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estate AgentEDU Blog Toggle navigation Contact Courses FAQ The hottest home trends of 2024 — according to Zillow October 23, 2023 October 23, 2023 Emily Marek Leave a comment Brutalist style and sensory gardens may seem at odds — but they are both hot home design trends that will rule 2024. At least, according to new predictions from Zillow . Zillow analyzed nearly 300 home feature and design style keywords mentioned in listing descriptions, then compared those mentions to last year’s volumes to determine which have grown most in popularity. When certain keywords appear in a rising share of listings, it’s a signal that today’s homebuyers may be gravitating toward those features,” Zillow Home Trends Expert Amanda Pendleton said in a news release. Savvy listing agents will highlight those trending, in-demand features when marketing a home for sale.” The keyword that’s grown most in frequency is brutalism,” which is characterized by raw building materials and stripped-back interiors. Zillow saw a 452% increase in listing mentions for this minimalist mid-century style.Another burgeoning trend is sensory gardens or pathways — therapeutic outdoor oases that stimulate the senses with varied textures, colors, scents, sounds and even tastes, like herbs or fruit trees. The term sensory garden” grew in popularity by 314% in the past year. Outpacing hot tubs and Jacuzzis, cold plunge pools are trending, with mentions increasing by 130%. This wellness trend supposedly improves circulation and reduces inflammation, and it’s popping up more frequently on listings that boast spa-like amenities. And when it comes to sporting courts, pickleball is undoubtedly the top trend of the year. The relatively small courts can be easily incorporated into backyards or multifamily developments. Pickleball courts have become a great selling feature because they appeal to athletes of all ages,” Joy Kim Metalios, a Zillow premier agent based in Connecticut, said. I’ve seen homeowners converting their driveways into courts by using portable nets. Players with ultra-luxury homes are painting new pickleball lines on their sport courts or tennis courts. Since pickleball is such a social sport, an at-home court has become the latest entertaining feature, like an outdoor kitchen or a pizza oven.” Mentions of pickleball courts increased by 64% on Zillow listings. Meanwhile, pickleball mentions on StreetEasy, Zillow’s New York City brand, skyrocketed by 100%. Two art-related trends are also on the rise: Murano glass chandeliers and eclectic murals. Mentions of the handcrafted Italian light fixtures grew by 58%, while mentions of those statement murals increased by 18%. On the flip side, home trends on their way out the door in 2024 include shou sugi ban , a Japanese technique of charring wood to create a weathered finish, that rose in popularity alongside the modern farmhouse fad of shiplap siding. Mentions of shou sugi ban in Zillow listings decreased by 69% over the past year. Meanwhile, pandemic-era trends on the decline include the cloffice” — a closet-slash-office — mentions of which decreased by 54%, as well as Tuscan kitchens, which fell by 45%. Team up with a partner (or several) for prospecting success October 9, 2023 October 9, 2023 Special Contributor Leave a comment By Amy Corr As we head into the fall market, there’s no better time to begin building a pipeline of business opportunities for 2024. But facing low inventory levels, high interest rates and clients that seem to be sitting on the sidelines, prospecting can feel like a daunting task. This is when we need to dig deep to find opportunities where others see challenges. If you can do that, your efforts in the fourth quarter of the year are going to push you ahead of the competition. When prospecting, it can be difficult to focus and stay committed to the task at hand — not to mention the challenge of finding consistent times to prospect that won’t disrupt your schedule. To help break this cycle and head into the coming year with a robust pipeline, try teaming up with one or more fellow agents to create a prospecting group. This shared commitment can help keep you on track, and working in a group gives you the opportunity to share tips, ideas and challenges. Be creative Set a day and time, whether in person or over Zoom, where you and your group can all prospect together. Rotate the task of planning how you’ll conduct your outreach each week and be creative! Look for ways to make things interesting, which will keep everyone focused. For instance, one agent in our community organized an impressive virtual power hour with over 30 agents, all focused on setting up coffee appointments with their vendors. If they didn’t have specific vendors in mind, they reached out to clients within their sphere and asked for recommendations. In just one hour, they managed to schedule over 50 appointments for the upcoming two weeks — a great example of the power of collaborative prospecting! Following are some additional creative ideas our agents have used for keeping themselves accountable: • Lunchtime speed sessions.” For example, call five past clients in 20 minutes. • A weekly challenge: Set a challenge where the winner” buys coffee/lunch for the other group members. • Pick a year” challenge: As a group, review your CRM and find the list of clients you helped with a real estate transaction in a certain year. Put together a communication to these clients about the value of their home, what the current market conditions are and how things have changed since they purchased or sold that year. • Create theme days, like Social Post Saturday” or Testimonial Tuesdays.” Set realistic goals It’s important to set realistic goals that you and your prospecting group can truly manage. The key is to be consistent, even if it’s just 10 minutes per day. Ten to 15 minutes of targeted, focused prospecting is worth more than one hour with interruptions. I suggest starting with short, achievable goals. Make sure to stay targeted and focused. For example, you could call five clients whom you helped three years ago, rather than simply calling five people from your database at random. And of course, regularly track your results and review what worked. Be direct Right now, your goal is to gear up your business for the fall market and beyond, so when you reach out, be honest with your contacts. While it may seem uncomfortable to bypass the usual FORD” (family, occupation, recreation, dreams) questions, I suggest getting straight to the point. Let your prospects know that you’ve achieved success for numerous clients this year and have the availability to take on additional buyers and sellers, and don’t hesitate to ask if they know anyone seeking advice or insight into the current real estate market. • Other questions you can ask are: • Do you know of anyone who recently had children going off to college who might be interested in purchasing a local property for visits — or for their children to use in the future? • Do you know of anyone who might be looking to upsize/downsize in the coming year? • If a prospect tells you they had a great summer vacation, let them know it’s a good time to purchase a vacation property. Prospecting is nonnegotiable In today’s real estate market, prospecting is critical. Teaming up with colleagues not only makes the process more enjoyable, but also ensures that prospecting is a top priority in your business. Amy Corr is the executive vice president of culture and agent development for @properties Christie’s International Real Estate. Posts navigation 1 2 … 108 Older posts Search for:AgentEDU is an online learning company that simplifies the complex business of residential real estate by teaching practical skills for real world situations. Our wide range of video courses teach agents how to perform day-to-day the business of representing buyers and sellers, running a successful real estate business and growing it into a...