19 Apr 2016| Posted by: Geoff Baldwin

In recent years many agents have fallen into the trap of trying

to sell properties via their online marketing however this can be likened to treating property marketing like online dating and can be a huge mistake according to RE/MAX WA Managing Director Geoff Baldwin.

“The biggest driver in the buying decision is the same as that in any new love affair and that is emotion”, he said.

“I am a massive believer in internet marketing however for a relationship to be successful usually requires a live meeting and the same can be said about buyers becoming emotionally attached to property. It is hard to fall in love if there is never a live inspection!

“Images and information can be a double edged sword in property marketing. In the early stages of my career I was offered some valuable advice and that was "The less you say as an agent, the less chance you have of saying the wrong thing". I believe this same advice should be applied to advertising properties.

“It is rarely the case that any more than a dozen genuinely high quality images can be produced about one listing. There is a good chance however that, the more images placed online, the more chance potential buyers will see something they don't like, not something that is necessarily a fault with the property, but something that doesn't appeal to them....an inquiry killer!

“Agents need to remember that advertising isn't designed to "sell" a property, it is designed to encourage inquiry and viewings...full stop!

“By all means provide enough information to attract inquiry and viewings but remember that curiosity is still a key to attracting buyers and attracting buyers is what we get paid for as agents.

“Telling (or showing) the whole story online can often defeat that purpose as potential buyers make their minds up without even making a call or sending an email. Of the thousands of sales I have been involved with directly in my career there have been so many where the buyer has fallen in love with and purchased a property that was nothing like they were initially seeking.

“The secret (in my experience anyway) is to avoid treating property marketing like online dating and just tell people enough to get them to the property so that a love affair can start in real life, after all, online dating often proves to end in disappointment because the parties oversell the product” he said.