ACCESSIBILITY – the ease and convenience with which a property can be entered by customers (Barron’s Dictionary of Real Estate Terms)
It is very important that when you put your home on the market it is accessible to prospective clients. I view accessibility in two different ways:
- Accessibility to view the home online
- Accessibility to personally view the home
ACCESSIBILITY TO VIEW THE HOME ONLINE
It is very important that your home has a strong presence on the internet. According to the National Association of REALTORS 2010 Profile of Home Buyers and Home Sellers, 89% of home buyers begin their real estate search online. In fact most home buyers spend several months viewing homes online and educating themselves about the local real estate market before they purchase a home. There are several important factors of your online presence:
- Does your home/property have photos (multiple photos, not just the front of the home)? Lack of photos will automatically eliminate it as a possibility (unless the home was recently placed on the market). Professional photos are even better! (87% feel property photos are very important*)
- Is your description of the home detailed? It is very important that your description of the home is accurate and detailed. Again where most buyers are trying to educate themselves about areas, home features, etc, the more info the better! (83% feel a detailed description is very important*)
- Does your home have a virtual tour? Virtual tours can have a huge impact for buyers as it allows them to orient themselves in the home. They can figure out how each room flows or fits in with each other. One of my clients almost eliminated a home because it didn’t have a virtual tour. She’s glad she didn’t because she ended up purchasing the home. Virtual tours are very important! (61% feel a virtual tour is very important*)
* National Association of REALTORS 2010 Profile of Home Buyers and Home Sellers
ACCESSIBILITY TO PERSONALLY VIEW THE HOME
I can’t stress enough how important it is to ensure the home is accessible for a prospective buyer when a showing is requested. You NEVER know if you just declined a showing to a perfect buyer for your home. When I work with buyers and we have a hard time accessing a particular listing, they inevitably assume that the Sellers may be difficult to work with if we decide to bring an offer. I must put a side note here that there are times when a showing can not be accommodated, buyers do understand that. If that is the case, maybe offer another time that would work better or if your home won’t be available for longer period, withdraw it from the market. You can always reactive the listing once showings can be accommodated. My point is that every effort should be made to get a potential buyer through the door.
Realtor.com
