While the home buying market gets hammered with “national” real estate news, mortgage brokers and real estate agents are struck with the thought “It is not that bad here!” Then they notice the national news’ self-fulfilling prophecy affecting the local real estate markets. Solution: Become your own real estate news source.

Real estate blogs are the fastest way to reach your markets. Just as the national news feels compelled to beat their statistically misleading drums, real estate agents need to beat their own drum for the opportunities and real estate news in their local markets. Simple compare and contrast stories between the strength of local housing versus the deep price hits in markets like San Diego become wake-up calls to local investors and buyers.

Put on your “customer viewpoint” marketing hat and write blog entries that address the fears that new home buyers face. National news stories of new home owners suddenly getting faced with mortgages that are higher than their home’s current value puts a damper on buying. A blog entry that such a home buying scenario is highly unlikely in your market is necessary to counter the misleading national stories. Using your real estate blog as the “bully pulpit” can be just the beginning.

Once you have a series of articles on your website, contact your local newspaper and get them to work on an article and encourage them to quote your blog entries.

Real estate agents can also leverage their blogs by sending email newsletters with a short summary of the local real estate market and providing a link to the blog for more information. This step can achieve two items: educate your market and spur traffic to your real estate website. Of course, if they forward your email, so much the better.

As with marketing real estate on the Internet, providing news through your real estate blog rides the current wave of the public’s behavior. Just as more people are searching online for property, more people seek their news online. Interestingly more people believe a news blog more than the main stream media. Use the Force of the Blog!