When the National Homebuying Survey was conducted in 1981, the most important rated information source in the home search, after agents, was newspaper ads. In 2020, 97% of homebuyers used the internet in their home search. With the echoes of social distancing and health guidelines from the COVID-19 pandemic persisting four years later, technology has played an even more significant role in buying and selling homes.
We look at how Dickson Realty agents use technology in home buying and how other trends shape real estate transactions.
“At Dickson, our agents have access to the latest technology and benefit from our extensive global partnerships, enabling them to draw in a wider range of buyers,” said Katy Borja, Marketing Manager at Dickson Realty. “This combination of advanced tools and the trusted Dickson brand signals to both buyers and sellers that they are working with a real estate powerhouse.
Dickson agents incorporate a mix of traditional and digital marketing to help people buy or sell houses. While the expertise of real estate agents remains vital to the home-buying and selling process, the internet serves as a tool for all generations of home buyers; according to the National Association of REALTORS study, 97% of all homebuyers use the internet in their home search.
Dickson agents know a good mix of print, in-person, and online advertising will attract buyers, and they often recommend a balanced mix of marketing for sellers so that buyers have many ways to interact.
“But at the end of the day, agents need to customize the marketing to the property,” Katy said. “What works for one agent doesn’t work for another.”
Telling the Right Story
Most importantly, Katy said telling the right story about the home helps people see themselves in it. Home sellers can work with their agent to craft that story online. Katy said being open-minded about ways people might see themselves in your home can help reach different audiences.
“Unique properties, for example, can sometimes take longer to find the right buyer,” she said. “It's important to have a plan in place so if you hit the 60- to 90-day mark, you're ready with a fresh perspective on the property — such as writing a new story. It could have originally been marketed as a family property, but now you’re focusing on showing people how to turn an accessory dwelling unit into income.”
In one example, Dickson agents were selling a luxury property initially marketed as a generational home. But as the property sat, Dickson agents changed how they talked about it and rewrote the listing description to incorporate ways future homeowners could make it into a compound with farm-to-table produce, living partially off the grid or at least differently than the previous homeowner.
The home seller’s last few years in the home may not look like the new buyer’s imagined future experience. So, consider ways the house could be used differently, such as a rental property, a short-term executive apartment, or a place for empty nesters.
Home buyers often need to see or hear examples of how the house could be configured to feel like they will fit into them. So, changing the sales flyers, online descriptions, and presentations can make a huge difference when targeting potential buyers.
“Buyers typically searched for eight weeks, viewing nine homes, five of which were viewed solely online,” according to NAR.
Some tools make reworking content much faster and more accessible for everyone. It allows buyers to find what they are looking for, especially if they spend most of their time on the phone or computer before visiting a property.
Staging plays another role in the process. Leveraging tools like digital staging to augment the space with furniture and decor or hiring professional stagers to add furniture to a property allows people to see a future in an otherwise empty space. This also helps people understand the scale and style of the house.
“Staged properties sell faster than empty homes,” Katy said. “But if you don’t have the budget for professional stagers, digital staging tools help complete the picture in the buyer’s mind.”
All the tools at your disposal
The top three tech tools that provide real estate agents with quality leads are social media (52%), Customer Relationship Management (31%), and MLS (Multiple Listing Service) sites (28%), according to NAR.
Dickson Realty highly recommends going through an agent to access advanced digital tools (and for a litany of other reasons) unavailable to someone trying to sell a house alone. Professional tools give agents access to listings, syndication, data reports, and artificial intelligence.
AI can help agents craft content and analyze data to target buyers. With AI language assistants, agents can write better descriptions and leads or crunch data to target a niche audience. This helps home sellers and agents work together to create a compelling narrative. You love the home, but it’s time to move on, and the agent and AI tools can help draw that passion into a sales pitch for potential buyers.
Crunching data also helps speed up the process and target potential buyers. Matching seller data with information buyers have provided can help everyone in the transaction.
“People looking to buy can use tech platforms with AI for property searches based on the criteria and the interactions you’ve had with previous properties online,” Katy said. “That allows them to tailor the matches to be more specific.”
Other tools for potential buyers can help calculate potential utilities or help people move their accounts, such as power, cable, water, and gas, to the new property.
With the many tools available to assist buyers and sellers, it might be tempting to try a do-it-yourself model, but Katy recommends against it. Searching for a house may start online, but when selling or buying a home, work with an agent who can use the tools and help you maximize your time.
“Agents are the only ones who can list through MLS in Northern Nevada,” Katy said. “The MLS syndicates to other websites like Redfin, Zillow, and Realtor.com, giving extra property exposure. With some new laws, there are many reasons to find an agent and not do it yourself. The agent will walk you through the process, and they’ll know what you can and can’t do and how to market the property. They’ll have access to more tools than you would alone.”
