For many, there’s nothing quite like escaping the stress of everyday life by hitting the slopes and enjoying life in the mountains. For real estate agents and Brokers, selling ski area real estate presents its own set of challenges. The ski home real estate industry isn’t simply just about selling a home –  it’s also about selling the winter sports and mountain community lifestyle. In order to effectively market ski homes, you need to craft a ski home digital marketing strategy that encompasses not only what the homes offer, but also what the surrounding area offers as well. 

Plus, another unique challenge is that many buyers who are interested in ski area real estate are often looking at ski homes to be as second homes/vacation homes, or investment properties and come from out of state. Owning a second home has gained in popularity in recent years –  according to a report from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), vacation home sales made up 8% of existing home sales, while in 2022, about 22% of home sales were to investors. 

Interest in ski area real estate as second homes or investment properties has opened up new opportunities for you to expand your real estate business or grow further into this unique market. 

Keep reading to learn more about creating a digital marketing strategy for ski home listings to attract the right buyers and sell more homes. 

5 Ways to Market Ski Homes Online

  1. Focus on imagery
  2. Create a designated landing page
  3. Paint a picture of the lifestyle
  4. Demonstrate local knowledge
  5. Showcase year-round activities in the area

Focus on imagery

One of the biggest draws for potential buyers looking to buy real estate in a ski town is how naturally beautiful it is and how close to nature they can get. By taking high-quality photos or videos of the surrounding area you can show off the scenery and what it’s like to live there (don’t forget to include imagery from other seasons, too!)

High-quality visuals are a key staple in effectively marketing your real estate listings. It’s one of the best ways to attract potential buyers, highlight the property, and also demonstrate to sellers how you would market their property. Specifically, in the winter home real estate industry, many real estate companies have started to turn to drones to capture breathtaking images and videos of not only the properties but the mountains as well.

Create a designated landing page

When creating digital marketing strategies for ski homes, it’s never too early to start creating content! By building and continuously updating a designated landing page, you can build up your authority throughout the year, so you can stand out when it matters the most. Because listings in ski areas aren’t just about the property, having a landing page dedicated to the community on your real estate website allows you to expand on what the area is like, what potential buyers could experience while living there, and demonstrate the value to potential investors. 

On the landing page, be sure to include your contact information, images, videos, and insights into the local community, among others. Also, by having a designated landing page solely for ski homes, you can create online ads that specifically target those looking to buy a winter second home or investment property in your area. When creating these ads, don’t forget to include a call-to-action (CTA) that drives them to contact you, call you, send them to the landing page, or view a specific property. 

Finally, with a designated ski area real estate landing page, you can also link to it in your main navigation when people are most interested in these properties (or all year long!) to make it easy for users to find the specific listings and information about the area.

Paint a picture of the lifestyle

As mentioned previously, marketing ski home listings also means marketing the specific lifestyle that comes with them. One of the most effective ways to showcase what it’s like to live, rent or vacation in the area is to craft a detailed video. In the video, you can give tours of the properties, feature the surrounding mountains and community, and describe what makes the listings so special. Videos aren’t only an effective way to show off properties and your community, but they also are very effective in giving our website a boost in SEO and increasing engagement if shared on social media. Also, you can upload your videos to YouTube and create designated playlists for the properties and community highlights to get in front of people searching for similar properties. 

In the listing description of properties or on the designated winter homes landing page, it also might be beneficial to include information about what cell service and internet connection are like in the area, to appeal to buyers looking to stay permanently or for months at a time. Plus, this also helps potential investors interested in the properties to rent out and show the value of the listings for those looking for a specific lifestyle.

Demonstrate local knowledge 

As mentioned previously, ski home real estate buyers are looking for more than just what the listing can offer. One of the main reasons why a buyer might be interested in winter home real estate in a ski area is – of course – to enjoy the outdoors! On your real estate website, you can create a guide on the mountains nearby, including a description of each mountain, the slopes, trails, location, amenities, and local market statistics.   

When deciding on what kind of content to create and showcase, consider what second home/vacation home buyers or investors might look for in a property and highlight the specific features of each listing depending on what it has and what it’s around. Is the property a secluded oasis in the mountains? Is it in the middle of the charming downtown area? Or is it close enough to be able to ski in and ski out of? By writing and posting blogs that capture all that your listings have to offer in the area, you can get in front of more people who are looking for that winter-sport lifestyle and show the value of the properties. 

Showcase year-round activities in the area

Though homes in ski areas are often used seasonally, there are still opportunities for potential investors to buy and rent out homes during the rest of the year. Showcasing what activities happen all year round is a great way to attract renters or vacationers during the off-season. Highlight the restaurants, shops, entertainment, other local attractions, etc. in blog posts, on your website, and on social media to reach a wider audience. 

Plus, according to a report, the number of local skiers climbed to 27% indicating that people are wanting to stay closer to home or where they have a ski home. Again, highlighting what the community offers in the other seasons is a great way to tap into these potential buyers and appeal to their desire to live closer to the mountains.

Because winter home real estate is so unique, it can be challenging to create an effective digital marketing strategy that works all year long. By creating content in the form of landing pages, blogs, guides, etc, you can boost your SEO all year. And, by already having a lot of content and a designated landing page, it’s easy to transform your website to feature ski homes for sale at the right time by updating your home page imagery and navigation. 

Need help creating a digital marketing strategy for real estate? Connect with one of our strategists today.