For the last several years, real estate professionals have used Facebook and Twitter to keep up with industry news, connect with clients and increase their exposure. Now Pinterest is the latest social media tool being used by the real estate industry to boost business.

Launched in 2010, Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that lets you organize and share photos. The site quickly became the third-most popular social network in the country, behind Facebook and Twitter, according to Experian. Much like Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest seeks to “connect everyone in the world through the things they find interesting.”

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As if beautiful women don’t have enough going for them, recent research on the physical attractiveness of real estate brokers found that attractive female real estate agents often sell luxury homes at higher prices than men or less-attractive agents.

The downside is that the homes they sell stay on the market longer than those of other agents, according to the study, “Broker beauty and boon: a study of physical attractiveness and its effect on real estate brokers’ income and productivity.” Attractive agents also sell fewer houses and they don’t earn any more income annually than less-attractive agents.

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The real estate market has evolved quite a bit since the market tanked just a few years back. Everything from the types of properties available for purchase, to the lending conditions borrowers must meet has changed thanks to the downturn.

Even the relationship between real estate professional and buyer has begun to evolve in order to keep up with current market conditions.

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