I have been giving it a little thought lately as to where do buyers search for their home purchases.
For so many years, it was the main newspaper in the area. Every week the new listings would come out in the back of the paper and folks would go through them, circle the ones they wanted to see, and called the agents/office for appointments. Real Estate agencies were not scattered all over the area, they were all located in my case, on Main Street in Lynchburg, Va. and they all worked for the sellers.
Later on in years the "BOOK" came out and all the agents had the books but were unable to share them with their buyers. So the only way you could find properties were through the newspaper and calling the agents who had the "BOOK". That was about the time I started selling real estate, about the time that the "BOOK" was beginning to go out of existance. Now I do know a few agents who wish they still had the "BOOK" today.
Then the internet came on the scene and everything took off. Buyers had more knowledge of where to find property, agents were worrying about buyers not calling them anymore about listings, and Multiple Listings didn't want to share their listing information. It was so funny! It was like the world of agents didn't know what to do anymore. Their secrets were out and everyone had access to that information.
Personally I love the internet and the advantages it brings to the table. I love to market on the internet and show the world my listings and where they are located. I love to post the pictures, do the video tours and much more for my clients. I believe that is my job - to market their properties where ever I can.
Recently, a client of mine was concerned that I was leaving a franchise and going to a well-known family owned Real Estate Company in Lynchburg, Va. They were worried about the exposure their listings would get. You know, with the invention of GOOGLE and other search engines, you can find any property out there that is for sale. When a buyer goes online to find a property, they don't go to the REMAX site, or the C21 site or other well-known franchise site, they go and search for where they are looking for property through search sites.
If I were looking for property in Lynchburg, Va. because I was thinking about moving there because of a job or personal reason, I would search "homes in Lynchburg, Va." or "homes in Forest, Va." or Lynchburg, Va. - Not through a specific company. Now once I had found the listings I wanted to see, I would then interview those agents to see if we worked well together.
Things have changed so much since I started selling real estate but I love it and I hope it continues to change. I don't have to do a written ad in a Florida newspaper to advertise a beautiful piece of vacation property in Amherst anymore. I just go online and advertise that land there.
What thoughts do you have and have do you preceive the age of the internet?
Brenda Moore, Associate Broker
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
JOHN STEWART WALKER, INC.
434-258-7670 mobile
434-385-6655 office
Office Location
3211 Old Forest Road
Lynchburg, Va. 24501
Hi Brenda, You are so right on with this post. Buyers don't rely on the branded names so much as they have learned how to search the hyper local info. The advantages of the larger brand still exist but less so in the search engines.
87% buyers go on line to find their home, but these days, I have found they use their smart phones and google the address directly.
Zillow.com or Trulia.com I believe are the most popular ways to search online for homes. You can find neighborhood information, information about local schools, crimes, house prices and more. I know that not everything you see on the internet is uptodate or even true, but it's a good place to start.
It's interesting that you mentioned people no longer go to a specific Realty group's website to search for properties - and I think that's true. BUT YET agents are still advertising open houses either only on their website and maybe in the newspaper.
If you type into Google "open houses in Lynchburg", and your open house shows up on the first page of the Google search then great. If not, I'd be thinking about getting my open house on a website that is showing up on that first page.