In 2020, nearly 63% of people who bought a home made an offer on a property they hadn’t seen in person. Coupled with buyers’ clear level of comfort with transacting virtually over the past year, the playing field has changed significantly, and builders must continue to adapt.
Pandemic safety concerns made people more reluctant to do in-person home tours, go to open houses or meet with a Realtor® live. This meant that technology — from videos, phone calls and virtual tours administered by trusted real estate agents, to virtual inspections, online paperwork, Facebook groups and Google Maps searches — had to do the heavy lifting instead. And the trend doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. A 2021 homebuyers survey found that 80% of millennial homebuyers would still consider buying sight unseen. Before 2020, the preferred method by far was in-person transactions.
With the booming market this year, many builders are rushing to meet the demand of buyers who are eager to snatch up homes. Here are a few ways you can set yourself up for success so buyers choose your properties over the competition.
Create the right customer experience
It’s pretty cut and dry: you have to start with an impactful, easy-to-find website. And if your website doesn’t provide buyers with all the virtual tools they need to shop, learn more about your offerings and start envisioning themselves in one of your homes, they’ll simply seek out another homebuilder who does. Aside from table stakes like purchasing tools, appealing copy and seamless UX, there are other extras you can add to your site to maximize the buyer’s user experience and showcase your brand in the best possible light.
Does your brand include customizable homes? If so, it might be smart to create a “build and buy” tool to help shoppers virtually build their home so they can “see” what they are buying without having to visit in-person. It also helps create excitement around the homebuying process because their “built” home already feels ownable to them. A tool like this is also a great way to differentiate your brand from competitors by showcasing not only superior technology, but your range of custom offerings right at customers’ fingertips. If you have an inventory of pre-built homes, adding an interactive tour functionality will also help bring the space to life for potential customers and make their decision-making process swifter.
Another functionality to consider adding to your website is a virtual assistant. Many retailers use this pop-up feature to engage users the minute they click on the site to minimize wasted search time and help them get what they need faster. And, creating a virtual assistant functionality who can “chat” with a customer as a first point of contact can make them feel instantly supported. Because buying sight unseen inherently comes with a huge leap of faith, this will help reassure them you’ll be taking care of them every step of the way.
It’s also important to have a compelling social media presence — in tandem with your website — to attract new sight-unseen buyers. And it’s not enough to simply set up a Facebook or Instagram page or start a Twitter account, take advantage of the newest tools and advertising strategies provided by each of these platforms to optimize traffic and drive interest to your website. Use Instagram or Facebook Reels for virtual home tours or to showcase the eye-catching scenery around a community. IGTV is also a great way to feature longer demos, especially if conducted by an appealing on-camera personality.
Also, make sure your social media manager responds quickly and often to comments posted on your page. This is an easy, no-brainer way to engage in a one-on-one dialogue with potential buyers and build trust. And finally, keep your social pages updated often with inspiring photo albums and posts showcasing your inventory of homes, as well as success stories of real homebuyers. Virtual buyers are seeking out and highly receptive to this kind of emotional content since they won’t have a traditional, in-person homebuying experience.
Create a smart digital marketing strategy
Along with a strong online presence, a smart digital marketing strategy can help turn heads and put you ahead of other builders. Because sight-unseen buyers will be conducting their entire homebuying experience virtually, it’s important to maximize the ways in which you can reach them early in the process. Targeting them via paid and organic ads on social platforms and review sites like Yelp is an easy way to garner awareness of your brand, as well as digital ads on relevant sites with video content showcasing your homes. If your website doesn’t already have one, create a blog and keep it updated regularly with features on new properties or useful, up-to-the-minute content about homebuying that will help guide buyers through the process and showcase your brand as an industry expert. Finally, boost your rankings in Google searches by having a great SEO strategy in place to reach potential online buyers. After all, 93% of all online experiences start with a search engine and 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results.
With high buyer demand in the current housing frenzy, as well as increased comfort with virtual homebuying, strengthening your digital footprint to engage with and attract online shoppers early in the homebuying process can help move you higher in their consideration set. And though nothing can beat the tactile experience of seeing a home in-person with their own eyes, optimized virtual technology and a compelling digital presence can go a long way toward replicating it, and savvy builders should embrace this evolution in buyers’ habits to stay competitive.
If you’re looking to level up your digital toolkit to get more eyes on your brand to attract sight-unseen virtual buyers, we can help. Reach out to Barbara at barbara@wickmarketing.com or (512) 479-9834.
