Virtual real estate captures new generation of property buyers

“In the past, people selling their homes were advised to bake scones and put on the coffee pot so potential buyers would feel instantly welcome, but that only works if they enter your home in the first place,” Bayne says.

Now that people can browse around thousands of properties without stepping foot out of their own home, presentation on the Internet is all-important.

“A growing number of homebuyers will purchase a property without even visiting it. This is a surprising development, because the Internet cannot convey the feel and the ambience of a home,” Bayne observes.

Bayne’s study, which was carried out as part of her masters degree in Commerce, found that people who search the net actually take longer to buy a house and visit more open homes on average than those who don’t.

“This is partly because they have access to far more options, but it is also because surfing the net has become a recreational activity for many people.”

Bayne says people aren’t just looking for a home on the net, they are looking for entertainment.

“Sites that are interactive and fun to surf are creating a new generation of virtual real estate shoppers,” she explains.

Bayne says people no longer view the web as a convenient source of information – buyers want to lose themselves in the browsing experience.

“Smart real estate companies respond to this opportunity by making their sites interactive and entertaining.”