Maryland REALTORS® Online

Empowering Buyers, Promoting REALTORS®: The New Marylandhomeownership.com

By Lisa May

Director of Advocacy and Public Policy for Maryland REALTORS^®

 

Starting the homebuying process can be overwhelming. Information on the internet or advice from friends and family may be contradictory, inapplicable, or even incorrect.

Giving consumers the information they need to navigate the ins and outs of the housing market

is what prompted the creation of Marylandhomeownership.com, several years ago. Though it contained some static content, it was largely a vehicle to promote our original Buyer and Seller Toolkits and for consumers to find Housing Opportunity Certified REALTOR^® members.

That was then. Considering this year’s events, the site is now taking on a whole new role as a primary vehicle for Maryland REALTORS^® to communicate our members’ value and expertise to consumers.

To meet that task, we are making several enhancements to Marylandhomeownership.com, including added content and materials you can use with your clients to show you have the knowledge to guide them in their homeownership journey.

Buyer and Seller Toolkits

While digital and print copies of the Maryland Homeownership toolkits for both buyers and sellers have been available in the past, they have now been updated to reflect brokerage compensation changes in light of the NAR Settlement. They are now also available in both English and Spanish.

These toolkits walk buyers and sellers step-by-step through the real estate transaction and feature removable checklists for consumers to use when completing their mortgage application, preparing for an open house, or readying for moving day.

Blogs

In late 2022, Marylandhomeownership.com created a blog page to communicate with consumers about a particular aspect of homeownership or alert them to news and programs from around the state. Up until now, these were written by staff and posted once per month.

This blog space is being super-charged with content. In addition to staff-produced posts, we will now feature submissions from Maryland REALTORS® committee members on current topics and trends in real estate. We are also creating a feedback channel so that consumers can tell us what topics they would like to see covered in the future.

Videos

In 2023, Maryland Homeownership launched “Your Homebuying Keys,” an hour-long webinar on homebuying offered at no cost to consumers. Each monthly session features a REALTOR^® member of the Housing Opportunity Committee, a Maryland Mortgage Program top-performing lender, a representative from Freddie Mac, and a staff member from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Recordings of these sessions are available on the Marylandhomeownership.com homepage and YouTube channel.

Along with these recordings, we will begin producing original video content for consumers, including top tips for buyers and sellers, animated how-to guides on aspects of home sales, and a consumer-facing explanation on understanding broker compensation.

Financial Literacy

One of Maryland REALTORS^® key initiatives for 2024 was to increase financial literacy and education among consumers—particularly for teens and young adults. In partnership with the Maryland Council on Economic Education, we have developed a curriculum and supporting materials on moving from “High School to Homeowner.” These will be adapted and incorporated into a special section on Marylandhomeownership.com.

Sharable Social Content

If you need easy content to share with your clients, look no further than the Maryland Homeownership Facebook and Instagram accounts. These sites are regularly updated with information aimed specifically at consumers, including homebuying tips, definitions of industry terms, and promotion of homebuying events and seminars.

Through this additional content and with increased promotion, we hope to position Maryland Homeownership as a one stop shop for consumers to find honest and accurate information about real estate. Take a tour of it today and use these free tools to show your worth as a Maryland REALTOR^®.