2024-03-21 OTH Newsletter

Issue #25

A round-up newsletter of the best new construction and real estate marketing, sales, and news in the industry.

This newsletter is best viewed online. Click here to read in your browser.

In This Issue:

💡 The Big Idea: Discover whether a Sub-domain or a Sub-directory is the best choice for your blog.
🐝 Industry Buzz: Builder sentiment on the rise, the impact of higher interest rates on Gen Z and a potential new tax credit for first-time buyers.
🏆 Quick Win: Why secondary CTAs could be a big win for your marketing.
🧰 Tech Check: Add interactive forms and quizzes to your site without having to write code using Outgrow.
🏅 Marvellous Marketing: Our favourite Insta post from Suprema Homes.
📈 Real Estate Market Update: a look at the US and Canadian market stats for February 2024.
... and more!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
"Love the easy-to-digest format. Gives me a quick pulse check on the industry and some new things to try."

The Big Idea 💡

The Sub-domain Versus Sub-directory Debate

Which is best for your blog - a sub-domain or a sub-directory? The debate has been going on for years, with plenty of blog posts and research papers published on the topic.

Let’s look at the differences and examine what effects each could have on your site. We'll cover:

☑️ What kind of impact and factors a sub-domain or sub-directory could have on your website
☑️ How Google looks at ranking websites and its primary objective for searches
☑️ What you can do to make the biggest impact in your search rankings

Industry Buzz 🐝

↗️ Builder Sentiment Rises Above Breakeven Point
In March, builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes increased by three points to reach 51, as reported by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). This marks the highest level since July 2023 and represents the fourth consecutive monthly gain for the index.

👍 Gen Z and Millennials Are OK with Higher Interest Rates
A recent report from ServiceLink indicates that both younger generations are enthusiastic about purchasing a home in 2024 and are not discouraged about navigating higher interest rates.

💰 NAHB Supports First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Legislation
Welcome news! The new legislation would create a refundable tax credit of up to $15,000 for first-time home buyers. They would have the option of claiming the credit at closing through their mortgage lender, alleviating one of the biggest barriers for first-time buyers.

Quick Win 🏆

Try implementing some secondary CTAs on your site. This is when you give the visitor an option to the action you want them to take. Maybe booking a call is a little too much for them? You could offer a sign-up to your newsletter as a more introductory step.

Tech Check 🧰

If you want to see a big boost in lead generation and conversions, take a look at Outgrow. This no-code tool brings interactive content to your website with quizzes, calculators, and forms with some great templates to get you started.

Marvellous Marketing 🏅

Stand-Out Social Media From Suprema Homes
Today's stand-out social post comes from @supremahomes over on Instagram. We love this glowing customer testimonial they shared. It’s a sign they’re doing the right things! More importantly, it serves as powerful social proof for their followers to see. It could be a deciding factor for a prospective home buyer. 

It can be tough to know what type of experience a buyer will have with a builder. That’s why posting reviews from happy homeowners is so important to help your future clients feel comfortable with what they can expect from you.

Real Estate Market Update 📈

US Market:
Single Family Home Prices in the United States decreased for the sixth straight month in February to $379,100 from the June peak of $410,000. Pending home sales also dropped by 4.9% from the previous month, the largest decline since August 2023. This follows seasonal trends and should see an increase soon as the spring selling season gets underway.

Canadian Market:
According to the latest data from the CREA, the actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average home price was $685,809 in February 2024, up 3.5% from February 2023. National home sales dipped 3.1% month-over-month and the number of newly listed properties was up a slight 1.6%. As spring nears and the rumour of slightly lowered interest rates is on the horizon, sales activity should pick up as more buyers get ready to enter the market.

Just For Laughs

What We’re Watching 🎧

Ahrefs YouTube Channel
While pretty much every SEO tool is on YouTube, you can count on the Ahrefs channel for a consistent stream of awesome SEO tutorials.  They cover a ton of topics and strategies. Check out the YouTube SEO / Video Marketing playlist to get a step up in your video marketing.

Points of Interest 🧐

📆  On this day
On this day in 2006, the first public tweet was sent by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, which read “just setting up my twttr.”

🐑  Ewe are under arrest
An 80-year-old Montana man has been arrested for an “audacious scheme” to create a giant genetically engineered hybrid sheep.

🐧  Remote work
A post office in Antarctica is hiring three people to run its “penguin post office”, which has received up to 6,000 applicants in the past.

Whenever you’re ready, there are three ways we can help:

1. Visit our Home Builder Resource Library.
Find guides and resources covering many popular topics to help you sell more homes and grow your company.

2. Book a free Power Hour session.
Tell us about your company and what your biggest marketing challenge is, and we’ll give you actionable advice to put you on the fast track.

3. Hire us to do the heavy lifting.
Whether it’s project work, setting up HubSpot, or acting as an outsourced marketing department, you can rely on our 13+ years of digital marketing experience to deliver results.

About Velocity23

We specialize in helping home builders scale their lead generation and sell more homes using our Growth Engine Framework™. The results:

🖥 7.3M+ website sessions
🙋 108,665+ leads generated
🏠 9,380+ homes sold
💰 $3.2+ Billion in reported client revenue

If you’re experiencing marketing challenges or you want to sell more homes and grow your company, book a call today and let’s see how we can help.

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