Knoxville Realtors use Tweets, status updates to sell homes

In the good ol' days of house shopping, 'For Sale' signs and showings were key. These days, buying or selling a home begins with the click of the mouse.

"Real estate has always been a relationship business," said Laura Slyman with Slyman Real Estate.

For her, that relationship typically starts online. In fact, that's how she met buyers Matt and Megan Reichert.

They recently relocated to the area and were a referral from Facebook. Slyman and her agents started using Facebook last year and Twitter two months ago.

"Just since last night, I've had 71 followers join me to see what I'm posting on Twitter," said Slyman.

On Twitter, Slyman posts brief descriptions of listings, but on Facebook she's able to go a step further with video and a virtual tour. Not only does she advertise her properties on social sites, so do her sellers.

"Last night, I had a seller post online that her house had had 17 showings in 22 days. And she had a result of 2 offers," said Slyman describing a recent status update a client posted. "Immediately, people started commenting on her status saying, 'Congratulations,' and then another saying, 'Who's your real estate agent?'"

Slyman says social media traffic is translating into sales.

"I've attracted several buyers--three buyers this month alone."

The social sites and technology also allow Slyman to be out in the market instead of her office.

"I can do everything with my mobile device."

On the rare chance she is at her desk, she's still high tech--juggling email, Facebook and Twitter.

For Slyman, the only drawback with social media so far is added pressure.

"You log on and you see your seller say, 'My house has been on market 30 days. I've had 4 showings. Need to sell.' So, there is some stress."

As for the housing market here in the Knoxville area, Slyman says it's drastically picked up in the last few weeks. She believes September and October will be their busiest months, thanks to the December deadline for the tax credit to first-time buyers.