As an estate agent it’s likely that at some point you’ve considered whether or not you should remove sold properties from your estate agency website. In this article we’ll be considering which unique factors you should consider, along with the general pros and cons of displaying these properties.
If you do decide to display your completed properties, we’ve also added some great tips to help you make the most of this experience and minimise the cons!
How do I decide whether to display sold properties on my website?
Perhaps you’ve wondered what your competitors are doing or what is industry standard? Well, there really is no right or wrong approach that dictates what you should display. This is because what works for one agent might not work for another.
So, when first considering whether you should display properties, consider the factors unique to your agency such as your target audience or your business strategy.
Think about the expectations of your target audience
If you’re an agent selling exclusive multi-million pound properties, it’s likely that your buyers would prefer privacy and don’t want the sale price of their property showcased on your website. In this case the expectations of your target audience would be your main concern and you would choose to prioritise this factor above using completed properties as a marketing tool.
Align with your business strategy
If however you’re a start-up agency targeting a more mainstream market, your business strategy probably centers around marketing yourself as broadly as possible. In this case, you’re likely to be ploughing a lot of effort into your marketing and retaining sold properties on your website could provide a great credibility boost.
What are the pros of keeping sold properties on my website?
Transparency: Keeping completed properties visible on your website demonstrates transparency and shows potential clients the success of your agency. It can build trust with potential buyers and sellers, as they can see real examples of your past transactions.
Market Knowledge: Sold property listings can serve as a valuable resource for potential clients who are researching the market. They can see historical data on property sales, which can help them make informed decisions.
SEO Benefits: Having a comprehensive database of properties, including sold ones, can improve your website’s search engine optimisation (SEO). More content on your site can attract organic traffic and improve your site’s ranking in search results.
Lead Generation: Sold listings can generate leads from buyers and sellers interested in similar properties or looking for your services. It can help you capture potential clients who may enquire about other available properties.
Competitive Advantage: Displaying a record of successful sales can set your agency apart from competitors. It showcases your expertise and track record in the real estate market.
Content for Newsletters and Marketing: Sold listings can be used as content for newsletters, email marketing campaigns, and social media posts. They can help you stay engaged with your audience and nurture leads.
What are the cons of keeping sold properties on my website?
Outdated Information: Keeping completed properties on your website can lead to outdated information. This can frustrate visitors who are looking for currently available properties and might lead to a negative user experience.
Confusion: Visitors may become confused when they see properties listed as available, only to find out they have already been sold. This can lead to disappointment and a loss of trust in your website’s accuracy.
Privacy Concerns: Some property owners may have privacy concerns about their sold properties being displayed online, especially if they’re high-profile clients or if the sale price is disclosed.
Cluttered Website: If not organized properly, a website with too many sold listings can become cluttered and make it challenging for visitors to find relevant information on available properties.
Server and Database Load: Over time, a large number of sold listings can increase the load on your website’s server and database, potentially affecting performance.
Limited Space for New Listings: If you have a limited amount of space on your website, maintaining sold listings may mean sacrificing space for showcasing new and current listings.
So, what now?
We’ve looked at the pros and cons of displaying sold properties and discussed the unique factors you should consider when deciding whether to display completed properties.
After considering the pros, we found it was hard to ignore the wealth of benefits that comes from keeping sold properties on your website. Moreover, when reviewing the disadvantages of retaining sold properties on your website, we discovered that we could offer solutions for the majority of them.
As a result, here’s our guidance on how to effectively showcase sold properties.
How can I display sold properties effectively?
Clearly flag the property as sold:
Ensure that your properties are marked as sold and keep these clearly separated from your on market properties. Many agents create a separate page and maintain a sold gallery, which works well.
Limited the number of properties and the time you keep them for:
Be strict about which completed properties you keep and set a time frame for maintaining them on your site. Without this regulation you run the risk of your website being cluttered and presenting more sold properties than on market ones.
Hide the price:
If needed, you could combat the privacy issue by removing the price from a listing when the property has been sold. Do however make sure to remain sensitive to your buyer’s needs and be prepared to remove a property completely if requested to do so.
Remove the option to enquire and book a viewing on a completed property:
Don’t allow a potential buyer to book a viewing or enquire on a property that isn’t available. It’s frustrating and won’t help you earn their trust.
Add links to similar properties:
Use sold properties to point your buyers in the direction of similar properties that they may like. This valuable marketing strategy also provides a great user experience for your buyers.
Add a sign up link to your mailing list:
Above we spoke about removing enquiry and booking options on sold properties. That doesn’t mean that you can’t request a sign up to your mailing list for similar properties in the future. Providing you’ve been transparent by clearly marking a property as sold, there’s no issue with encouraging sign ups to your mailing list.
Show a range of properties:
Broadcast a range of properties of different price brackets to ensure that you appeal to a wide audience of prospective buyers. Don’t simply showcase your most premium properties.
Conclusion
We hope that the above tips have helped you decide whether displaying completed properties on your estate agency website aligns with your business objectives. Personally, we feel that the pros outweigh the cons if executed correctly.
