What’s Your Competitive Edge? Here’s How to Stand Out From the Competition in Real Estate

As any pro knows, the real estate industry is jam-packed, and it’s not just nationwide. Your own backyard has plenty of competition. Nearly all consumers start the search for their home online, and it’s no surprise searching for an agent starts early, too. So, take a second to Google search “agents in (your zip code)”. Everyone that pops up? That is your competition.

Now that you’ve gotten familiar with names and faces, you can start focusing on one of the most important things you can do for your real estate business: finding your own competitive edge. Here’s why it matters, how to find it, and ways you can put it into action.

Why You Need to Have a Competitive Edge in Real Estate

Having a competitive edge, or a special something that makes you stand out in a sea of other agents, is so important. In a market full of shifts, twists, and turns, it’s more crucial than ever to stand out and effectively showcase your value. According to the National Association of REALTORS® 2023 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, over 70% of all buyers, from first-timers to repeat buyers, interview just one agent. Consumers nowadays are savvier than ever before, thanks to the endless scroll of information online and on social media. As they self-educate, they’re seeing real estate pros they can work with someday, and there are a lot to choose from.

When consumers are assessing what agent to partner with for the investment of a lifetime, they need to feel like they can trust that agent, know their strengths and expertise, and feel confident in choosing them to represent their needs, goals, and motivations. This is where your competitive edge swoops in to set you apart. It’s not enough to say your name, have a nice headshot, and say you’ve been in the business for so many years. You need to carve out your own lane in real estate, especially in your local market.

Key Ways You Can Stand Out From the Competition in Real Estate

Having a competitive edge to stand out from your real estate competitors is important, but how exactly can you make it happen? Take a look at the following strategies to help add a distinct flair to your real estate presence.

Have a Strong Brand for Your Business

Building and strengthening a solid real estate brand is a must to have a successful, long-lasting business. The stronger your brand is, the more confident you can be that you’ll set yourself apart from agents who let their brands simmer on the back burner. Your real estate brand should convey trust, expertise, and be consistent, so no matter where or when consumers see it, they know what it is, who you are, and start to become more familiar.

Your brand is also the perfect platform to highlight what makes you different from other agents. Think about your own real estate story: how did you get into the business? What challenges have you overcome? What do you think makes you stand out from the competition? Start weaving that into your brand story to position your competitive edge.

Find and Focus On a Real Estate Niche

A real estate niche, or a specific area of focus in real estate, is a great way to stand out. By specializing and being an expert in one specific real estate niche, you can stand out in a market full of agents doing the same song and dance to buy or sell homes. To find your niche, think of what it is about real estate that makes you tick. 

Ask yourself questions like:

• What clients am I most passionate about serving?
• What types of clients interest me the most?
• Is there a niche in my market that’s pretty empty, like helping first-generation home buyers, empty-nesters, or untangling foreclosures?
• Do I have a different passion I want to pursue in the name of real estate?

Your answers, and what motivates you, will help you unlock an area of expertise you can dive deeper into. Once you identify your niche, you can start incorporating it into your branding. Once consumers see you amongst the other agents in your market, they’ll be able to quickly see how you’re set apart.

Download: 3 Tips for Getting Serious Leads from Instagram & TikTok

Leverage the Power of Video

Video is a digital medium that continues to skyrocket in use and engagement. A 2024 study by Wyzowl uncovered that almost 90% of consumers say video quality impacts their trust in a brand. What’s more, 82% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video, and more than 90% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. This data shows consumers are relying on video to learn about brands, get a digestible breakdown of what brands offer, and feel confident educating themselves about whether or not to work with a brand’s products or services as a result of their videos.

Creating videos is an excellent way to stand out from your real estate competition. It’s an ideal platform to showcase your expertise, highlight your brand, address your target consumer audience directly, and share your own unique personality. It doesn’t have to be complicated, either. Simply open your smartphone’s front-facing camera, stand in front of an open window with natural light, and start recording! List out topics beforehand to create videos about, and make sure they’re specific to your ideal audience. As consumers search for their perfect match for an agent, they’ll be more likely to engage if you offer video.

Be the Local Expert

NAR’s 2023 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers also uncovered that 92% of buyers valued an agent’s knowledge of the real estate market and 77% of buyers valued an agent’s knowledge of the local area. These two areas of knowledge are important to bring together for home shoppers. The national real estate market is evolving, which can be intimidating and downright confusing. Consumers need to know how these broad, macro changes directly impact their own real estate market where they’re searching.

Invest time and effort into being an expert on all things related to your local market. Research local trends, and stay up to speed on how national changes are impacting those trends and local market shifts. You should also prepare to articulate these to leads and clients in a clear, concise, and understandable manner. Being able to bridge the gap from national to local will go a long way in easing your clientele’s concerns, curiosities, and carve out your space as a trusted expert in your area.

Dominate Social Media

You know having a strong social media presence is important in real estate and as a business owner, but you’ll also want to stand out in your market online. Remember the competition you Googled earlier? Go check out their social media profiles. What are they posting? How often? What are they talking about? How about the ads they’re running online? Doing a little competitive intel can help you know exactly what gaps you can fill, allowing you to quickly create content and position your online presence separately from other agents in your market.

You’ll also want to make sure your social media presence is engaging. Create content that fills gaps, but that’s also addressed to your target audience. Look at social media trends and see how you can adapt them to your real estate business. Engage with comments, reply to messages, follow people back, and chime in on real estate posts. You can also join online groups on platforms like Facebook, Nextdoor, and Reddit to amplify your social media domination — and reinforce your local market expertise.