One lasting benefit of the pandemic is the way it has made digital communication more commonplace when interacting with clients. Our buyers and sellers no longer see it as ancillary to the transaction process, but expect it as part of the way we do business. But instead of resting easy with what we do already, now is the time to bring more digital tools into our wheelhouse.
Agents used to worry that clients would get too overwhelmed if we gave them too much information all at once. But the past year has brought an increase in online interactions and has raised the threshold for what clients are used to receiving in digital formats—not just from real estate agents, but professionals in most other industries with whom they interact. That means we should take the opportunity to add more than just photos, video tours and a description of the home when we are interacting with serious buyers or their agents.
At DocuWalk, we built our platform so it would be easy to include everything from the property survey to a home inspection report all in one package. This approach, which consists of providing more information, increases the opportunities for lines of communication since there is more room to highlight the specific features the buyer is interested in.
For example, I recently worked with a buyer who wanted a home where the neighbors wouldn’t be allowed to build right up against the property line. By including a survey in the initial marketing package, I was able to show them how the floodplain prevented neighbors from being able to do that. This created a way to continue the conversation with the buyer about the reasons why the home would be a good fit for them, rather than having them quickly dismiss the property since other houses in the neighborhood were built up as far as could be.
On the selling side, I was recently able to sign a listing agreement with the sellers of a luxury property by showing them the extensive marketing package I put together with background information on the workmanship of the renovations they had completed. This appealed to their pride of ownership and demonstrated that I was invested in finding buyers who would treat the property with the care and attention it deserved.
Digital marketing and communication have become the norm thanks to the pandemic, but instead of sitting back and being happy with the tools we already use, we need to find more ways to show our value to clients. By expanding our digital marketing, we create more possibilities for gaining their attention as well as more openings for matching their specific wants and needs. Given the new digital normal, we don’t need to worry about digital overload.
Allen Alishahi is president of ShelterZoom, the technology company behind DocuWalk. For more information, please visit www.docuwalk.com.
