Hilton Head Real Estate Investors Blog

MYTH 1: I’ll use the Internet to sell your property.

The National Association of Realtors estimates that over 80% of consumers looking to buy real estate are turning to the Internet.  People hoping to sell their property might assume that using a broker with a website can help make a sale happen, but unless that site is seen by the search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc., it’s not going to be noticed by this ever-increasing audience.  Look beyond an agent’s well-designed home page to figure that out. You need to type in key word phrases used by prospective buyers to make sure what they say is true.

One common mistake many agents/brokers make is that they can’t keep their websites current with their local MLS and they continue posting houses that have been sold.  While the mistake can arise from simple failure to update transactions in a timely manner, potential buyers think it's a bait-and-switch-style ploy. It brings people in, but it gets consumers upset when they find out that the property's been sold or taken off the market. "If an agent continues advertising properties that are already sold, it tells you he doesn't keep up with his own market.”

As a seller you need to check on a site's prominently placed listings.  Prospective sellers should also make sure that the site is easy to navigate for potential buyers. Charlene Neste, broker with the Neste Realty Group, says, "You want to use a broker who keeps herself/ himself high on the search engine rankings.  We have a full-time team for our www.HiltonHeadRealEstateS.com site, whose mission is to do this constantly. Others need an outside professional search engine optimizations company to make sure it happens for their sites.”

I also believe in helping our customers get as much information as possible,” she continues. “One of the important features brokers should have on their sites is community data - schools, recreation facilities, churches, localized maps of each area, etc.  We believe strongly that an educated consumer is our best consumer!  If they’re looking to relocate, all this information will attract people who are moving to the community."