No matter how hot your neighborhood is or how appealing your home is, HGTV’s Lyndsay Lamb is right — hitting the “list” button isn’t enough, and your home likely won’t sell unless it’s presented well. The secret to successful home selling lies in knowing how to make your home attractive to buyers, but if your online presentation is lacking and buyers can’t see how attractive your home truly is, it can’t capture their attention. A 2021 study found that 97% of all homebuyers use the internet to find homes (via The National Association of Realtors). So as important as open houses are, your online listing is of foremost importance, as it’s probably the first place buyers will encounter your home.
To follow up on her sister’s comments, Leslie Davis drives home the importance of an online listing and says, “Especially in today’s day and age, everybody is making their decision online and often on their phone, which is this tiny little screen to make a decision with, in a split second,” via an interview with The List. “And if you don’t get that consumer, get that buyer interested in your property in those first 20 seconds, they’re going to move on to the next property. So you have a very short amount of time to get them interested.” While there are many crucial elements to an online home listing, the most important aspects are undoubtedly attractive professional photography and an accurate, well-written, detailed listing description.