This Is Where Ideas Meet Reality
Up to this point, most of this has lived in your head.
You chose a general area inside real estate.
You narrowed it to a real struggle buyers or sellers face.
You decided whether you are teaching knowledge or documenting a process.
Now you need to answer a simple but uncomfortable question:
Are real buyers, sellers, or even other agents already talking about this problem without you prompting them?
This lesson is not about confidence. It is about evidence.
You Are Not Looking for Praise, You Are Looking for Friction
A lot of people make the mistake of asking, “Do people like this idea?”
That is the wrong question.
What you want to know is whether people are already:
asking questions
expressing frustration
looking for workarounds
comparing options
That is why Listen Before You Build matters so much. You are not trying to convince anyone yet. You are trying to observe.
You are not trying to convince anyone yet.
You are observing.
If buyers keep saying they do not understand inspection reports, that is friction.
If sellers keep asking why their home is not moving, that is friction.
If first-time buyers keep saying they feel overwhelmed, that is friction.
Silence is a signal. So is repetition.
If the same confusion shows up in different conversations, that is not coincidence. That is demand.
Where to Look (And Where Not to Overthink)
You do not need complicated tools for this.
Look at:
Reddit threads
YouTube comments
Facebook groups
Instagram replies
Blog comments
Emails people already send you
Pay attention to how people phrase things. Their language is more valuable than your ideas.
This is where Mining Online Conversations for Course Ideas fits in. You are not mining for topics. You are mining for patterns.
If people are already talking, you do not need to invent urgency. It already exists.
Crowded Does Not Mean Saturated
A common fear shows up here.
“If people are already talking about this, doesn’t that mean it’s too crowded?”
No.
A crowded space usually means money and urgency. The real question is whether people still feel underserved.
That is why A Crowded Niche Isn’t the Problem and Finding Space in a Crowded Niche are useful at this stage. You are not trying to be the loudest voice. You are trying to be the clearest one.
If conversations are emotional, repetitive, and unresolved, there is room.
What You Are Actually Listening For
You are not just counting mentions.
You are listening for:
“I’ve tried everything”
“Why does no one explain this simply?”
“I don’t even know where to start”
“This feels overwhelming”
Those phrases matter more than numbers.
This connects directly to The Questions That Mean They’re Ready to Buy. Buying rarely starts with confidence. It starts with frustration and confusion.
If people are already expressing those emotions publicly, you are early enough.
When Talking Turns Into Proof
You do not need thousands of comments.
You need enough signals to confidently say, “This problem exists without me creating it.”
That is the difference between pushing an idea and responding to demand.
If you are still unsure, this is where a small test helps. A post. A question. A rough explanation. Something simple.
You are not launching yet. You are listening with intention.
Why This Step Protects You Later
Skipping this step is why people build things no one uses.
Confirming conversation now saves you from:
building in isolation
guessing what to teach
feeling discouraged later
It also makes the next step much easier.
Once you know people are already talking, you can move forward without wondering whether you are making something up.
What Comes Next
In Lesson 5, you will move from listening to shaping.
You will learn how to translate what people are already saying into a clear promise people can understand quickly.
That is where your offer starts to take form.