What are Property Buyers looking for?

Every buyer is different. Every property is different. Whether buying or renting, people’s needs are many and varied. Matching property to people is very much like dating. There needs to be a connection, and an attraction.

How do we get that connection and attraction? There are some obvious factors, like location and price. People tend to search in an area and price range. After that they may add various items to their ‘wish list’ e.g. garage, number of bedrooms, garden, parking, views etc. Each buyer or renter will have their own set of wishes.

Assuming your property is in the right locality and approximately the right price range, the next thing to do is make the property look as appealing as possible. And then take photographs (and maybe a video) of it, looking as attractive as it can be, in order to pique the interest of a potential buyer or renter.

Many online viewers are scanning lots of properties, quite quickly, so yours needs to stand out. I, personally, have been looking to move and my own experience of property-hunting has been mainly disappointing. Poor photography, scant details, no video often mean that I scroll right past. Good photography, with well-lit rooms and lots of detail (all the rooms, the spaces between the rooms, the exteriors, the garden, the driveway, the locality etc.) all help to build the picture for the viewer. If the combination of the images, video, location, price etc. add up, I may then arrange a viewing. It’s unlikely that properties will ever be sold or rented without a viewing or two taking place first, so tempting the prospective buyer or renter to organise a viewing is the primary objective.

Good photography really makes a property stand out. The photos must show what the property really looks like, and great photography will start the process of helping the prospective buyer or renter to imagine what life might be like for them in that property.

A video my also help to show the flow between the rooms, how they link to each other and how the property fits into the location, and the approach. Buyers will want to try and imagine themselves living there, and it’s the job of the imagery to help them do that.

Many agents try to save money but scrimping on the photography. The clever ones don’t. They invest in great images. Be clever.