The national housing market, and quite frankly, our industry, has been experiencing plenty of twists and turns for the last few years. In April 2024, Realtor.com® took a stand publicly by calling on the industry to demonstrate the value of buyer agency, with the goal of showcasing the enormous importance of partnering with a buyer’s agent.

We shared a staggering — though accurate — list of 111 things a home buyer would need to do if they underwent the buying process without an agent. We wanted consumers to see this astonishing volume of to-dos that specifically protect their best interests when purchasing a home. With this list, we went big: we splashed this wall of tasks across major news publications, print ads, and mobile billboards — and made it available from our Buyer’s Agent Toolkit for further amplification across the internet.

And for good reason: consumers need to understand and trust what a buyer’s agent can do for them.

But it doesn’t stop here.

Why make such a splash for buyer’s agents?

Simply put, recent legal changes have shaken up consumers’ perception of the crucial role buyers agency plays in making a real estate transaction run smoothly and be successful. Without a buyer’s agent, consumers are at a very real risk of not achieving their home-buying goals. Our mission was to show home buyers nationwide the depth and broadness of everything a buyer’s agent does.

We also shed light on the fact that buyers can avoid taking this mountain of 111 steps and instead take 1 step: hiring a buyer’s agent. After all, home buyers need buyer’s agents like you. You navigate this endless list of tasks and to-dos flawlessly and know them inside and out. Buyers can count on you to find their home sweet home, and also trust you to represent their interests to the fullest degree during the lengthy, detail-oriented, and oftentimes, costly process of purchasing a home.

The importance of a buyer’s agent in the buying process is paramount. We knew we wanted to show up and spread the word in support of our agents and real estate professionals. We can’t let our consumers fall behind on their real estate goals. Everyone needs a buyer’s agent. As we dug deeper, we realized this was just the beginning.

This recent seed of distrust planted regarding buyers’ agents puts all consumers at risk, but we quickly saw it can deal a serious blow to one particular cohort of consumers: underserved home buyers. This is especially true for individuals in historically underserved and underrepresented communities, including BIPOC, AANHPI, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, first-time, Veteran, and lower-income buyers who need the most help navigating the buying process. These buyers nationwide are at risk of continuing to struggle or face challenges with home buying.

We need your help combating this issue and helping underrepresented buyers, so we’re calling on you to join us.

Why is buyer representation so important for underserved buyers?

Traditionally underserved buyers need hands-on guidance for the purchasing process. Like we shared with our list of a buyer’s agent 111 to-dos, the home buying process is extensive. One wrong move can cost buyers plenty — literally and figuratively. This cohort of buyers is already kept in the dark regarding the home buying preparation process, and not having a buyer’s agent they can count on only puts them at a greater risk.

We’ve covered a lot of the ins and outs of what causes these buyers to be “underserved” in our Fair Housing Toolkit, but in light of recent industry changes threatening the perception of a buyer’s agent, there’s more work to be done to ensure underserved buyers know how crucial it is to work with an agent. After all, buyer agency could be the very thing that stands between this group of aspiring buyers and their future home. And we can’t let that happen.

Join us in doing better by these buyers

At Realtor.com, we’re committed to advocating for buyer agency and ensuring that disadvantaged groups aren’t more impacted by legacy discriminatory practices, unconscious biases, and systematic limitations. We want to partner with you, the nation’s trusted real estate professionals, to spread the word and educate consumers. Will you join us?

3 ways you can join the movement

If you’re wondering how you can help, don’t worry — even if you’re not actively working with underrepresented or disadvantaged buyers, your voice still makes a difference. Consumers nationwide need to hear from real estate experts like you. Your colleagues and peers need to know your take on this crucial issue. And we need to work together to help them understand the crucial role buyer agency plays in helping realize the dream of homeownership.

#1. Download assets from the updated Buyer’s Agent Toolkit

To help, we created a Buyer’s Agent Toolkit filled with customizable and impactful content you can use to get the word out there in a variety of formats. Here are 3 big ways you can join us in doing better by home buyers. Let’s do this!

We created a jam-packed toolkit filled with static, video, and print assets for you to download and use across social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even YouTube. The toolkit is broken out by sections, each filled with assets specifically designed to address the underserved buyers who need buyer’s agents. To really drive the message home, each asset includes powerful stats highlighting the gaps these buyers experience, which buyer’s agents can fill.

With over 80% of people being convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video, the video format makes it perfect to spread the word across social media. Use static images to get the word out on your Story posts. Having print options also helps you take the impact offline and face-to-face in your office, in meetings, and more. To really help you along, we also give you ideas for what to write in your post or caption to accompany each and every post, for each and every buyer community.

How easy is that?

You’ve got the assets, and now you’re filling up your own marketing and communications toolkit. It’s official: you’re ready to start spreading the word and getting the message out there. Start sharing these assets and accompanying captions across the channels you use: social media, email, presentations, print marketing, and more. Make it personal with sharing why this mission matters so much to you. If you resonate with or are a member of one of these communities, make it known. Serving buyers better, especially in underserved communities, matters to all of us, and the consumers and colleagues who see you online need to know this.

The print material assets also have an option to let you add your logo quickly via Canva. To get the word out in real life, you can use the print ad in local publications, in flyers you share throughout the neighborhood, and your newsletters. You can even get a ready-to-use 18 x 24 poster in the toolkit to print, frame, and hang in your office to show your commitment to serving buyer communities, no matter the circumstances.

#3. Time your posts around these key dates to support these buyer communities

As you get your assets ready, you’ll want to also update your content calendar and planning. To help us amplify messages in support of different groups, there are key dates you can plan your posts around:

The entire month of June: June is both Pride Month and Homeownership Month. This is a perfect opportunity to share what Homeownership Month is and stress its significance, and to help amplify support in advocating for LGBTQ+ buyers to achieve their homeownership goals.
June 19th: Juneteenth is celebrated each year on June 19th to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. The gap between Black and White homeownership continues to steepen, so it’s critical to highlight how a buyer’s agent can guide Black buyers to the resources and support needed to realize their homeownership dreams.
June 22nd: This date marks the 80th Anniversary of the passing of the G.I. Bill, which provides education benefits to veterans and their families. Help serve those who served our country by sharing how buyer’s agents can help them understand and be aware of the additional benefits they can experience in the homebuying process.

Get the toolkit and start spreading the word

Buyers need you, full stop. We can’t let misconceptions, skewed perceptions, or plain ol’ fear dominate consumers and impact home buyers’ paths to homeownership — especially underrepresented buyers. Together, we can champion the importance and value of buyer’s agency to educate consumers and help buyers find their dream home. To get the Buyer’s Agent Toolkit and start spreading the word far and wide, click here.