and is available for iPhone and Android users. However, its hierarchical system of organization sets it apart from earlier notepad apps.
Relanote allows you to tag other notes by using the @ symbol.You can classify your notes by using hashtags within them. It's a fast, effective way to organize, find, and use your notes without having to resort to split window viewing or swiping back and forth.
Once you've tagged a note in another note, you can zoom out to see how the two (or more) connect to each other in a visual "graph" that displays each of your tagged notes in a web. You can even filter different tags on the graph to get rid of irrelevant information when you're looking for something specific.
Last but not least—the app is free, although you can upgrade for access to more features.2
Home Sales Statistics for March
Have you ever prepared to lock up an open house, only to be delayed by a talkative visitor who won't leave? Many of us are feeling the same way about inflation.
According to NAR data, sales of existing homes fell in three out of four regions last month. Total sales numbers for properties that included single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, slid 4.3% from February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.19 million in March. On a regional level:
- The Northeast region's sales moved up 4.2% from February to an annual rate of 500,000 in March.
- In the Midwest, existing-home sales retracted 1.9% from one month ago to an annual rate of 1.01 million in March, down 1.0% from the prior year.
- Existing-home sales in the South fell 5.9% from February to an annual rate of 1.9 million in March, down 5.0% from one year before.
- The Western region was hardest hit, with existing-home sales falling 8.2% to an annual rate of 780,000.
Take Your Listings Further with an IDX Website
The term IDX in real estate stands for Internet Data Exchange, which is an agreement between brokers that allows listings to be shared across the internet. Creating an IDX website can help you boost your listings' views, as it isn't limited to a single area like the MLS and can include listings not visible on sites like Zillow.
To get started, you'll need to find the right website builder or plugin. For example, WordPress offers a popular IDX plugin that makes it easy to add listings, customize the display, activate search filters, and more. Other advantages provided by an IDX website created with the WordPress application include:
- Advanced search features that allow users to filter results based on specific needs, such as property features.
- Real-time market updates that provide users with up-to-date listing information and changes.
- Inclusion of lead generation tools like lead capture forms or integrations with customer relationship managers (CRMs).
- IDX plugins provide valuable analytics, so you'll know what your leads and clients are searching for.
Not Everyone Googles It: Optimizing for Other Search Engines
Optimizing your content for Bing referrals is different than for Google, as their ranking models and algorithms aren't the same. Bing uses OpenAI technology to understand the context and user intent.
When optimizing for Bing, focus on using exact keywords, not variations of the keyword, in your content, titles and meta descriptions. Test your efforts by copying and pasting a copy of your content to ChatGPT and ask it to identify its keywords. This method also works with Yahoo, which uses Bing's search engine.
Since search engine DuckDuckGo is designed to protect user privacy, it doesn't track user data. Its algorithm is simpler, and its results and referral links are more straightforward. It shows ads based on the searcher's keywords, not their personal data.
To optimize your content for DuckDuckGo, you'll need to add your location data to your site, claim your Apple Maps listings, and submit your sitemap to several search engines. Adding your location tells DuckDuckGo if your business is relevant to the searcher's location, based on their device. Like Yahoo, DuckDuckGo indexes websites using data from Bing and other search engines.5
Sources: 1eyeonhousing.org, 2theamericangenius.com, 3nar.realtor, 4theclose.com, 5contentmarketinginstitute.com
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