Marketing experts always say how important it is to offer personalized and relevant marketing. You know they’re right, but how do you find the time to come up with great ideas when you’re busy serving clients?

Believe it or not, you already have the perfect idea-generating tool at your fingertips. It’s low-tech, easy to understand, and applicable to all of your potential clients.

It’s your marketing calendar.

Did you know that, in most markets, homes sell 18.5 days faster and for 5.9% more money in the first two weeks of May? Or that in ski towns and hot climates, winter is the prime selling season? 

That’s real estate seasonality. People buy and sell differently based on the time of year, and those preferences present some great marketing opportunities. 

We make it easy for you to have a growing and connected client base with all the marketing tools you need, synced to the tools you’re already using.

For the spring real estate season

Spring is the peak season for many markets, sometimes accounting for nearly double the revenue of the slow season. It’s important to capture the attention of these enthusiastic buyers and sellers. 

Why spring?

Tax refunds. In most years, the due date for filing income taxes is April 15, and about 73% of people get refunds. Sellers can use that money for renovations and landscaping, and buyers can put it toward closing costs.

Summer’s coming. The most popular months for moving are June, July, and August. School’s out, the weather is accommodating, and it’s easier for many people to take time off work. By listing in spring, buyers and sellers can time their move for the summer.

Making the most of it

Focus on curb appeal. Curb appeal is no secret in the real estate industry. According to HomeLight, 75% of top agents report that a well-landscaped home is worth up to 10% more than one that isn’t landscaped. 

Spring is naturally a great time for curb appeal in many markets, and it’s easy to share tips on how to maximize the benefit. You could: 

  • Share curb appeal tips using your email newsletter. If you don’t have one, the spring selling season is a great time to start!
  • Post related articles on LinkedIn and Facebook for your sellers. For your buyers, post beautiful spring-themed listing photos on Instagram.

Talk about “best value” renovations. With sellers and potential sellers using their tax refunds to improve their homes inside and out, it’s a great time to share content about the kinds of renovations that add value to a property. 

Don’t have time to write a long post? Hire a freelancer or ask a colleague or local appraiser to create a guest article for you. Guest posts are great for building mutually beneficial relationships with colleagues in your area.  

For the summer real estate season

Summer is another key season for real estate marketing. June 28 is the most likely day to close on a home, but it’s not the end of the story. According to 68% of surveyed real estate agents, buyers are motivated to close by summer’s end. 

Why summer?

Fall’s getting closer. For people who want to be in their new homes by autumn, summer is the home stretch. 

The weather is good. When the grass is green and the weather warm, it’s easy for people to imagine life in their new home. Things can get hot in some areas, but that doesn’t have to be negative — it’s a great reason to show off a listing’s central air conditioning.

Making the most of it

Encourage people to list early. More than 70% of surveyed real estate agents believe that the beginning of summer is the best time to list.

Get the word out on email, social media, and your blog — list early and get seen by more people. If you work with buyers, remind them that they can jump on early listings before the mid-summer shoppers get in on the act. 

Start or revitalize a blog. With so much buying and selling activity happening in the summer, it’s a great time to share useful real estate advice. It’s easy to add a blog to your website, and the content you post on that blog will help search engines notice your site. Be sure to post consistently and include season-specific posts every now and then.

For the fall real estate season

In fall, the rush to buy and sell might be slowing down a bit, but that’s good news for a lot of buyers and sellers, especially those without school-aged children. 

Why fall?

Families are settled. According to the National Association of REALTORS® Generational Trends Report, 66% of home buyers have no children under the age of 18 living at home. Buyers under 29 and over 53 are more likely not to need a family-friendly home.

Fall is a great time to market to these buyers, especially if you’re listing homes that are smaller or less geared toward families.

There’s more help available. As the spring and summer real estate rush dies down, professionals in related fields have more availability. It might be easier — and cheaper — for people to find contractors, landscapers, moving companies, and home stagers.

Making the most of it

Start a “drip” email campaign. Since fewer people are looking to buy and sell in the fall, you can take more time to target what they want. An effective way to do this is through what marketers call a “drip” campaign

A real estate drip campaign lets you send different messages to audiences based on their interests. The first email launches the campaign, and each response triggers the next message. For example, if a potential client opens an email about starter homes, they might get a follow-up about the benefits of fixer-uppers.

Drip campaigns let you get the right message to the right person at the right time. Best of all, they’re easy to set up using a real estate marketing tool like Constant Contact, which can organize your contacts and automate your real estate marketing emails.

For the winter real estate season

Winter is a tough season for buying and selling in many markets, but in hotter areas of the country, things are just getting busy. The key is to know who your audience is and target what they need.

Why winter?

The snowbird effect. If you sell property in a warm climate, you have the opportunity to target people who just don’t want to deal with the cold anymore. Winter is a great time to emphasize the lack of shoveling, ice scraping, and snowdrifts in your market.

Less competition. Highly motivated buyers and sellers will choose winter because there’s less activity on the market. Sellers can set higher prices since buyers have fewer options. Buyers can take their time looking for the perfect home because there’s less competition. 

Many top agents get great results in the winter because they can spend more time with these highly motivated clients.

How to make the most of it

Focus on lead generation. When the level of activity in the market is lower, you can give people some personal attention. You can also read our guide on how to generate leads.

You’ll need to get their contact information first, though, so be sure to provide email sign-up forms on your website and social media platforms.

You can get more signups by offering free downloadable resources when people share their email addresses with you. Possibilities include:

  • A guide on staging your home for winter
  • A checklist for preparing your home for showings
  • A link to a first-time homebuyers’ webinar  

Getting started

Now that you know why it’s important to incorporate real estate seasonality into your marketing, you can start thinking about creating fun and engaging seasonal campaigns.

Take a look at our real estate marketing guide, The Download, and see what you find for inspiration. Maybe you’ll come up with the perfect drip email campaign for fall or start planning your summer blog posts. You know your market best, so relax and let the ideas flow.