It’s fair to say that being online has changed the way we live our lives on a day to day basis. With access to the internet being so readily available, it’s almost as if we don’t have to try as hard to achieve what we want to. We no longer have to go out and buy a paper to buy the news, don’t have to switch on the TV to catch up on the latest shows, and in a lot of cases we don’t even need to go to a book shop and buy a physical copy in order to enjoy the latest novels. But how has it revolutionised certain industries, namely the property industry? Buying and selling houses has literally never been easier, and it’s all because of the internet.
Searching for Property
Think about life before the internet: you had to go into the local estate agents, buy newspapers and track down magazines in order to search for your dream home. However, now with the entire world being online and many people realising it’s the smart way to sell your house, scoping out which properties you want to go and take a physical look at has literally never been quicker or more simple.
You can literally go onto your preferred search engine, type in what size property you’re looking for, whether you’re looking to rent or buy, and the area you’re looking in, and a list of the available properties will appear. Of course, some people don’t list their homes online, so you won’t see every single available property, however the vast majority do so you’re likely to see most of what’s available to you. You can even set it on certain websites, so that only houses within your allocated price range come up, AND you can request email notifications when new properties appear so that you’re the first to know. It doesn’t really get better than that!
Selling a Property
If you’re looking to sell your home, you now have a much wider range of online options available to you simply because of the world wide web. There are so many options available such as online estate agents and quick sale companies, that it’s literally never been easier to sell your home using the internet.
Because the internet reaches people a lot quickly and more easily than any other platform, you’re likely to sell your property a lot more efficiently if you go with an online estate agent, or even just a regular estate agent who have a good online platform. Although online estate agents have mixed reviews, they’re used by a LOT of people, so as long as you do your research, you’ll be fine. Because of the ease of selling online, it’s one of the least stressful ways to sell your home too.
There are a lot of packages available when it comes to online estate agents – the one thing to be mindful of is reading the small print, as they’re all different. Likewise, remember to ensure that the photographs you choose for online platforms are up to scratch. These are the first impression people get of properties, and ultimately it deciphers whether or not they end up going to view. Some of these packages actually include the option to have photographs of your house taken professionally, and if this is the case it’s more than worth taking them up on it!
Buying a Property
A lot of people – particularly of older generations – are reluctant to do their property buying online. The reason? Most of them think that because it’s online, they’re going to get scammed, when nowadays the vast majority of the time it’s absolutely not the case – although you should of course try to go with a reputable a company as possible!
As previously mentioned, it’s so easy to find properties for sale using the internet now, that it’s literally never been simpler for buyers to search for their dream home – or to request a viewing for that matter. For the vast majority of online property advertisements, there is a handy link at the bottom which enables the potential buyer to either call or email the estate agent and request a viewing at the click of a button. They normally respond to your emails, or if they don’t get to the call first time round call you back, within twenty-four hours. It’s a very responsive and effective system – although do be mindful to view properties in person too. Sometimes things are not as they seem on the internet, as you may well know!
