With over 70 million users and more joining each day, Facebook is one of the most formidable social networking sites on the web. It started as a social network for students at Harvard University, but gradually opened its doors to more and more people until anyone over the age of 13 can have a profile. With its streamlined interface, it’s easy to join, create your profile, and add contacts.
One of the unique features of Facebook is the applications that anyone can create and publish on the site. Apps can range from using vampires and werewolves to “attack” your friends, to more useful ones like Photos, Groups, and Events.
“Neighborhoods” is an app that allows you to choose your city and neighborhood, find other Facebook users who have added the app, and post information and photos about your local area. It’s entertaining and fun to see what people have to say about your neighborhood and get tips on where to shop and eat. Initially, this is why most people add it.
However, Neighborhoods is more than just another social networking app on a social networking site. It is a calculated tool for disseminating information about real estate. Point2 National Listing Service has made a brilliant move by combining entertainment and information about the homes it sells, using the natural interest of people in their neighborhoods to motivate them to add this app and thus expose themselves to the little box in the right hand corner, titled “Listings of Real Estate”.
Point2 has gone one step further. You can’t add your own list to Facebook Neighborhoods. To get your listing on this app, you need to get a Point2 NLS website. Point2 has a free registration for agents, brokers, builders and property managers. However, and this is where it can be lucrative in addition to selling the property, they charge a monthly fee after the first 6 months. It’s only 9.95 at the time of writing, but that’s enough to make some money when enough people join the service. And how did I find out about all this? Through Facebook Barrios, an app I added for fun.
One thing Neighborhoods is successful with is combining a real estate related app with real estate listings. Since people interested in your neighborhoods are more likely to be interested in any property associated with those neighborhoods, Point2 is in a great position to market your real estate to an interested buyer.
For the real estate agent with a bit of web experience or who knows someone who builds apps for fun, this could be an opportunity to engage potential clients or the people who know them. Or check out Point2 NLS and see what they have to offer you as a real estate professional. Neighborhoods is a growing app that certainly drew my attention to real estate in my neighborhood that I might not have seen otherwise. Exploring Facebook apps can be key to real estate marketing on this social media giant.