Make Headlines in your Community

BY LAUREN BUNTING

As REALTORS, we have so many experiences in our field that bring a high level of proficiency. Your clients look to you as the expert, so why not use that proficiency to be the “voice” of real estate in your local area?

For nearly 15 years, I’ve written a real estate column for my local paper in Ocean City, Maryland. This practice has been very helpful in many ways. Initially when I approached my local editor with the idea, it was met with skepticism from the concern that other real estate agents who advertise might find that this column provided an unfair advantage. With the understanding that each column would be more informative, not “opinionated,” we agreed to a few months’ worth of columns that promoted education in the real estate market and nothing else. In truth, this was an easy task, as there are so many topics and subjects that surround homeownership and the real estate transaction that could benefit from a “deeper dive.”

One positive aspect of writing the column is that it has compelled me to stay up to date on the latest industry trends, sales data within my local market, as well as local, state, and national legislation.

Secondly, serving as a voice to the community has helped to generate some business—although that result didn’t happen overnight. Yet once you establish yourself as an authoritative voice in real estate, when you write an article that impacts a homeowner, chances are they will call you with questions for more detail.

The weekly article I write is approximately 300-350 words in length; the word count itself limits any extensive amount of detail. For more in-depth topics, I’ve provided “installments.” For example, every year when the legislative recap comes out from Maryland REALTORS®, I write a series—about three to four issues in a row—about what happened in the legislative session and its impact on the industry and homeowners—and this is only covering the bills that pass.

Being such a voice, could be carried through to a social media platform—and there are those that do this! For every column I write, I share it through my social channels and website. And yet for me, writing through a respected news outlet, provides a level of professionalism that Facebook and Instagram just don’t offer.

What about you? Are there news sites, blog sites, in your area that could carry solid real estate information from a trusted, authoritative voice? Who might that voice be? Could it be you?

Lauren Bunting, in addition to writing a column for Ocean City Today, is the 2025 President of the Coastal Association of REALTORS®.