Selling Real Estate – Internet or Print?

Published by julia | Filed under Buyer / Seller Tips, Miscellaneous, Real Estate, Shout Outs, Uncategorized

When selling a home in a market where the listings exceed the buyers, there is a very real choice to be made – do you sell via the Internet, print or both. Some real estate agents try to cut the cost of listings by selling only on the Internet, but does that prevent the less computer savvy customer from finding the home?

The Internet real estate listing and the print real estate listing each have their own pros and cons. When a listing is posted on the Internet, it provides an easier method of searching for the home and finding pictures that can be the selling point, or at least the viewing point, of the home. The print listing is often limited to a black and white photo unless the real estate agent, or seller, is willing to fork out a bunch of money for a color listing.

On the flip side of the coin, the print ad remains the most popular choice in finding real estate. This is because the print publication can be viewed anywhere and is often part of the daily newspaper that so many people read over their morning coffee. Internet ads require a computer and Internet access and that is simply not as mobile as a newspaper.

Going back to the Internet listing, the ability to narrow down listings based on specific criteria is truly the reason why so many people use these listings. If a potential buyer wants to look at 5 BR homes only, they simply have to filter out all the rest of the listings and look at the homes that fit their needs. The print publication does not have that ability.

At the end of the day, the Internet listing provides a solid source for open to buy real estate. The listings can be added at any time of the day and are constantly refreshing based on sales and removed listings. By the time the print ad is distributed, the home could have already sold thanks to a dual listing on the Internet.

In today’s real estate market, the best option is both Internet and print ad. If for no other reason, the real estate agent can keep a copy of the print ad and frame it as a gift to the buyer when the home sale is final. Maybe print ads are moving into the realm of nostalgic rather than useful.