SELLING HOUSES AND SOCIAL MEDIA
In an age where new technology is encouraging us to think we can do what we once thought impossible, it’s easy to understand why estate agency is losing some of its mysticism.
We can all take pictures with our smart phones, we all have instant access to mass media whenever we feel like it so it’s not a great leap of logic to presume we could probably sell our own home without shelling out hundreds or even thousands of pounds to some slick-talking middle men.
A few images of the right rooms, a brief description including the right hashtags and all we have to do is keep tweeting, right?
The march of social media
In theory, it sounds great but, in reality, it rarely works out that way because, although many news stories break first on social media these days, we’ve also learned that, just because it’s on Facebook, it doesn’t mean it’s true.
When it comes to buying and selling property, because the value of the product is so much higher than a juicy bit of gossip or an amusing meme, we’re far less inclined to play fast and loose. When it comes to property, we do actually want expert opinion (although it doesn’t necessarily follow that the more you pay, the better the quality of advice).
So, although the estate agency game has been blown about by the winds of change since the relentless march of social media began a decade ago, as an industry, it’s weathered the storm better than, say, the news media.
It’s true that approximately 97% of property searches are completed online via the likes of Rightmove and Zoopla but comparatively few property deals are completed there without some form of professional help. Estate agents – either online or on the high street – are still around.
Never say never
But that’s not to say Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, SnapChat or even Tumblr have no part to play when it comes to selling your home. Indeed, at Esale, we’re using some of them every day to highlight property for sale to the right potential buyers. It’s just that social media isn’t the only channel we use. Just as an example, Esale is part of an international property marketing network listing homes for sale on 80 portals in 50 countries in 19 different languages
But, if you are selling your home, post away by all means. There’s nothing wrong with extending your potential audience by supplementing what your estate agent is doing anyway.
But what we are saying is that, if you rely simply on your own posts to reach the buyer of your home, your quest is going to be limited to your own followers and - unless you’re some sort of internet sensation or a celebrity in your own right - that’s likely to be a comparatively small audience.
If you’d like any more advice on selling your home, do give us a call or drop us a line. Perhaps we can get you started with a free, no obligation valuation (https://www.esaleuk.com/free-valuations)