If you’re someone who has experienced the pressure and chaos of selling a property, you’re probably familiar with how complicated, long, and stressful the process can be. Today, people who find themselves in this position face more obstacles than ever. Similar to countless others, the real estate industry has had to adapt their normal business practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has changed the world. Open houses and walk-through tours have been significantly reduced to comply with health and safety guidelines, leaving many property owners in an unfamiliar predicament.
Although I as a college student in my early twenties don’t have any personal experience selling properties, throughout my life I’ve watched multiple loved ones go through the process. Unfortunately, their experiences weren’t always as quick and easy as they would have preferred. Being from a small town, some of the concern came from the lack of traffic; leaving my friends and family yearning for more exposure for their listing. None of their properties lacked quality or comfort, they just failed to promote their homes through the necessary media channels. Studies find that nearly ninety percent of people in the market, use online research to find their new home.
At this point you must be wondering which online media channels I’m referring to. Well, there are numerous apps, websites, and networks that could benefit your situation but for the rest of this blog, I will be discussing the leading online real estate platform, Zillow. This is arguably the most important place to market your listing. Statista reported that as of January this year, the popular site was visited by well over 35 million people each month. The difference between this platform and other frequented online networks is that the users share a common interest in real estate, connecting you directly to the right market.
To best utilize Zillow’s platform, it’s important to emphasize any unique aspects of your property. Zillow allows you to include a description with your listing, giving their users a chance to get creative and stand out among the 110 million other properties on the site. Take advantage of this opportunity by detailing honest portrayals of the house’s features, renovations, and history. Remember that your word count is capped at 250, so cut out any unnecessary gab and don’t get hung up on jargon that can be simplified. Focus on highlighting your property’s most appealing aspects and finding opportunity in less attractive qualities; for example, a small bedroom could potentially be utilized as an office, dressing room, nursery, etc. Additionally, posting clear photographs is of major importance. People fall in love with details, so never be afraid of posting too many pictures; offering multiple angles of the same room can keep your audience engaged for longer and help to build their interest.
I hope this blog was helpful in outlining one of the most effective resources you have when it comes to selling a property online. Have you or someone you know used Zillow to sell a house or rental property? What techniques did you find to be most successful? Did you run into any difficulties throughout the listing process? If so, let me know! Leave a comment below to help simplify the journey for other members of our community who may be experiencing the same issues.
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions regarding this post so that I may address any confusion in future posts. Make sure that you like this blog if you enjoy the content and share it so that your friends can become aware of these helpful Zillow tips as well. Subscribe to my “Media Promotion Within Real Estate, ‘How To’ Blog” to get updates of new posts that will describe even more tips, tricks and information of how to maximize your listing’s exposure.
Resources:
Statista Research Department. (2020, February 17). Most popular real estate websites in the U.S. by visits 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/381468/most-popular-real-estate-websites-by-monthly-visits-usa/
Zillow Statistics [2020]: Traffic, Market, & Real Estate Trends. (2020, October 23). Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://ipropertymanagement.com/research/zillow-statistics
Property Descriptions 101: How to Write Listing Descriptions That Sell: Zillow. (2019, November 27). Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://www.zillow.com/sellers-guide/listing-descriptions-that-sell/