The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for many businesses and industries, including the real estate industry. With more people losing their jobs or refusing to meet in person out of fear of contracting the coronavirus, it has made it more difficult for homeowners and REALTORS to sell their homes.

REALTOR Trent Beaver turned this hardship into opportunity. Since most of the world is in quarantine, more people spend their time on social media these days. Beaver used this as a perfect opportunity to seek out new clients and promote their listings to prospective buyers from all over the world.

“I have built a large following on various social media platforms consisting of both buyers and sellers,” said Beaver, who works as an agent for Better Homes and Gardens Bloom Tree Realty in Prescott, Arizona. “This has helped me to set up virtual listing appointments with buyers and to make it more comfortable for sellers to list their properties for sale without having to meet with me in person. That way, everyone can feel safe during this process.”

Beaver currently lives in a retirement community. No, he is not a senior citizen or anything like that. In fact, he is a young REALTOR with eight years of experience in the real estate industry. But a lot of the people in his community are older retired people who don’t use social media. Because of this, many of his clients come from outside his community. A lot of this is made possible through referrals and networking with other REALTORS from across the country.

“Social media has turned my real estate business into a referral-based business because I have so many connections with other professional realtors from throughout the United States,” said Beaver. “I have such a solid online presence that whenever any of their clients want to buy or sell property in the Prescott area, those REALTORS will refer them to me. Social media has really flipped the script on how advertising is done. It is truly amazing.”

Beaver is originally from Parker, Arizona, which is a small town next to the Colorado River. In 2006, he moved to Prescott to attend Yavapai College, where he graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Business. He continued his education at Old Dominion University and eventually earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration there. Being a real estate agent was not part of his original plan, though.

“I got into real estate after a less than stellar experience buying my personal home in 2012,” said Beaver. “After that experience, I really thought to myself, ‘why don’t I get my real estate license and deliver a top-notch experience to clients, so they never have to go through what I went through?’ From there, I had my license a few months later and have been selling houses ever since.”

Beaver credits his small-town roots as a big reason for his success. “I learned the value of being an honest and loyal person. I used these traits every day when communicating with clients. That is how any REALTOR can maintain long-term success in this business, whether they do it virtually or in-person.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 13, 2020 03:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).