Home buyers are now twice as likely to use online sources than print sources to find information about open houses they are interested in.
A study found that 62% of home buyers use or plan to use online sites to find open houses, compared with 53% who use/plan to use information from real estate agents, 36% who use/plan to use neighborhood signs and less than one-third (31%), who use/plan to use print sources, including newspapers and local flyers.
The study also found that though many home buyers rely upon a range of different sources to gather information about open houses, 41% say online sources are their primary resource, while 14% cite print sources, the survey found.
“The real estate section of the weekend newspaper is no longer the go-to resource for open houses,” said Sami Inkinen, co-founder and COO of Trulia. “Home buyers are increasingly going online to not only search for the most up to date listings but also to obtain rich information about the neighborhood, schools, and local shops.”
Home buyers used to walk into open houses with the real estate section of the newspaper in their hands, but now they walk in with print outs of their search on the web.
With more than 9 in 10 home buyers (91%) attended or plan to attend open houses during their home-purchase process, it is vital that the realtor you choose to sell your home has a strong internet presence. Make sure the realtor you choose has a good command of all internet options available to create maximum exposure for your listing. Social media is the direction real estate marketing is heading, as well as where many buyers are now turning to for their real estate information. If your realtor isn’t taking advantage of Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, you might want to ask yourself what kind of exposure you want for your listing. Check out the realtor’s website and see if they blog regularly to keep potential buyers coming back to their page. It is simply the difference between exposure and MAXIMUM exposure!
For more information on buying or selling real estate in Burlington, Hamilton or Oakville, Ontario, or if you have questions about current market trends, mortgages or interest rate information, please visit the Sean Kavanagh Real Estate Resource Centre at www.seansells.ca, or at www.seankavanagh.ca I’d be happy to answer any questions to accommodate all of your real estate needs. Follow me on TWITTER! You can also contact me at 905-220-9198 or at www.realestatechat.ca as I am now a moderator on the Ontario Real Estate chat forum as well as the Burlington, Ontario sub-forum.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Sean Kavanagh
Building Lasting Relationships and Exceeding Expectations