Create a Local Presence as the New Estate Agency

Being the new kid on the block might sound like the perfect marketing subject, though this only lasts for a very short period of time before your new news becomes old news and you simply join the long list of local estate agents competing for valuations and sales. You can not have an endless launch party as eventually those opening day balloons in the office will deflate and the left over canopies and drinks will slowly get consumed… The local press, though willing to cover your opening, are now off concentrating on other meatier topics and even if you had the local mayor in to cut the ribbon they’ll have forgotten your name by next week.

What can estate agents do to grow their local presence in a new area? I write this article with vast experience of both creating and launching successful businesses that were either totally unique or from day one up against big rivals – My first words of advice goes towards you having the right mindset to succeed and plenty of it – 9 times out of 10, it will be perseverance that will deliver you success. I have also worked in the estate agency business creating franchises within areas where I had little to no connections with.

If you are looking to build your brand locally, here are some great hot tips to grow your market share:

Social Media – All my businesses were formed thanks to social media and continue to grow thanks to social media. Without question you need a strong presence:

  • Capture all your business usernames on all the social media platforms and look to focus your attentions on at least two (three if possible) platforms that should include either Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok.
  • Grow local community pages and groups that offer locals (ie your target audience) something of value. For example buy/sell/swap pages or property support groups that are for your local region – Building such communities will give you a local database to connect with and build brand awareness.
  • Live Video Interviews is another great way to connect with your local community. Think about contacting local businesses / people of influence and invite them to be interviewed on topics relating to their expertise and local subjects.
  • Connect with other local businesses and this should include you visiting them such as shops / events and sharing updates including them tagged in. For example if you visit a local restaurant then not only leave a positive review online for them, how about a selfie with a positive comment left on their account / page / group? Tagging in, especially when complimentary will likely get a positive reply.
  • Local community is another way in which to highlight you and your brand. How great are the local touristic attractions, the architecture, parks, wildlife and more? Share the positives about where you live and as and when you can, tag in local authorities and services so they can see you are a proud resident.

Local Community – We touch upon this via social media, but we can also engage with our local community by the likes of newspapers, websites and events. Take time to research what is happening locally to include anything charity related – Can you sponsor some, partner with, donate to or join? Comment on posts / blogs and look to attend local events.

The area that you cover with your estate agency should have plenty happening especially the likes of clubs, societies, voluntary groups and more. How about joining some of these so you get to know more people and importantly them knowing what you do. How about local business networking / breakfast meetings such as BNI?

Exceptional property marketing techniques can also set you apart from the competition – How do your rivals market their property online? Can you improve on things from quality of photography to usage of drones / audio tours / fully presented video tours?

Think more re content marketing is certainly an important trick up your sleeve especially if you can contribute to local news publications / websites. Investing time and / or money in to the creation of quality local content will be a great (SEO) tool for your online exposure – If you are able to create quality video content then this correctly tagged / hash tagged can provide great local traffic. Working with link-building services is useful at this point since they can help you create and better optimize your content to appear first in the local audience. Share your content via your estate agency website, social media pages and submit to local press.

Invest in branding is another way in which to attract the attention of your local community. Stand out branding / colours, trendy work clothing, branded vehicles, for sale signs can all be appraised and improved on.

Leafleting might sound a bit old fashioned, but it returns some of the best reaction to action ratios – If you are looking to target an area then hand deliver these yourself and every now and then you will be able to bump in to a home owner, some will admire your personal dedication to your business and you are thus putting your face to your brand.

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

95% of estate agents say homebuying reforms could speed up property transactions

The latest survey by GetAgent.co.uk has found overwhelming support from estate agents for the Government’s proposed homebuying reforms, with the vast majority believing the changes will create a faster, more stable and more efficient property market. The proposed reforms are designed to modernise the homebuying process by introducing greater upfront information, earlier legal certainty and measures…
Read More
Breaking News

Private rent and house prices, UK: July 2026

1. Main points Average UK monthly private rent increased by 3.3%, to £1,388, in the 12 months to June 2026 (provisional estimate); this annual growth rate remained unchanged from the 12 months to May 2026. Average rents increased to £1,446 (3.4%) in England, £843 (4.9%) in Wales, and £1,012 (1.3%) in Scotland, in the 12 months…
Read More
what is happening to house prices
Breaking News

Tenant demand continues to strengthen in Q2

The latest research by The Letting Partnership has found that tenant demand across England continued to strengthen during the second quarter of 2026, with 29.7% of all rental listings already securing a tenant. Demand has increased by 2.3% over the quarter and now sits 0.3% higher than the same time last year, demonstrating the continued…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 22/7/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.     More kite flying on capping rents creates new uncertainty for investors Official data undermines rent cap folly as Burnham yo-yoing creates damaging market uncertainty More kite flying on capping rents has created new uncertainty for investors at the worst possible time. Analysis of…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Conveyancing keeps providing stability in uncertain market

New research from Lyons Bowe solicitors has found that conveyancing costs have remained remarkably steady as a proportion of house prices across the UK, providing essential reliability for homebuyers during another year of market and economic uncertainty. Lyons Bowe’s analysis found that the average cost of purchasing a freehold property increased from £1,383 in April 2025…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Political uncertainty adds to the many distractions for summer buyers

The average asking price of newly-listed homes for sale drops by 1.0% (-£3,832) this month to £372,359, substantially larger than the average July drop over the last ten years of 0.2%, as new sellers try to tempt summer buyers who are facing many distractions: Number of available homes for sale is 1% below this time…
Read More