A New Way To View

Edward Tranmer, Ilkley Branch Manager of Dale Eddison reflects on how the ever-changing world of social media and people’s expectations are impacting the marketing of properties. 

A NEW WAY TO VIEW 62 BUSINESS I n a world of increasingly short attention spans, capturing and holding the gaze of a potential homebuyer is no mean feat, but in the past few years, Estate and Letting agents have finally started to embrace technology and social media as a valuable selling tool. 

While a 15 second TikTok video will never fully demonstrate all the best features of a rambling, five bedroomed detached property with three acres of land, the changing browsing and buying habits of home buyers does mean we need to adapt to how we market properties. 

In the past few years, accelerated by the constraints of the pandemic, we have certainly seen a shift in the way people search for properties and while not all new media platforms lend themselves to showcasing a house in its best light, the days of paper particulars with long paragraphs depicting ornate ceiling coving could soon be over. 

In a bid to quench the thirst of the next generation who want quick and instant answers at the touch of a button, agents are more likely to be sending out video footage of a property alongside a bullet pointed list of key features rather than a lengthy five-page brochure in the post. 

If you’re thinking about selling your home, it’s worth giving thought to who is most likely to be scrolling their phone to find it and what exactly they want to see? 

The most recent Rightmove data shows that 39% of homebuyers say COVID-19 has impacted what they’re looking for in a home. Priorities for the majority now include some sort of garden and home working space as apposed to city centre apartments and having covered Ilkley and the surrounding area for the last decade, I can’t recall a time where two bedroomed terraced properties, with some form of private garden and study space, have been more in demand.

While we might be on the cusp of emerging from the worst of the pandemic, I get the sense we’re only at the very beginning of a transformation of the UK property sector, as homebuyers’ priorities and requirements continue to change. 

So far, I think the property sector has adapted well to the shift in consumer expectations and the introduction of virtual viewings, live video tours, drone photography and Instagram live feeds are just a few examples of how the marketing landscape is evolving.

 While we must all embrace the need to deliver quick and instant solutions to an ever-demanding audience of home buyers, I strongly believe there should always be more to buying a house than a quick swipe on your phone, and that we’re still some way from shifting the whole property search experience to Mr Zuckerberg’s Metaverse.