A 7-year veteran of the New York City real estate industry is working through the coronavirus pandemic - and shares 3 tips for how you can improve your business during this time

• New York City has become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, with more than 36,000 cases and nearly 800 deaths.
• Kyle Egan, a New York City real-estate agent with Douglas Elliman, shared with Business Insider three ways he's improving his business during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

There are more than 164,000 coronavirus cases in the US.

As the government cracks down on measures to mitigate its spread, industries around the globe are grappling with an unprecedented downward shift in business. And it's especially hard to show real estate.

A flash survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors from March 16 to March 17 showed that 48% of the 72,734 agents surveyed saw a dip in buyer interest due to the coronavirus outbreak. Real estate agents around the country are navigating statewide lockdowns and shelter-at-home orders as home-buyer interest continues to drop, particularly in New York City, which is both the mecca of American real-estate markets and the epicenter of the outbreak.

Kyle Egan, a New York City real-estate agent with Douglas Elliman, told Business Insider that he's been making the most of the current situation. The city has more than 36,000 cases and nearly 800 deaths and typical networking and showing homes have gone out the window with the city in virtual lockdown. But he said there are still ways for real-estate agents to stay on top of - and improve - their business.

Egan, who has been in the industry for seven years, shared three ways agents can use this time to get ahead while they have to stay inside.

1. Improve the presentation of your online listings.

While prospective buyers aren't able to go out and look at homes in person, they are still looking around online. Egan suggests using this time to update listing photos (if you have them) as well as listing descriptions.

"You want everything to look as good as it possibly can because you may have a 50% increase in the number of eyes if people are home," he said. "If they are considering buying or selling, they are probably doing a lot of that due diligence and research at home."

2. Invest in social media campaigns.

Running campaigns on platforms like Facebook and Instagram can be beneficial to agents trying to promote for-sale properties.

"If you want to run a social media campaign for one of your properties or for yourself as an agent, this is a great time to do all of that because you've got viewership," he said.

Facebook usage across the globe has gone up since the start of the pandemic. In fact, in a blog post on March 24, Facebook reported that messaging on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp has gone up by more that 50% in hard-hit areas like Italy.

3. Learn about your market.

Now is a great time to become an expert in the markets you work in, Egan explained. This is especially important for new agents. Learning the market will help agents build trust with their clients. However, it can be hard to find the time to sit down and learn when there are showings and events to attend.

"You want to know all that stuff so that your head isn't buried in your phone when you're talking to a client," Egan explained. "If they ask you a question about the area they're looking in, whether it's statistics or where a grocery store is, this is a great time for you to learn all of that stuff."

And get the latest coronavirus analysis and research from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.

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