What are prospective home buyers looking for when they come to your real estate website? NAR's 2024 Generational Trends Report sheds some light on the matter. The annual survey asked buyers who use the internet which website features they find most useful.
Today, we're going to dive into what the research shows. You can use this information when researching new website vendors or evaluating how your current site measures up.
Let's dive in! Below are website features that buyers rate as "very useful" during their home search process, ranked from most to least important.
Most important
More than half of home buyers rated these two features as very useful:
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Photos - Unsurprisingly, photos are the most desired website feature. Ensure all photos that you upload to the MLS or add to your website are high quality, high definition images. While we recommend hiring a professional for your listing photos, if you're a determined DIYer, check out these tips. (And, if nothing else, step away from the smartphone!)
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Detailed property information - Buying a home is a big deal, and buyers want to know as much information as they can before making a decision. Fill out every applicable MLS field when adding your latest listing, and don't be afraid to add more info about your listing to your website. Need inspiration for writing property descriptions? See 4 Real Estate Listing Description Examples that Increase Sales, or read ChatGPT Hacks for Real Estate Agents to learn how to leverage AI to craft property descriptions.
Important
More than 30% of home buyers said the following website features are very useful:
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Floor plans - The floor plan is having a moment, and many MLSs are offering apps that capture floor plans, like CubiCasa, for free to their members. Additionally, many virtual tour providers include a floor plan in their standard offerings. If you're looking for a floor plan vendor, check out our Product Directory.
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Agent contact information - We're amused that only 43% of survey respondents said this was very important. To you, the agent, it is 100% important! So make sure that, at minimum, your name, email and phone number are prominently displayed on your website so you never miss a lead.
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Virtual tours - Today's virtual tours, which are typically 3D walkthroughs of a home, can help buyers with decision making, whether that's the decision to tour a home at all or to decide if it's the right property for their needs. Many virtual tour solutions also offer extra marketing tools you many not know about, and most also include photos and floor plans from one scan, so you get more bang for buck. You can find a virtual tour provider in our Company Directory.
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Neighborhood info - We love when we come across agent websites with beautiful neighborhood pages. Create a page on your site for each neighborhood you serve and be sure to include information about nearby attractions and schools. Be sure to include a call-to-action to contact you for more information about homes for sale in the area.
Less important
More than 20% of home buyers rated the following website features are very useful:
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Recently sold properties - It's one thing to get a listing; it's another thing to close a transaction. Show off homes you've recently sold so buyers can understand your track record of success. If your listings sold faster than the average DOM for your area or for over asking, mention that! Additionally, most MLSs now provide sold data in their IDX feeds, so you can use that to offer recently sold information about your entire local market on your site.
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Interactive maps - Many IDX website vendors include map search functionality. If you're not sure if yours does, check with your site provider and ask how to turn it on.
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Videos - While only 21% of buyers said videos were very useful to them on a website, that doesn't mean you should stop producing them! They're still extremely valuable on social media to help drive traffic to your website, and you can highlight the best on your site. Need help creating compelling videos? RPR's Market Trends ScriptWriter can write video scripts for you.
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Upcoming open houses - Okay, so technically only 19% of buyers overall said information about upcoming open houses were very valuable. But that may be thanks to the oldest generation, which represents only 16% of buyers, bringing down the average. Younger generations care more about this info, with 31% of prime-age (34-43 years old) buyers expressing interest. So don't be shy about adding open house announcements to your website!
Take it or leave it
The final three real estate website features all ranked under 10% overall:
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Virtual open houses - A lifesaver during the height of the pandemic, this feature is less important to home buyers now.
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Virtual listing appointments - See above.
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Real estate news and articles - Dedicated agent bloggers may be disappointed to see this, but this ranking shouldn't dissuade you from posting. While buyers may not show up explicitly for your blog, consistent content creation still works wonders for SEO and attracting leads. So if you love it, keep going!
Next steps