subject: Take Advantage Of Smart Phones When Selling Your Home [print this page] Selling homes is changing because so many buyers have smart phones now. They can access information about homes for sale immediately, and all without calling the seller or the agent for information. That is an advantage for the buyer, but not necessarily for the agent or the seller. Following up with buyers has become more challenging unless they make themselves known by communicating.
True, sometimes the shopper's email address can be tracked, but not always. And even if it can be tracked, allowing a seller or an agent to get in touch with the prospective buyer may not be effective since there really hasn't been any personal communication. If I buyer is simply surfing through listings or driving by a property and checking it out online to get price and other property data, that is not really showing enough interest to generate a follow up communication from the seller or an agent, even if the buyer's email address or cell phone number information is available.
In fact, when it comes to selling homes, buyers are taking more initiative on their own now, and they like the privacy and freedom to shop without any pressure or interference from sellers and their agents. Buyers just like to shop for homes whenever and wherever they like, confidentially. When they are ready to ask for more information, or to make an appointment to tour a home, they definitely know what to do when you are trying to sell your own home.
Never before in history have buyers had direct access to so much information about homes for sale, as well as the ability to sort through potential properties to save time prior to looking at any of them. This gives buyers a lot more power than they had in the past, and it means that sellers and their agents must respect the privacy issues and constantly keep in mind that buyers want to be shown to properties, but not sold on properties. Real estate is much more of a matchmaking service now, it's not really a selling process.
Buyers generally have something very specific in mind when they begin shopping for a home. Their needs are uppermost in their minds when they look at homes for sale online, and they will simply click past all those that don't show promise. So, homeowners need to bear this in mind when they are selling homes. In the past, when buyers called sellers or agents from a sign in the yard, personal contact was initiated by the buyer, so a follow up would be appropriate. But things have really changed since the bulk of home selling begins online now.
