What type of community involvement do you prefer? Is it giving back through a charitable donation or volunteering through hands-on, day-to-day interactions with members of your community? Both are beneficial and smart ways to help your community. However, the latter is a great way to generate leads and bolster your real estate business, which is why it may be a good idea to be on the lookout for ways you and your colleagues can truly get involved and become community leaders. Here is how you can begin today:

Find your niche
Being involved in a community won't actually benefit your real estate business unless it is your community — the one where your target audience is located. That is why the best place to start is by finding your niche. Who do you want to work with? Is it first-timers, couples, investors looking at distressed properties or someone else?

Choose your niche, and then locate the community where they are best served. This will be the area where you want to get involved. Once you have your target audience locked down — or if you already know your niche — you can begin to get involved in the community. The idea is to use these opportunities as a multi-faceted approach: You can network, market and sell all in one place.

Start volunteering
Volunteering is one of the easiest ways to get on the ground in your community. You can check out various places, such as nonprofits or civic clubs — the Lions Club, Rotary International or Kiwanis International, for example. Or you can get really local to connect with a wide range of possible clients that you otherwise wouldn't get to in one day. For instance, volunteering as a youth athletics coach is a great place to start. Consider volunteering in local schools, churches and community theaters. Regardless of where you choose to spend your time, it’s a great way to balance your personal goals with your professional ones.

And while you may feel great about helping out your local church or civic center, you’ll also be able to feel great about networking with prospects and spreading the word about your business.

The information in this article is intended to provide guidance on the proper maintenance and care of systems and appliances in the home. Not all of the topics mentioned are covered by our home warranty or maintenance plans. Please review your home warranty contract carefully to understand your coverage.