Advanced technology and digital marketing is giving real estate agents new opportunities to provide more thorough, high-quality home views to increase both offers and sales. With all the options out there, you may ask yourself, “Which services are necessary?”
In this post we will be showcasing why you should offer a floor plan to potential buyers. A "build-as" floor plan can be obtained from the architects or builders of your home, but if those are not available, professional real estate photographers may be able to provide "as-built" floor plans in addition to their many other services.
Builder’s floor plans describe what the builder was intending to build (build-as). Changes occur during home construction for many reasons and resulting floor plans may differ from builder's blueprints. Floor plans should describe what was actually built (as-built) and what a real estate agent is selling. It is recommended that after the construction is complete an independent company verifies room dimensions and total square footage as they may differ significantly from the original builder floor plans.
So what are the benefits of showing potential buyers a property’s floor plan?
GET THEIR ATTENTION
In 2013, Rightmove took a survey of buyers, sellers, and landlords on the impact of having (or not having) a floor plan. The results proved the importance of a floor plan, especially in a competitive housing market. This is probably one of the reasons that 1 in 5 buyers would ignore a property listing completely, or only re-visit it if there was nothing else that caught their eye, if a property was without a floorplan.
KEEP THEIR ATTENTION
Photos alone may help to capture a buyer’s attention, but a floor plan will keep their attention for a longer period of time. The more visuals you can provide to buyers, the more time they will spend looking at the listing. Making the effort to obtain a floor plan also sends a message to buyers that you are professional and thorough, and that the homeowners are serious about selling.
BE TRANSPARENT
Pictures can be deceiving. In many ways, this is a good thing, because professional real estate photographers know how to make spaces appear bigger than their actual size by using the best lighting and angles. This can cause a “wow” factor that makes potential buyers sit up and take notice of the listing – it can make it stand out from the crowd.
But you don’t want to give the impression that you are lying to potential buyers, either, and floor plans allow you to provide people with exact dimensions and an honest description about space and sizing. Buyers appreciate this for any number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that they can use those numbers to start designing. In other words, they will know for sure if their favorite couch or a king-sized bed will fit into the rooms of their choice – something that will save both of you time and effort!
FEATURE THE FLOW
The most important distinction between floor plans and photos is a floor plan’s ability to showcase how a buyer will move through a home. With pictures alone, a buyer may be left with questions: What rooms have access to the backyard? How open is the kitchen? Which bedrooms connect to which bathrooms? A floor plan will answer all of those questions and give buyers a better idea of the size, flow, and space within your home.
Quantum Works is a premiere source for professional real estate marketing photos, but we also know that great pictures are just a starting point. In addition to top-quality, photo-only packages, we offer a full range of services for real estate agents – including floor plans measured with a LIDAR laser scanner to create spatial data.
Browse our demo property site with virtual and 3D tours, floor plans, and advanced home showcases to see what will work best for your clients, then get in contact with us to make sure you’re using every tool at your disposal to bolster sales.
