8 Techy Trends You Can’t Afford to Ignore

In 2018, it’s hard to imagine a time when we didn’t rely on technology to complete most of our daily tasks. But it wasn’t that long ago when the term “tech” referred to someone who worked in the little-known field of data processing. The good news is that technology today makes life easier on many fronts – including improving our chances for finding the right home to buy and/or selling the one we already have.

A National Association of Realtors survey shows that 89 percent of buyers use online tools in their home searches. So, to sell your home with ease, make sure your realtor and you team up to use as much great tech as you can.

8 Tech-Related Real Estate Trends

1. Professional Pics

Cellphone snapshots are all the rage for Facebook status updates. But, when it comes to putting your best foot forward in real estate, you need to invest in professional photography. Today’s buyers search online using tablets, smartphones and computers, all of which appear in high resolution. So, make sure your house looks great. You could use technology to book a professional photographer. But why not, instead, use it to find a real estate agent who has connections, like Candace Cantu’ McGloinof Keller Williams Redlands?

2. Maps

Maps on agents websites, real estate portals, local property appraiser websites and Google Earth empower buyers, regardless of their current geographical location. Why limit buyers to people who live in your current zip code? Make sure your agent checks your home’s online listing to make sure information is up to date. This will enable prospects to see the neighborhood for a home they’re considering.

3. Drones

Used by companies to take aerial photos of large properties and expensive homes which feature views, these flying robots provide a bird’s eye view. This is perfect for any buyer who doesn’t have access to a private plane or a parasail.

4. Virtual Tours  

Show buyers how your home’s rooms are connected. A great way to do that is with an interactive floor plan. With this type of technology, you can provide one step better than a slideshow. Prospects can walk through the home before they arrive on your doorstep. This will help eliminate lookiloos and pre-qualify interested parties. Doing a “walk through” with this type of video enables buyers to see the home the way they would if they could physically tour it. To see one of my listings in Redlands, click on this link for a virtual tour.

5. YouTube 

Today’s real estate videos go beyond virtual tours of empty homes that were all too common in this technology’s infancy. Today’s videos feature narration, music and active people enjoying property features. Ask your agent if he or she plans to film your home and upload a keyword-tagged video to YouTube.

6. E Docs

You could potentially view and sign applications and loan documents online or through an app. Using virtual signatures saves trees as well as time. Although no substitute for final documents, several stages can be eliminated by using helpful electronic versions of documents that used to require face-to-face meetings.

7. Social Media

Are you making use of this powerful marketing tool? Social media is a great avenue for sharing homes for sale. Facebook is a powerful tactic to help homes sell fast.Since most buyers admit to using online tools in their home searches, you can’t afford to work with an agent who doesn’t utilize the tools herself. We post new listings on Twitter, Google⁺and Facebook and on traditional real estate mediums such as MLS. Work with a social media-savvy real estate agent so you will be positioned to sell your home. Facebook constantly changes algorithms, relative to which material shows up on people’s feeds. If you hire someone who doesn’t understand or use social media themselves, they won’t be able to help you make the most of these platforms.

8. Apps

Millennials tend to look at listings on their smartphones while waiting for their kids to get out of school, while watching television and in waiting rooms, such as the doctor’s office. Apps designed especially for this purpose are performing better than ever. Every major real estate portal offers an app, as do many real estate brokerage firms, including Keller Williams. With so many buyers searching for homes on mobile devices, sellers need to make sure their listing looks great on a smartphones and tablets. Your listing should feature great photos, using a high-resolution camera, because that translates best to mobile.  In January 2018, home buyers viewed 600 million homes on Zillow’s mobile app. That is 223 homes per second.

About The “Queen of Sunset Hills”Real Estate Candace Cantu McGloin

If you are looking for a tech-savvy attentive real estate agent to list your home or help you search for a new one, look no further than Redlands’ Keller Williams’ agent, Candace Cantu McGloin. Known as the Queen of Sunset Hills Real Estate, McGloin is qualified and willing to help home buyers and sellers across Southern California any season of the year. A long-time Redlands resident, she specializes in the cities of Redlands, Highland, Yucaipa, Grand Terrace, and Loma Linda but has done transactions both on the buying and selling side throughout Southern California. To learn more about real estate in Redlands or elsewhere in the Inland Empire, call Candace directly at (951) 201-2443.