Dream Town Realtor Talks Social Networking with Chicago Agent Magazine

April 12, 2010 - PRLog -- Kimberly Adams of Dream Town Realty, a leader in online Chicago real estate, was one of four realtors interviewed for Chicago Agent Magazine's March 29th cover story about social networking in the real estate business. What started out as purely a social communication tool has transformed into a viable and successful way to gain clients and promote professional services.

Along with the other agents consulted for the article, Ms. Adams is an avid social networker who uses online connections on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to drum up business and create lead generation. The practice is widespread among Chicago's real estate industry and growing in popularity as more and more realtors see how well it works.

"I've gotten lots of clients from social networking," said Ms. Adams, who began Facebooking to keep in touch with friends and has since switched to using it mainly for professional purposes. "It's just another way to put your name and face out there and let people know what you do."  

A shift toward social media and networking corresponds with the influx of Generation Y members into the housing market. This group of twenty-somethings is considered the next big wave of home buyers and they are very technologically savvy. They grew up using the Internet and handheld devices and they expect to find everything they want to know on the web within seconds. This bodes well for realtors who send out Tweets about property listings and make their professional information easily available through sites like LinkedIn. Such agents are in a position to capture these young home buyers' attention and connect with them in their preferred form of communication.

"When Gen Y-ers look for real estate they depend on web sites, blogs and social media for information," said Ms. Adams. "They are accustomed to constant and instant contact with others and that's where it benefits agents to get involved in online exchanges."

This new channel for gaining referrals is quick, easy and inexpensive. So what's the catch? Social networks originated as a means for personal interaction. Therefore, as realtors make the transition to using their accounts for work, it is important to be mindful of how personal information, photos, etc could affect their professional image. This is something Ms. Adams is very aware of and is careful that the personal aspect of her Facebook account upholds the integrity she would want her clients to see.  

"The content I put on my profile is generally about market news, info on industry seminars, and reports on Chicago real estate," Ms. Adams said. Other agents add that it is a good idea to keep things simple and to remember the "less is more" theory. Instead of inundating potential clients with tons of Tweets or Facebook updates, limit it to an unobtrusive amount that will maintain a dialog but won't annoy people.  

While social networking is second nature for members of Generation Y, the phenomenon is not just for the young community. As Adams explained, this is the direction the world is going and it is valuable for real estate agents, regardless of age or experience, to get on the bus. "In any business, you have to be willing to change with the times to be successful," Adams said. "I went with the ‘digital flow' so to speak and it has opened the doors to a huge new group of possible clients."

An estimated 4 million Generation Y-ers enter the marketplace every year, according to a national marketing firm that studies such statistics. The group's consumer power will rival that of their parents (the Baby Boomers) and their consumer habits will most definitely favor the online realm. This massive category of house hunters is never without access to the Internet via a smart phone and they expect to find everything, from a new condo to a new couch to fill that condo, on the web. Search for condos online at www.dreamtown.com/neighborhood_search.do

Learn more about Kimberly Adams and contact her at www.dreamtown.com/agents/kimberly-adams.html

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About Dream Town Realty
Dream Town is largely recognized as the leader in online Chicago real estate. Its top-ranked website receives tens of thousands of unique visitors weekly. The company has developed proprietary technology and applications to improve online house hunting and offer the most advanced Internet home search available to Chicago buyers today. Dream Town Realty provides residential buyer and seller services, as well as commercial and international divisions and REO sales. The company also has a new home construction and renovation branch called Dream Town Builders and Remodeling.