Do you know your real estate USP? Create a unique selling proposition that wins hearts (and deals)

What is it that sets you apart? What do you have that no one else does? These kinds of questions aren’t just for job seekers and bullet journals.

From choosing where to vacation and which restaurants they’re going to eat at when they get there —  today’s consumers are bombarded with data from Google ads, social media, review sites and more every time they make a buying decision.

And buying a home is no exception.

As soon as a potential buyer or seller starts their search, they’ll be awash in ads and messaging from more realtors than they know what to do with. While you know you’re one in a million — or more specifically, one in 1.46 million — your prospects have a lot more information to comb through before they can arrive at the same conclusion.

Standing out amid the noise starts with identifying what you do differently. When you get clear on the answer to that, you’ve landed your real estate unique selling proposition (USP) and are ready to bring it to the forefront of your messaging.

Whether you’ve never heard of a unique selling proposition for real estate, already have a USP that needs refining, or simply want to get better at setting yourself apart — we’ve got you covered.

Table of contents

• What is a unique selling proposition in real estate?
• Examples of real estate USPs done right
• How to craft a unique selling proposition for your real estate business
• Promote your USP throughout your marketing

First, what actually is a unique selling proposition in real estate?

As a real estate agent, your unique selling proposition is a short statement or phrase describing exactly what it is you provide to your clients that they wouldn’t find anywhere else. 

Think of it as the ultimate sum-up of the “it” factor that sets you apart from the crowd. 😉

When communicated well, a strong real estate USP not only compels your prospects to learn more about you — it lets them know without a doubt that you’re the agent they’re looking for. 

Remember, competition for your prospects’ attention is fiercer than ever. If you want it to really pull its weight, your real estate USP must be memorable.

Instead of defaulting to “great customer service” or “clear communication” (which, spoiler alert, every agent worth their salt offers), take time to pinpoint a truly standout quality — one that you have the numbers and experience to back up. 

Make it one that won’t just sell people on you, but will actively work to help close the deal.

Examples of real estate USPs done right

From the moment a potential real estate client lays eyes on your brand, they should be able to understand exactly what it is you bring to the table. Your unique selling proposition is how you communicate that.

Once you’ve created your unique selling proposition, it also becomes much easier to communicate across all your real estate marketing channels. You can use your real estate USP as a sort of brand messaging filter, helping you know which ideas align with your message vs. those that simply…don’t.

With a clear USP, you can create the kind of consistent brand experience that builds greater trust with your real estate leads. Ready to see some examples?

Here are a few stellar real estate USPs we can’t look away from. 😍

Example #1. The Goolsby Group - Helping clients win in real estate

As a solo agent, Geoff Goolsby is clear on his unique selling proposition: 

Helping clients win. 

What truly sets him apart is his process: working with clients to create a plan and offer guidance to deliver on the mission to win. Best of all, it’s front and center on his website and carries throughout his marketing.

#2. Live Florida Realty - Not your average real estate brokerage

Casey Tray and the team at Live Florida Realty offer unparalleled service. And they have the experience to back it up.

On their About page, they don’t just say they offer an incredible real estate experience, they help prospects understand how they do that — by creating a team of agents who all work  together to bring 50 years of experience to their clients. 

This clear and credible real estate USP paints a compelling picture and lets homebuyers and sellers know exactly why LFR isn’t the average real estate brokerage. “We’ve watched our team increase market share in our area,” says Casey. “We’ve watched GCI, volume, and units, all that stuff grow. And the only thing that we’re doing differently is we’re just becoming more and more efficient.”

#3. Best Sac Homes Group - A real estate USP in four simple words

Suneet Agarwal and the amazing team at Best Sac Homes Group have plenty of reasons to boast their expertise and client-centric focus. But they do a great job of summing it up in just four words:

Excellence, integrity, knowledge, tenacity. 

The team’s About page is packed full of information that would excite any buyer or seller. But the one thing that their competition certainly can’t say that they can? 

Best Sac Homes is the #1 Residential Real Estate team in the state of California and Sacramento for number of homes sold. Those bragging rights are tough to top and certainly set them apart from the pack.

How to craft a unique selling proposition that’s actually…unique

Like any real estate branding effort, building your unique selling proposition takes time, thoughtfulness and creativity. And it may evolve over time.

But by putting in the effort ahead of time, you’ll be able to set yourself apart more effectively, while making effortless connections with real estate buyers and sellers.

These three simple steps will help you create a real estate USP you can be proud of. ✨

Step 1: Conduct a quick values audit

If you don’t currently have a unique selling proposition or want to change your current USP, the first step is to think about the things your business cares about. 

Answer the big-picture questions, like:

• What kind of clients do we serve? Who is our target audience? (Be specific! You won’t only serve this target audience, but they will be your specialty and sweet spot.)
• What is our audience’s biggest concern or problem during the homebuying or selling process? How do we solve that for them?
• What are my/our real estate agent superpowers?
• What is my top priority from start to finish, when working with buyers and sellers?
• How do I want my clients to feel about my services? How do I hope clients describe their experience working with me?
• What do we bring to the table that sets us apart from our competition? What evidence (years in business, number of homes sold, 5-star reviews, etc.) do we have to back this up?

These kinds of questions are the first step on the road to creating a one-of-a-kind USP. They’ll give you a great starting point toward understanding what you do best and what you do differently.

Remember, this is a process that requires you to brag about your business — so don’t be shy! While working through these questions, keep any doubts at bay and fearlessly focus on the strengths of your business.

Step 2: Mine your client reviews and testimonials

After you’ve taken some time to check in internally, it’s time to check in with the other folks who know you best — your clients.

Audit your existing client reviews and testimonials looking for consistent patterns and themes. 

• What kind of positive feedback have you received? 
• Did you make complex topics easy to understand?
• Was the process quick and painless?
• Did clients feel you were more of a friend than an agent?

When you notice a phrase or topic coming up more than once, highlight it and add it to your list of strengths.

This simple exercise can provide a much-needed outside perspective on what’s really unique about your business.

Step 3: Brainstorm a list of potential USPs 

Now that you’ve taken stock, you should be starting to have a sense of your strengths, priorities, and core differentiators. Nice work. You’re now ready to start building your shortlist of unique selling propositions! 🎉

Remember that your USP should make a powerful statement — especially in a crowded market. 

In fact, in a research paper on The Influence of Social Crowding on Brand Attachment, Irene Huang Xun and a team of researchers at Nanyang Technological University found that “Although feeling crowded motivates consumers to avoid interacting with others, it leads them to become more attached to brands as an alternative way of maintaining their basic need for belongingness.”

Make it specific, memorable statement and if possible, data-backed.

While your USP can be anything from three-line paragraph to three simple words, you’ll generally want your USP to be more substantial than a fast food slogan (e.g., “I’m lovin’ it” or “Have it your way”), but still compact enough to communicate one bold idea.

Start by freewriting a list of 10 to 20 USPs, then narrow it down to the top two to three options that best represent your brand.

Once you’ve got your shortlist, check in with your friends, past clients, family or other important members of your real estate SOI for a quick gut-check on which ones they like best.

Although feeling crowded motivates consumers to avoid interacting with others, it also leads them to become more attached to certain brands.

Next, promote your USP throughout your marketing

You may have heard the age-old marketing adage that you need to market something seven times for a consumer to take action. With the digital pace of play today, this is more true than ever. 

It’s no longer enough to promote your USP in just one of your ads or marketing channels. 

You need an integrated approach that reminds prospective clients what sets you apart over and over. Here are some key ways to consistently promote your unique selling proposition.

Include your USP front and center on your website

Your real estate website visitors should have a sense of how you’re different from the competition immediately after arriving on your site. 

Once you’ve nailed down a truly attention-grabbing USP, the next step is to include it somewhere on your homepage — for example, in the header or main headline on the page. This way, prospective clients are exposed to it before they even scroll down or start searching through the homes on your IDX.

You also want to be sure to include your real estate USP on your About page to help make it clear what sets you apart for any prospects looking to get to know you better.

Use your USP in your real estate advertising

As with your website, your advertising is often the first time a potential buyer or seller will encounter your brand. Whether you’re making use of billboards, digital ads, or direct mail (or all three!), use your USP to inform the creative for those marketing channels, if not stating it directly.

Even if a real estate ad isn’t someone’s first exposure to you, your USP reinforces that ‘rule of seven’, increasing brand recognition and boosting the chances they’ll remember you when the time is right.

Reinforce your brand on social media

Once you’ve identified your unique selling proposition, the real creativity begins as you build on it throughout your real estate marketing. And one of the places to have the most fun? You guessed it — social media. 

Whether it’s addressing common seller misconceptions on TikTok or sharing a compelling buyer story via a Twitter thread — don’t be afraid to experiment with new and different ways to express your USP on social media.

With any new post ideas that come to you, do a quick review to make sure that the messaging is consistent with your USP. Not every post needs to connect directly to your singular USP, but it should connect in some way in order to help build that cohesive brand experience for prospects and clients.

Emphasize your USP offline too

It really is the little things, right? 

Whatever face-to-face touchpoints you use to connect with clients, take the opportunity to remind them of what makes you unique.

• Is there space to include your USP or slogan on your business cards?
• Want to incorporate your unique selling proposition in your email signature?
• Ready to align your client gifts with a standout brand message?

From first contact to final follow-up and beyond, use your USP to remind your fans, followers and clients why you’re the clear choice to work with.

Yes, having a real estate USP can help you win more deals

When you know who you are as an agent, your prospective clients will too. 

Instead of spinning your wheels trying to capture their attention on every marketing channel, use your real estate USP to build long-term brand recognition that wins you consistent business over time.

Once you’ve sparked the interest of new prospects, use every following interaction as an opportunity to remind them why they should work with you. And if you need help with that, we’ve got you covered.

Follow Up Boss is the open real estate CRM that helps you maintain authentic communication with every lead, with the customized emailing, dialing, texting and even video messaging functionality needed to make sure every touchpoint feels 100% like you.

Don’t just take our word for it — see for yourself how Follow Up Boss helps you manage every lead with ease with a free 14-day trial.