Leveraging the Internet for Faster Real Estate Sales

In decades past, selling a property was a pain in the neck that would last for months or even years. The price tags of real estate assets and the limited reach of legacy sales channels meant that you’ll have to stumble upon the right customer at the right time just to stand a chance of selling something. You’ll then have to go through the usual persuasion and negotiation process which could last weeks or months. At the end of it all, a potential buyer can simply decide for one reason or another that he didn’t choose your property, landing you back to square one.

Fortunately, those times are behind us and the Web is here to stay. These days, you can get multiple inquiries in a day and sell your property within a couple of weeks. If you’re trying to turn over a lot or a condominium, there are plenty of ways to make the process faster and easier via the Internet. Here are just some of the most reliable practices to follow when trying to sell real estate online:

1. List Down Your Property’s Selling Points – Like any other shoppers, a potential real estate buyer wants to know that he’s getting good value for the money he’s about to spend. You’ll want to cater to that intent by making sure that your property’s selling points are well-emphasized. List down all the good things about what you’re selling and make sure to be very specific about them.

This is a list of the common factors that people consider when purchasing real estate:

• Location – Where is it located and what landmarks are close by?
• Amenities – What shared amenities are in the area or building? Are there recreational facilities and leisure features?
• Safety and security – How secure is the property against crime? How safe is the immediate community?
• Future Development – Is the property in an area with rising real estate prices? Does it make for a good investment
• Resilience to Disasters – Is the area relatively flood-free? Is it far away from a fault line? Does it have a risk of getting hit by a landslide? These are the things that you need to be transparent about.
• Availability of Services – Are electric and water lines available in the area? How about Internet access? Most residential property seekers will demand that the three are all available.
• Completeness of Documents – Are the land ownership documents valid and in your possession? Can a deed of sale be processed without any fuss?

A well-written description of the property which contains as much information about these areas as possible will help serious buyers gain greater familiarity about your offering even before they contact you. A good example would be what Montala in Pampanga did here.

2. Leverage Social Media – Filipinos are some of the most social media-savvy people on Earth. It only makes sense to try and catch their attention in the places on the Web where they hang out the most. When you have property for sale, consider posting it on Facebook, Twitter, and other networking sites to generate awareness among people in your circles.

You can amplify your message’s reach by joining special interest groups and posting there. There are plenty of area-specific Facebook groups out there where real estate sellers can post for free. For maximum traction, you can also look into Facebook ads. Boosted posts are very cheap to use and the additional reach will be to the tune of thousands of people. For best results, you can set proper targeting parameters so only people who are likely to take interest in your property will be exposed to your ad.

3. Be Very Visual – Writing robust property descriptions is good. Complementing those descriptions with photos and videos is even better. You see, as much as people like reading about things they want to buy, their buying intentions don’t perk up until they actually see the offering.

Take at least five pictures of the property at different angles with a high-resolution camera. Make sure to photograph amenities and other features. If you can do a short video where you walk through the property, that’s even better.

4. Take Advantage of New Technologies – There are plenty of new technologies that will enhance a potential buyer’s online viewing experience on your property. The good thing is that these technologies are readily available and are sometimes free. Here are a couple of examples:

• Drone Shots – Drones have become so popular these days that even if you don’t own one, there’s a good chance that one of your friends does. Borrow one and take aerial videos of the place. Potential buyers love seeing these bird’s eye view-types of footage.
• Google Map and Street View – You can also display your location using Google Map simply by searching it on the platform and embedding the map code on a web page where you’re promoting your real estate. You can do the very same thing using Google Street View so people can go on a virtual tour of your property’s exterior and its surrounding area.
• 360 Videos – 360 videos are rapidly becoming popular online for interior virtual tours of hotels, buildings and other public facilities. You can also shoot a 360 video of the property to give it a visual advantage over other similar assets that are for sale.

Most real estate sellers don’t take advantage of today’s robust digital media technology. When you decide to leverage it, you’ll have a very clear advantage over your competitors.

5. Be Reachable – Once you’ve piqued a potential buyer’s interest with an attractive ad, the next thing they’ll want to do is to inquire about the property. Make sure that you can easily be reached by being available on as many modes of communication as possible. They can include:

• Your mobile number
• Your Twitter handle
• Your email address
• Your Viber number
• Your Skype ID

When you get inquiries, make it a point to respond as promptly as you can. Don’t risk allowing your potential customer’s interest to mellow down by making him wait hours or days for a response.

6. Post on Real Assisted Estate Networks – If you don’t have enough time to write descriptions, talk to people, shoot videos and gather images, you might want to use services like Hoppler. Online real estate platforms take you by the hand and guide you through the selling process with the added value of having a large network of property brokers and potential buyers that they can tap. A word about your asset for sale will get around much faster, allowing you to attract valid prospects with speed and ease.

Another great thing about these services is the fact that you’ll be assigned an account executive. This will be the person you’ll interface with for the most part. Helping you avoid hassles and confusion.

7. Apply a Little SEO – Many potential buyers find assets to acquire using search engines like Google. If the page where your property is posted appears at the top of search results for keywords that your target market use, it has a greater chance of being clicked on. The more clicks your property’s page gets, the higher the chances that you’ll receive an inquiry.

To maximize the probability that your property’s page will rank well on Google, apply a few simple search engine optimization (SEO) tactics. These include:

• Writing descriptive titles that include the type of property and its location
• Writing unique property descriptions that provide a healthy amount of details.
• Using images on your property page.
• Promoting the page on social media.

Making sure that your page’s copy is robust, interesting and well-promoted gives it a fighting chance to rank well for the keywords it represents.

Ultimately, the Internet is a powerful tool when you’re trying to sell a high-value item like real estate. However, it’s not the be-all and end-all of real estate sales. At the end of the day, your conversational and negotiation skills will be the deciding factor on whether a buyer will want to acquire your property.

About the Author:

Glen Dimaandal is the founder and CEO of GDI Online Marketing, one of the Philippines’ most respected SEO agencies.