In the real estate environment it is important for professionals to stay up to date with everything from decor trends to who is leading in the industry. Social media can be a great tool to help professionals stay current with everything they need to know and make connections with other real estate professionals along the way.

Here are three great social media websites that you need to make a profile on today to advance yourself in the industry.

1. ActiveRain.

ActiveRain is one of the largest and most active social networks for professionals in the real estate industry. The network is home to nearly 300,000 members, and includes just about every type of real estate professional that there is.

The biggest aspect of ActiveRain is the enormous amount of knowledge you can gain by surfing through their website. With over 4 million blog posts on just about everything there is in real estate, members share their best practices as well learn from others.

One of the features that helps ActiveRain stand out from its competitors is the ActiveRain University (ARU). ARU hosts free webinars as well courses on how to grow and expand your real estate business. Courses range from, lead generation all the way to the best blogging practices for the real estate professional. Apart from webinars, there are also podcasts that you can listen to so you can learn while you are on the go.

ActiveRain is a great community to help you get started in the real estate industry and can further your expertise as a real estate professional.

2. Houzz.

A one-stop shop for home remodeling and design, Houzz offers the ability to find just about everything you could imagine during your remodeling or redesign process. Houzz removes the hassle of starting a new project by putting everything in one platform, where it is easy to save and categorize your ideas.

Upon entering the website, you can search for design ideas, products themselves, or even advice and stories to help further you along in your creative process. It doesn’t stop there though, Houzz offers the unique feature of being able to find local professionals in your area, to help with just about every stage of your remodeling journey.  

It’s almost guaranteed that you will be on this site for hours, exploring all of the design concepts and stories that their community has to offer.

3. BiggerPockets.

BiggerPockets is more closely aimed at the real estate investing niche. The site offers many features that can help any type of real estate investor, from the new investor looking to make some side income to the seasoned veteran just looking to refine their skills.

The largest aspect of the site is their social network. With over 600,000 members, you are able to engage with other professionals no matter what section of the site you go on. You can connect with “colleagues” and build relationships with other investors and even meet members local to your area.

The site doesn’t stop there. The community section lets you interact with other users by posting on forums about different topics and also reading success stories from other users. If you cannot find what you are looking for on the forums, BiggerPockets offers an education section to help you get started or fill in the gaps along the way. The marketplace section shows real time listings in your area as well as finding real estate positions that are open.

One of the features that helps BiggerPockets stand out from the other social networks is the tools section. The tools section offers property analysis calculators and other resources to help professionals make more informed decisions during their investing.

BiggerPockets can help you take your investing to the next level.