Homes for Sale: It’s NOT About the Curb Appeal! (Anymore)

I know, I know, “curb appeal” has been drilled into our heads over the years. Real estate agents have continually told us over and over that “you have to have great curb appeal” to sell your house…. Well I say, “bunkus!”
 
Don’t get me wrong, curb appeal is still important but not like it used to be. With the dawn of a new century (and millenium), times have changed.
 
The “curb appeal” defacto standard (for selling your home) has taken a back seat to a few other things:
 
Welcome to the internet!
 
Seriously, these days more and more home buyers are looking online for houses. You can find the new generation of buyers at home in their jammies with their heads buried in their computers, glazed-over eyes and the flicker of a computer monitor bouncing off their face – searching for a home.
 
It makes sense! Gas prices are dramatically higher these days, the days are shorter (people are working more hours per week, on average, than decades ago) and most potential buyers have a thirst for knowledge and facts before they make a buy! For a home buyer to use the internet to leverage their time and money is a smart move. Unfortunately, many sellers are NOT using the internet (and modern technology) to leverage their listing. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t say “sellers”; A lot of Realtors are not using the internet and cutting edge technologies to leverage their client’s listing.
 
It’s not ‘Curb Appeal’ anymore, it’s all about ‘Internet Appeal’ or ‘Web Appeal’, if you prefer. Can I copyright that term?
 
It’s important that your listing looks its best on the internet! To those web surfing, fact finding potential home buyers. I don’t know how many times I run across listings on the internet and they look absolutely HORRIBLE! There’s no way, if I was looking to buy, that I’d want to waste my time driving over to that house to have a look. I know that I’m not the only that thinks their time is valuable; why would I want to waste it on a ‘dump’?
 
True story: We went on a listing appointment last year (the house had been listed with another agent and the listing expired). I remember thinking, “Wow! This house is WAY overpriced!” Of course I based my opinion the listing that I saw in the MLS system. The house had one photo only (horrible photo too, by the way) and no descriptive remarks. As a matter of fact, I almost cancelled the listing appointment because I thought it would be a waste of time for me to try and convince the home owner that he would have to come WAY down on the price to get it sold. I didn’t cancel the appointment. When I got there, I was SHOCKED!
 
The house was beautiful! Nothing like how it was portrayed in the MLS! Oh my gosh, this house had an awesome backyard, an ultimate man cave, a lot of detail on the inside, etc…. After viewing the home and talking to the owners, I looked at the comps and wasn’t surprised by what I found… The house wasn’t THAT over-priced after all (once you accounted for the extras)! Hey, I’m in real estate, I know that you can’t comp a property without looking at it first. If I thought that the house was over-priced (and I suppose to know better), imagine what John Doe home buyer thought after viewing that listing online (with the ONE horrible photo and no descriptive remarks).
 
It was no surprise to me, when I asked the home owner if they had any showings, he replied that they had none.
 
By the way, this house had awesome curb appeal! But the ‘web appeal’ was so bad that no one came to the house and saw the curb appeal!
 
YOU HAVE TO HAVE WEB APPEAL BEFORE THE CURB APPEAL EVEN MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
 
So how do you have great web appeal? You have to choose the right agent. Contrary to what most people think, just throwing your house up on the MLS and sticking a for sale in the front yard, doesn’t guarantee a sale. Unfortunately, a lot of people (and Realtors too) don’t know any better.
 
Web appeal is about more than just great photos (although that plays a HUGE role), it’s also the remarks, the marketing, the partner websites, the target audience, etc… It’s about using the latest technologies to sell your home in the shortest amount of time with the least inconvenience to you. It’s about things like: utilizing texting as leverage, mobile marketing, mobile websites, web exposure, statistical break downs, keeping up with the market, etc….
 
For instance, which of these remarks would entice you to come look at this home?
 
1) Great house in Lorena ISD on 3 acres. 4 bedroom 2.5 bath built in 2002. Over 2,300 square feet, a real must see!
 
OR
 
2) Front porch living at its best! Enjoy the country sounds and stars at night but live close enough for a drive to the grocery store in less than 10 minutes – what a great location! Less than 5 miles to the hustle and bustle, but feels secluded and distant enough to get away from it all. Featuring 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, this 2002 custom built home is located in desirable Lorena ISD AND sits on 3 acres! Enough open space for pets to roam and children to play (comes complete with playground in backyard). With over 2,300 square feet, you’ll have enough room to entertain and host those big family gatherings during the holidays. Are you looking for space between you and your neighbors? For a personal and private showing, call Gary (254) 498-4276.
 
By the way that was a real listing and we got in under contract in about 1/4 the time of Waco’s average days on market – for more than the seller anticipated!
 
To sell a home these days, typically it takes more than just ‘curb appeal’.
 
I’m guessing this whole internet thing maybe, just maybe, might NOT be a fly by night fad after all…. 🙂