Real Estate Blog

What Home Buyers & Home Sellers Are Most Thankful For This Year!

Read to find out more about what Home Buyers find most valuable in their home search and their new home.

-As a home buyer this may help you narrow down your selections to neighborhoods or specific homes.

-As a home seller this will help you decide what to do to fix up your home and how to make sure your Realtor is marketing your home correctly and effectively!

Real Estate Buyers Are Really, Really Thankful For The Internet!

The most popular use of the internet for home buyers is for home searching. But what about the internet are home buyers in particular looking for?

According to a recent study:
87% of Buyers find photos most useful
84% of buyers find the detailed property description most useful
45% find the interactive maps most useful
42% find the virtual tours most useful
40% find the neighborhood information most useful

What Does This Mean to You if You Are Selling Your Home?

As a home seller you want a Realtor who will:

1. Provide professional photos (87% of buyers found useful).

After all this is what home buyers are looking for the most when trying to decide if they are going to take the next step and make an appointment to look at your home.

So not only should you have professional photos. But you want your Realtor to help you stage your property before the photos! These photos will be immortalized for all time. So make them count!

2. Provide a professional and attractive detailed property description (84% of Home Buyers looking for this).

It is easy for a Realtor to get professional photos. They just have to first stage your home and secondly hire a photographer (and the right one!).

But it is at the property description, remarks and advertising is where we see many properties marketed by Realtors fall to the wayside. Either the add is plain and just list the features of your home and doesn't grab the home buyer's attention. Or your ad and description leave out features that home buyers are looking for in order to decide to look at your home!

When choosing a Realtor you want your Realtor to know who is the typical buyer for your home and why they want to buy your home in your neighborhood. Then they sculpt the ad to those various buyer groups: professionals, travelers, school system seekers, beach lovers, water lovers, people who want privacy, up sizing, down sizing, etc. (Please note it is against the law to write an ad to target certain groups or of course leave groups out.)

In creating the remarks and advertising it is very important not to leave out any details! I have seen school information missing, room size missing and even features as important as waterfront or 3 car garage being left off! And while this is a small mistake that is hard to spot ... it can keep another Realtor or a Buyer from pulling your property when they put in their property search criteria. And it only takes just one buyer to buy your home. So you don't want to loose anybody!

3. Finally you have Buyers is wanting Interactive Maps (45%), Virtual Tours (42%) and Neighborhood Information (40%).

As a Home Seller all you need to do is visit your Realtor's website and look for these! 

As a Home Buyers you will find this information on our website!

Our website has interactive map searches on our property search page and on every area and subdivision page! That is one reason why so many people love our website. (Most realtors don't have a specific page for an area such as San Marco or Ponte Vedra Beach. Or a specific subdivision such as Coastal Oaks at Nocatee, Marsh Landing or Queens Harbour. Or property type pages as waterfront homes, historic homes, etc. We do. And we have a map showing the homes for sale in each!).

Also, on each property description page we have virtual tours and videos of our listings and of other listings if the Realtor actually did one (not all do). And if you are a home buyer we are working with who finds a property you like and don't see one then let us know and we will go take one for you!

We also have school information, amenities, demographics and more neighborhood information on each property page. So please visit and take a look!

So Home Buyers Don't Need Realtors ... Right? You Can Sell Your Home Without A Realtor?

Actually 87% of Buyers are thankful for the information provided by a Realtor. After all, the Realtor's service to the Buyer is free so most Buyers grab at a Realtor to get free advice, negotiating skills and knowledge.

So if you are trying to sell your home without a Realtor you can be missing out on 87% of Buyers!

What is a Home Buyer Looking for in a Realtor?

-Honesty & Integrity
-Responsiveness
-Knowledge of the Purchase Process & Real Estate Market

Please visit our testimonies page to see what past clients have said about working with us!

Buyers Are Thankful For Different Reasons When Buying a New Construction vs. Pre-Existing Home.

Choosing between new and existing homes is something that is difficult for most home buyers. 

The top reason home buyers are thankful for buying a new home or building a new home is knowing they don't have to deal with:
-Renovations
-Deferred Maintenance
-Problems with Plumbing or Electricity

The top reason home buyers are thank for buying an existing home is knowing:
-They got a better value and saved money

So as a home seller how do you compete against new construction? That's easy!

1. Get a Pre-Home Inspection

By getting a home inspection and sharing it with potential buyers you can show that your home is in tip top shape.

2. Show the Value

This can be done in two ways.

1. Your Realtor can use their market analysis to show the value of your home versus new construction.

Sometimes showing a simple spreadsheet that lays out the competing prices of the other homes is all it takes.

2. Your Realtor can use all the extras that you put into your home and the cost of each in their marketing.

You still have to do work to a new home. A buyer will save that headache if they buy your home. So make sure you tell the buyer about the extra special and expensive: hand scraped wood floors, exotic granite counters, extra molding, germ free hvac, pool heater, pavers, fire pit and patio, energy efficient and green material and appliances, etc. These items add up in a big way and can sway a home buyer!

So What Are Buyers Looking For In A Neighborhood?

What makes a quality neighborhood?

Here is what Buyers reported:
-Design of Neighborhood and Curb Appeal
-Good Schools
-Entertainment Activities
Convenient Location to Parks & Shopping

Do you have these? Do you want to sell your home quicker and for more money? Well make sure your Realtor is:

1. Mentioned in your marketing.
2. Have pictures of these items in your marketing including virtual tour and video
3. Have documentation such as maps showing location or details about each

Happy Home Hunting and Home Selling! Please contact us with any questions!