Phil Spencer: Respect Customers and Keep Them In the ...

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02 September 2022

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By Phil Spencer

Founder, Move iQ

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Phil Spencer: Respect Customers and Keep Them In the Picture

I came across something which genuinely shocked me the other day.

It was research showing that 1.7 per cent of homes listed on major property portals had no photograph, and usually instead had the phrase ‘image coming soon’. That’s about one home in every 60 listed.

Breakdown the research further and you find that in some areas of the country one home in every 35 listed for sale had that same statement and no photographs whatsoever.

OK, so the research was done by a company which specialises in virtual tours. But this isn’t a case of “They would say that wouldn’t they?” I did some random research and those figures feel about right. Spend a few minutes spooling through Rightmove or Zoopla and you really do find more than a few listings with no photographs at all!

What’s The Problem?

In an age when almost every mobile phone can take photographs and videos of a quality unthinkable just a decade ago, I have to ask why a few agents - and thankfully they are only a few - feel they can market properties without any imagery.

In some cases the issue could be technical. If the file size of a professionally-taken image is too big, it could be rejected by portals in which case agents could use free online tools to compress the images while maintaining the quality and making them usable by portals.

Either way, I believe it’s vital to have good images on agent websites and portals alike.

The same applies to virtual tours - the generic name given to short videos of properties.

There are specialist firms with professional cameras but, again, it’s possible for an agent to create at least a basic video. Yet separate recent research showed that only one home in 25 listed had a virtual tour when listed on the portals.

Floorplans, although much more common, are by no means standard on property listings. There have been hints from trade bodies and consumer groups that this may change soon - floorplans may be deemed ‘material information’ and could one day become a mandatory element of property listings. But for the moment they are on some listings, but not most.

Respect For Customers

I’m not just moaning about ‘nice to have’ features here, but I really believe these are key for agents to win more business and create a fabulous reputation by respecting customers.

Sellers want to see their homes presented to the highest possible quality, and even if that was not so important earlier this year when demand was red hot, it will be much more helpful this autumn and winter when the signs are the market will cool quite a bit.

Meanwhile buyers - despite not paying the sale agents - need to know what properties look like, how a home feels when they ‘walk through’ on video, and they require a good sense of the floorspace and room layout that a floorplan can provide.

Communications - not just what, but how

It’s well known that many gripes about agents from the public concern communications, but I know from talking to consumers and agents alike that it’s not just what is and isn’t communicated between parties - it’s how that communication is done.

Plenty of younger customers want WhatsApp messages or texts - not emails or phone calls. Busy buyers who work all week want agents to be open and staging viewings on weekends, not just weekdays.

Some agents do these things but many (most I suspect) still don’t. Flexibility and willingness to offer those things to the public marks an agent out as going the extra mile for business. It’s a good look for an agency and a good look for our industry as a whole .

Great for customers - but what’s in it for agents?

I’m genuinely not being critical of agents who have not offered all of these features in the past. Technology and consumer demands have changed fast, accelerated by the unexpected revolution caused by Covid.

We’ve all had to learn to adapt what we do and how we do it. But I’m sure providing these features will really pay dividends for agents.

They will be seen as ‘best in class’ to both vendors and purchasers and will win long-term support from buyers who in years to come become sellers.

In the shorter term, I judge that properties will sell quicker and may even get a better sale price if the listings encourage more purchasers to shortlist them, pay an in-person visit and slap in an offer.

Making the best of the current uncertainty

Sales market stats show demand dipping as autumn commences, and supply moving up. A quieter time than we’ve had recently may be just the ideal opportunity to upgrade how we do property listings and communications to impress future customers even more.

Good luck - and here’s to a successful autumn, despite the economic challenges.

*Phil Spencer is a presenter, author, businessman and property investor. Phil’s consumer advice platform Move iQ, is a website, YouTube channel and podcast. Each preserve and reflect the same impartiality that consumers trust and base their property moving plans.

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- charlotte Jeffrey- campbell
- 02 September 2022 08:45 AM
It’s important service standards are set by an agent. And that teams are well trained in customer service and communication.
janet byers

02 September 2022 08:46 AM
Not much training required it is commonsense
Just pick up a phone and ring people and tell them what is happening
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- Algarve Investor
- 02 September 2022 09:21 AM
Agree completely that it's utterly wrong for listings to appear on the portals without any images. It's the complete opposite to transparency and is something NTSELAT should be working on to eradicate. But it's the portals who need to pull their finger out first and foremost.

If we want a better home buying and selling process and PRS, let's start with actually giving consumers true transparency when it comes to look of the home they are looking to buy or rent. That also goes for images which have clearly been doctored/jazzed-up/Instagrammed to within an inch of their life.