Print advertising is still a very influential method of promoting property sales but the internet has dramatically changed the game. Savvy estate agents are utilising virtual tours, unlimited web space and social networking to market properties online - an approach which proved very successful for me.
I moved into my first home in 2008 and although it had its gremlins, the interior was top class. I prepared the home for viewings in 2010 after getting engaged. I internet-searched the typical queries everybody searches for when selling a house - what colour to paint the walls, how many cushions to leave on the couch and so on. Soon my house was as beautifully neutral as it could be and ready for some sales action.
The problem was, nobody called to arrange a viewing. From the outside my home looked pretty average, it was a single bedroom terraced house with no bay windows. This was the picture in the newspaper and my very appealing interior, which was set to be the clincher of my big sale, was out of sight.
Almost a year of living (in what was practically a show home) went by with just two viewings - both of which were very passive. I got in touch with my local estate agent and after a couple of coffees they demonstrated to me the potential of their marketing strategy.
I was taken on a virtual tour of a similarly designed house and could clearly see the magnolia walls, the carefully laid out cushions and the spotless worktops. It was perfect and the agent explained that if I were to have my own virtual tour set up I could live in the house how I wanted, making a mess as usual without worrying about keeping it obsessively neat because the virtual rooms were always tidy.
It made sense so I discussed with the agent how much I was looking for and that I wanted to sell my house fast. From then on I didn't really have to do a thing. They called to arrange viewing times over the next couple of weeks and I stayed out of the way at my fiancés while the agent showcased my house to the buyers.
Out of interest, I asked what they were doing differently to get people to even view the virtual tour in the first place and they said they use a variety of online strategies including talking to prospective buyers on social networks.
The agent went on to say how the space online to describe the property is basically unlimited whereas my thumbnail ad in the paper displayed just a single picture with an estimated value.
Soon enough a single guy bought my home and loved the interior just like I did - the agents took care of all the paper work - it was really quick and painless, unlike the previous year when I was trying to do everything solo.
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