One of the first big OBX real estate marketing changes that occurred when the virus hit was the Homes and Land Real Estate magazine stopped publishing. That magazine has published continuously here for about 30 years. I had been advertising with them for every issue since we started Scott Team Realty in 2002. Print advertising for real estate has become less and less effective as smart phones have become ubiquitous.
Resort Real Estate Market
Outer Banks Real Estate marketing has always been a little different since we are a resort market. Most of our buyers must make a special trip to Outer Banks to see property. For years I’ve been videoing houses for buyers to help them decide about making a trip. They also come in handy when the house is rented. Those videos are now more important than ever.
Superior Presentation
A video is a step up from a virtual tour but is still not as good as seeing the property. You’ll get a better feel for the floor plan, the sizes of the rooms, the views and possibly the proximity to nearby amenities. It also gives the presenter an opportunity to explain the benefits of the house. There are almost always good features of properties that buyers won’t appreciate unless they are pointed out. For example, there’s a big difference between builder’s grade materials compared to custom home materials. Pointing out these positive features during a video is an effective and simple way to help a buyer compare apples to apples.
Advantage over other listings
If your Realtor creates a video for your home then it gives your home an advantage over other similar homes in the same market segment. Your Realtor can make sure the home is presented in its best light. I think buyers’ agents will also be happy for that video to be completed. It will save them the step of having to video it for their clients. An additional advantage for primary residences is that it could eliminate unrealistic buyers from disturbing you. Spending hours cleaning up for a showing is frustrating when a buyer spends just two minutes in the property.
As of this writing most buyers can’t come see homes here because our bridges are closed. Some buyers are still moving forward with offers based on videos or video calls. Military home buyers have been doing this for years. This is not suitable solution for all buyers but it is becoming more common. Videoing homes for sale may become one of the most significant OBX real estate marketing changes. It will be interesting if this trend continues in the future.
Leave a Reply