What Do Buyers Search For On Property Portals?

Vendors need to know what buyers are looking for in a property, and search terms are a fantastic starting point when presenting your house to the market.

Selling your home can be a strenuous activity, but there are ways you can make the process easier. Even though you’ll have aims and ambitions when it comes to selling your home, it would serve you better to consider the needs of the buyer. When you know what a buyer wants to see at your house, you can present your home more effectively.

Yes, your home will have features that help it stand out. It is also essential that you present your home in a manner that appeals to as many likely buyers as possible. However, none of these things detracts from the importance of knowing what buyers search for when they look for a property. It is vital to be in front of buyers when they look at property listings, and thanks to a leading online property portal, vendors have greater insight into what buyers need.

Buyers want to narrow their search

For the past year, Rightmove has offered buyers a keyword search facility on site. Buyers have been able to set pricing, location and size parameters when reviewing houses. This helps to narrow a buyer’s search, ensuring they only find relevant properties. However, the addition of a keyword search term has allowed buyers to dig deeper into the available property, helping them to save time while enhancing their search activities.

According to Rightmove, the Top 5 search terms used by buyers in the past year are:

1. Garage

2. Annexe

3. Acre

4. Garden

5. Detached

If you look at your home and you know you don’t have a garage, an annexe, a garden and you certainly don’t have an acre of space or live in a detached property, don’t worry. Yes, buyers want to see these features, that is why they put them into the search facility. However, thinking about these terms more broadly, it is clear buyers are looking for space.

You shouldn’t need to be told buyers want to find more space at the property, but this is a critical reminder. Whatever you do, when presenting your home, make sure you clean and declutter your house to the highest possible standard. If you have to utilise self-storage solutions to create more space and take away personal items at home, do so. It is vital you make the best impact and space helps you achieve this.

Looking to carry out home improvements?

Any homeowner considering home improvement options before placing their house onto the market should also use these answers as a guideline. Given that buyers want to see an annexe or a garage give them what they want! You shouldn’t state these features in your listing if they aren’t present, but this doesn’t mean you cannot add them to your property.

Miles Shipside is the Property Expert for Rightmove, and he said; “Conventional wisdom points to the fact that garages are still valued by buyers and that’s because they have so much potential. They’re great for storage and can also be converted into living space. Regarding annexes, some families are seeing the opportunity of running one larger property rather than two. An annexe for a teenager has its benefits as it offers space, responsibility and independence as they have their quarters and keeps their noise at a distance from their parents. Of course, there is also the option of gaining a rental income by letting the annexe out, but I’d advise seeking all the appropriate guidance regarding tax and tenancies first.”

If you want to present your home in the best way, rely on Ariston Property, and we will do what we can to help you connect with buyers.