What To Do About Christmas Decorations?
Simon Thomas • November 22, 2022
Don't let the fairy lights lose you listings!
Nobody wants their property listing dated by Christmas decorations or other seasonal giveaways, so how can you keep new instructions flowing in the lead up to Santa’s visit?
A well decorated home can look lovely in the days & weeks before & shortly after the big day, so the tinsel only really becomes a problem if no sale is agreed as January progresses. To get over the issue we’re implementing our January refresh again this year, when any festive homes we film or photograph during December can get a free refresh if they’re still on the market 3 weeks into January.
How will this work in practice?
- Reassure any vendors you speak to in December that, in the unlikely event you don’t generate a timely sale for them, you’ll arrange for a marketing refresh, including new photos and/or a video tour once the decorations are back in storage and the January market starts to develop.
- Continue listing properties throughout December, including arranging for us to film & photograph them
- If any of your December listed properties remain unsold after 20th January, get in touch & we’ll arrange a new visit and update your video/photos without further charge
Send any orders over in the usual way, or email justask@iviewproperty.tv or give us a call if you're thinking of trying us out for the first time.
iViewProperty News
"A video tour of a property will reach a wider audience "
Proactive estate agency is key to securing a sale
If you've read part 1 of this blog you'll be aware that the people who know most about consumer engagement (social media companies like Facebook & Twitter) are increasing their use of video because they've found it's what we like to watch and engage with, and what your local market prefers. So you should be using video to market your properties, but what should you consider when filming your own, or looking for a supplier to produce video tours that buyers will watch? As in part 1, we keep coming back to engagement - will potential buyers watch (enough of) your video? Too slow/long and viewers will very quickly switch off (we’re much less patient than we used to be). On the other hand, your video has got to show enough of the property so that they have a good ‘feel’ for it, and can decide whether they want to move on to the next stage & arrange to visit the property with you. Spending more time focusing on important areas whilst moving more quickly in the hall or going up the stairs etc. is generally a good rule. The next point to consider is more complex. You want the video to be ‘easy’ for the viewer to watch. You might ask how hard can watching a video tour really be? But if you feel like you’re about to walk into walls whilst swinging left & right, and permanently looking at the floor, as is the case with many DIY property videos, you’ll see what we mean. Filming watchable property videos is a skill that must be developed over time. How will you know if viewers are finding your videos engaging? The best way to check is looking at the average viewing time for each video … how long are people watching for? It’s easy to find this on hosting platforms like Vimeo & YouTube, but what sort of figure should you expect? Around 75% is a good target - much less than that is a sign that viewers are switching off too early. Assuming that you’re distributing your videos via the right channels … your website / property platforms / to your matched applicants list etc. you should really be getting close to this figure. (It’s worth uploading video tours to social channels too, but those aren’t targeted views, so don’t expect the same average watch time). It is possible for estate agents to film video tours to a standard that viewers will watch, but for many it’s a skill that takes too long to master in the first place, and too much out of your day to film/edit/distribute etc, when you should be winning instructions & selling homes.