With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
More real estate coming to social media feed near you
Listen
• 0:59
FILE: Online social networks like Nextdoor, Facebook and Instagram are getting into the business of real estate advertising as agents and firms seek to market themselves and their listings.
(
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
)
Keri White, a real estate agent at The Agency, says she prefers advertising on social media instead of traditional modes such as signs on bus benches or shopping carts.
(
Keri White
)
Real estate agents have long been among the top advertisers in a community. But only now are social media companies figuring this out and trying to get some of those ad dollars for themselves in markets like Los Angeles.
Nextdoor, the social network for neighbors, this month rolled out a new real estate section, where agents in 10 cities, including L.A., can pay to promote themselves and their listings on the site.
Facebook and Instagram, which the former owns, are also offering new tools to real estate firms. Visitors to a firm’s website could see its listings show up in their social media feed.
Ali Jafari, Nextdoor’s vice president of business development, said Nextdoor is meeting a demand driven by the real estate industry.
Support for LAist comes from
"We’re seeing more and more money go from offline, whether it’s print or billboards or signs on lawn, to online," Jafari said. "Digital is more measurable. It's more trackable."
Social media companies stand to profit from branching into real estate advertising, which is expected to top $28 billion this year, said Kip Cassini, executive vice president of Borrell Associates, a market research firm.
Cassini said real estate companies have long vied with car dealerships for the top advertising spot in many cities, with retail usually in third place.
What's changed is the way real estate companies market themselves. In the early 2000s, the industry began to pivot away from newspaper ads into digital, and by 2010, most of their money was going online, Cassini said.
Cassini said the online advertising world for real estate has gotten much more heated with the entry of Facebook and Nextdoor. Social networks have an advantage because the typical user is visiting them more regularly than real-estate specific sites such as Zillow or Redfin.
For advertisers, "you're going to them, instead of them having to come to you," Cassini said.
Keri White, a real estate agent at The Agency, says she prefers advertising on social media instead of traditional modes such as signs on bus benches or shopping carts.
(
Keri White
)
Support for LAist comes from
Keri White, who sells properties on the Westside for The Agency, said she prefers social media advertising over say, a bus bench, because it lets her target a younger demographic.
"People that I go to yoga with, grab drinks. We talk about the Bachelor — that’s who I want to work with," said White, who's 32. "So it's not going to be a bus bench."
White joked her clients wouldn’t even notice a bus bench because they’re too busy looking at their phones.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Lucille J. Smith Elementary was one of 31 California schools to be nominated as a National Blue Ribbon School. -
Unhoused people sleeping in county parks and along flood control channels can now be immediately fined or jailed. -
Immigration raids have caused some U.S. citizens to carry their passports to the store, to school or to work. But what documents to have on you depends on your citizenship. -
The historic properties have been sitting vacant for decades and were put on the market as-is, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.75 million. -
Users of the century old Long Beach wooden boardwalk give these suggestions to safely enjoy it. -
The Newport Beach City Council approved a new artificial surf park that will replace part of an aging golf course.
Best of LAist