As the digital landscape continues to reshape real estate, more and more buyers are turning to technology for their home search. In fact, 66% of all real estate searches are now initiated online rather than through a realtor or browsing print ads.
Furthermore, connecting your listings with buyers through websites and apps is becoming a necessity in order to keep up with other brokers who already have an online presence.
In fact, 66% of all real estate searches are now initiated online rather than through a realtor or browsing print ads.
If you still aren’t convinced about how beneficial it is to list your properties online, read on for some pros of putting your listings on websites and apps…
Increase awareness of your listings
Real estate listings that aren’t connected to a virtual database are invisible to the majority of buyers. When information about your properties isn’t accessible online, only those who are actively looking for a new home will know about your listings. If your listings are only visible through printed advertisements or through real estate agents, you’re missing out on a massive portion of customers.
Real estate websites and apps, such as Zillow, Trulia, and RealtyHop, have millions of monthly visitors – many of whom are actively searching for a new home or shop but aren’t receiving your listings through other channels. Simply by linking your listings to these platforms, you extend their visibility and make them accessible to millions of potential buyers.
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Help your listing stand out from the crowd
There’s no doubt that there’s a lot of competition on real estate websites and apps. With so many potential customers scrolling through listings and viewing homes, how are you going to make yours stand out? As of May 2019, there were 1,336,854 homes for sale in the United States alone. That’s a lot of competition between agents and brokers alike!
Even if you manage to reach the right people, how will they know that your listing is the one they want? Using images, descriptions, and virtual tours to highlight the best aspects of your properties, you can help your listings shine through the crowd. And, when your properties are connected to these online databases, you have the chance to change your listing as often as you like, making changes to outdo the competition.
Provide a platform for virtual tours and showcases
One of the biggest benefits of listing your properties online is the ability to create virtual tours and showcases. Virtual tours are created using panoramic images that allow users to scroll through a 360-degree view of a property from every angle. Rather than writing out a description, virtual tours allow potential buyers to see homes in an interactive way that’s easy to understand.
These tours are one of the most effective ways to showcase your properties and are a must-have feature for an effective online listing. Similarly, property showcases allow you to collect images, descriptions, pricing, and other crucial information about your listings in one place. This allows you to easily share information about your listings with potential buyers and gives them a single location to browse all of your current listings.
Showcase information about your brokerage
A majority of homebuyers are already turning to the internet to search for their next home. Rather than keeping your online presence focused on just your listings, you can also use this to showcase information about your brokerage. With an online presence, you have the opportunity to connect with customers and let them know about your business, services, and team.
You can use your online properties to provide information about your team, office location, and contact information so that buyers can easily get in touch with you. You can also use this space to provide information about the services your brokerage offers and any specialties your company focuses on. This allows customers to learn more about your business and find out if you are the right brokerage for them.
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Bottom line: Increasing online presence will increase profits.
If you’re still not convinced that increasing your online presence is beneficial, consider this: more than 85% of consumers conduct online research before visiting a property for a purchase or for investment. This indicates that buyers are using the internet to inform their decision-making processes, meaning you have to be online to reach them. Moreover, people are now using the internet as a resource to learn about the real estate process before ever visiting a broker or office.
This means that you have to be online to be accessible to these potential customers. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, it’s time to get on board with the real estate trend toward digital marketing. By listing your properties online, you extend your reach to millions of potential customers and showcase your business to the world.
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I completely agree with this article! As a homebuyer myself, I find that searching for properties online is so much more convenient and efficient compared to traditional methods. Having access to virtual tours and a vast database of listings at my fingertips makes the home search process much more enjoyable. It’s clear that the real estate industry is rapidly evolving, and it’s important for brokers to adapt and stay ahead of the game. Overall, I believe that having an online presence is crucial for success in the real estate industry today.