Technology and the internet has completely changed how real estate listings are marketed and sold.
Long gone are the days when buyers must go through a real estate agent in order to get information about homes for sale. Online listings and tax records, digital cameras, aerial mapping and sites like Zillow have changed the game.
Technology has also leveled the playing field so that an agent doesn’t have to go with the company that places a full page color ad in the local newspaper every Sunday. Technology is available for every agent who is paying attention which will give them a cutting edge over the rest of the agents who wonder why the old methods don’t seem to be working anymore.
It’s All About the Pictures:
Originally, the MLS system was simply a way for agents to share all of the local listings and offer compensation to each other in order to find a buyer for each listing. The listings were published weekly in thick books that were available only to agents. The books were filled with real estate jargon and didn’t have any pictures.
Today, MLS listings are now online and available to the public through agent and broker websites and national sites like Realtor.com. Digital cameras in the hands of agents mean that just about every listing now has at least a couple of pictures. The good ones have tons of pictures. The best listings had those pictures taken by a professional photographer.
New Technology Tool Let’s You Zoom in to See More Detail:
A few months ago I discovered a new tool which allows users to upload pictures and turn them into zoom-able images. I immediately tried it out on a picture that I took of Winslow’s Home in University City. Winslow’s is a general store and cafe that is a throw back to the past. It was a perfect choice to try out my new tool.
Give it a try. Click on the icon on the top right corner of the image above. Place your cursor anywhere in the picture and just zoom in or drag the picture in any direction. Zoom around to see what is on the shelves and take a close look at the tin ceiling. Hit your ESC button when you are done to come back to this post.
Zoom-able Pictures and Real Estate:
I don’t think I need to explain the impact that a zoom-able picture would have for a buyer seriously considering a home. Of course, pictures taken in low resolution can only be zoomed so much. I recently discovered a new photographer and am thrilled with the pictures she took for my Kirkwood condo listing. I have to believe that the fabulous pictures played a part in getting multiple competing offers and having it sold in only 10 days…in November! Closr.it lets us take the pictures to the next level by letting buyers see the little details that normal online pictures just don’t display.
Moving forward, you can expect to see some zoom-able pictures on each of my listings.
Someday, every online picture may be zoom-able. For now, these images can only be embedded on blogs.
It’s just one more reason that sellers should hire an agent who is using the latest technology to sell their home.
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Almost all home buyers actively search for homes on the internet. But since every buyer doesn’t go to the same website, it is important that homes for sale are listed on as many real estate sites as possible.
