The Five Big Marketing Challenges in Real Estate — And How to Tackle Them Head-On

The Five Big Marketing Challenges in Real Estate — And How to Tackle Them Head-On

By Jeff Goodman
Licensed Real Estate Agent, Brown Harris Stevens

If you’ve been in real estate over the past five years, you know the landscape hasn’t just shifted — it’s been turned inside out. From the pandemic reshuffling how people think about “home” to technology reshaping how we find and sell properties, the rules of engagement are different now. And while every market has its nuances, there are some universal marketing challenges that keep showing up in conversations with brokers, team leaders, and even developers.

Here are the top five I’ve seen, plus some ways to not just cope with them, but use them to sharpen your edge.

1. Standing Out in a Saturated Digital Space

What is the first thing that hits most people when they open Zillow, StreetEasy, or Instagram? Noise. Endless scrolls of listings, glossy photos, bite-sized market tips. Everyone’s trying to grab attention, and the algorithms aren’t making it any easier. For real estate leaders, the challenge has been simple: how do you stand out when every other broker is posting the same drone shots of brownstones or rooftop views?

What works:

Go deep, not wide. Instead of chasing every platform, focus on where your clients actually are. For some, that’s LinkedIn with thought leadership posts. For others, it’s hyperlocal newsletters that feel like they came from a neighbor, not a marketing department.
Tell stories. A beautiful kitchen photo is fine, but the narrative around why the space matters sticks. Who lived there? What history does the block carry? Context is magnetic.
Be human. Let’s be honest, overproduced videos can feel like ads. Some of the most effective posts I’ve seen lately are unpolished, shot-on-the-phone moments that remind people you’re a person, not a brand machine.

The brokers who are thriving are the ones blending professional polish with authenticity. It’s not about shouting louder — it’s about sounding more real.

2. Navigating Shifting Buyer and Seller Expectations

Buyers and sellers today are sharper. They’ve read three articles before they even step into a showing. They’ve run comps, checked Google Maps for noise complaints, and maybe even pulled building permits. Sellers, on the other hand, are consuming market headlines that swing from doom-and-gloom to “record highs” in the same week.

That gap between perception and reality has become a marketing minefield.

Tips for bridging it:

Educate as you market. Listings are no longer just about square footage and finishes. They’re about explaining the market context in a way that builds confidence.
Proactive transparency. When buyers already have data, don’t dodge it. Address it head-on, and add nuance they won’t find online.
Create layered content. Think quick-hit social posts for broad audiences, but also deeper market updates (like quarterly video recaps or podcasts) for those who want the full picture.

In my experience, leaders who embrace the role of teacher end up winning more trust than those who try to guard information.

3. Keeping Up With Tech Without Losing the Human Touch

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: AI, virtual staging, predictive analytics, you name it. The industry has been flooded with “must-have” tools, each promising to save time, find leads, or close deals faster. And while many of them are genuinely useful, I’ve seen a lot of leaders fall into one of two traps: either adopting every new tool without a clear strategy, or resisting change altogether.

The balance looks like this:

Use tech to scale, not replace. Virtual tours and 3D walkthroughs are fantastic for initial engagement, but they don’t replace walking through a property together and pointing out things a camera won’t capture.
Pick tools that fit your style. If your team thrives on relationship-driven business, lean into CRMs and client management systems that help you track touchpoints. If you’re in a new development, maybe predictive analytics is worth the investment.
Don’t outsource your voice. Yes, AI can draft a listing description. But if every broker uses the same prompts, everything starts to sound robotic. Keep your own voice in the mix.

The best tech strategy is selective — think of it as seasoning, not the whole meal.

4. Building (and Maintaining) a Distinct Brand

Here’s something I’ve noticed across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and even parts of Queens: clients often can’t tell one brokerage’s marketing from another. Same fonts, same taglines, same drone shots. That’s a problem. Because in a city — or any market — as competitive as real estate, your brand is the one thing nobody else can copy.

Ways to sharpen it:

Anchor in your values. If your mission is guiding and educating clients (mine is), that should echo in every touchpoint — from newsletters to walking tours.
Show up locally. Host events, sponsor neighborhood initiatives, run walking tours. Being part of the community is branding that can’t be faked.
Consistency matters more than perfection. Don’t wait until everything looks like it came from an ad agency. Post consistently, speak consistently, show up consistently. That’s what builds recognition.

I always tell my team: brand isn’t a logo. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room. And that takes deliberate, long-term work.

5. Cutting Through Economic Uncertainty

Interest rates, inflation, headlines about “softening” markets — these are the forces shaping consumer psychology. Over the last five years, uncertainty has been the backdrop of almost every client conversation. From 2020’s sudden halt, to the “pandemic surge,” to today’s uneven recovery, the biggest marketing challenge has been instilling confidence without sugarcoating reality.

How do you market homes when people are unsure if the bottom will drop out?

Here’s what I’ve found helps:

Lean into hyperlocal expertise. National headlines don’t tell you what’s happening in Harlem, Chelsea or Brooklyn Heights. That’s your job.
Speak in timelines, not absolutes. Instead of “the market is strong” (which sounds like a pitch), try “in the past six months, we’ve seen X trend in this neighborhood.” It feels grounded.
Highlight lifestyle, not just investment. At the end of the day, people aren’t only buying square footage. They’re buying the way they’ll live. Emphasizing quality of life cuts through the noise of market speculation.

Uncertainty isn’t going away. The leaders who thrive are those who position themselves as steady voices in turbulent waters.

Bringing It All Together

The real estate marketing playbook has changed, but not in the way people think. It’s not about chasing every new platform or drowning your audience in content. It’s about sharpening what makes you distinct, showing up authentically, and providing the kind of context that no algorithm can.

The truth is, buyers and sellers don’t need more noise. They need guides who can help them navigate a city, a market, and a decision that’s deeply personal.

And that’s where the opportunity lies. If you can blend market savvy with genuine storytelling, harness tech without losing touch, and consistently show up as a trusted advisor, you’ll not only overcome these challenges, you’ll turn them into your competitive advantage.

About Jeff Goodman

Jeff Goodman is well known as the “Quintessential New Yorker®”, and he and his team are at leading NYC broker Brown Harris Stevens. Having an extensive career in the field of real estate Jeff has a deep understanding of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and parts of Queens and the Bronx. Jeff’s clients’ missions are his vision: he guides, educates and advocates for them. This philosophy has made him a trusted advisor to those he works with and for. Jeff is passionate about New York’s amazing neighborhoods and showcases them through his “Rediscovering New York” podcast and walking tours. This programming has earned him recognition from RIS Media as a “Newsmaker” for six consecutive years.