The most successful North Carolina real estate brokers typically aren’t jacks of all trades. They have a specialty or a niche. When you become an expert in a specific area, you’ll be better positioned to serve clients seeking your specific knowledge. Plus, you’ll have a valuable tool for marketing your services. Follow these six steps to identify and develop your real estate niche.
Step 1: Analyze local demographics
One way to find your real estate specialty is to research demographic trends. For example, there may be a surge of Baby Boomers or Millennials in your area, which presents a perfect opportunity to develop a niche. You should also pay particular attention to under-served groups in the real estate market, such as the U.S. Hispanic population. This group, similar to other ethnic demographics, includes a number of subgroups such as Latinos, Cuban-Americans, Dominicans, and others. Therefore, you should be cautious about alienating these subgroups when working with larger market segments.
Step 2: Pinpoint your passion
Why not turn your personal passion into your real estate niche? Think about what you love about real estate. Do you love historic homes? Rehabs? Modern, energy-efficient construction? What do you know really well? What part of your job do you always enjoy discussing with others? What designations or certifications have you received that set you apart from other North Carolina real estate professionals? Whatever area of the real estate profession comes to mind when answering these questions is likely where you will find your niche.
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Step 3: Zero in on a specific geographic area
When a person decides they want to sell or purchase a home, they often find a real estate broker through a referral, online, or if they know of an broker who is active in their area. By focusing your marketing efforts in a specific geographic area, you can increase your market presence there so that your name is top of mind when your services are needed.
Step 4: Identify your favorite client category
Identifying the type of client that best matches your skillset is a very effective strategy for finding your real estate niche. For example, there are certain brokers who only work with sellers and list exclusively, while on the other hand there are buyer brokers who do not list at all. Whatever the case may be, the happier you are with a specific client category, the more successful you will be at providing them the services they need.
Step 5: Tap your existing networks
It’s essential to consider the other organizations you belong to when attempting to define your real estate niche. For example, are you involved in any sports clubs, school groups, church groups, youth groups, or community support groups? If you are, it’s likely that you can use your involvement in those organizations to your advantage. Creating relationships with those in your community is a great way to develop your niche. It also provides you with the opportunity to market yourself, and your skills, as a real estate professional.
Step 6: Earn a professional designation
Once you’ve determined your real estate niche, one of the best ways to develop it is by earning a designation or certification in a specific real estate niche. Examples of designations include:
- Certified Financing Specialist® (C.F.S.): Recognized for their expertise in the latest trends in home and property financing
- Certified Property Management Specialist® (C.P.S.): Recognized for their expertise in comprehensive, efficient property management systems
- Certified Seniors Specialist® (C.S.S.): Recognized for their expertise in serving customers in the age 55+ demographic
- Certified Technology Specialist® (C.T.S.): Recognized for their expertise in leveraging technology in real estate brokerage
- Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist™ (CLHMS): Recognized for their expertise in marketing luxury homes. Only provided by our sister school, the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing.
Ready to get ahead of the competition? Learn more about continuing education opportunities at the Superior School of Real Estate. Not licensed yet? Get your North Carolina real estate license.
