| Virtual Tours |
Virtual tours allow potential buyers to gain a better understanding of the look and feel of the interior of your property and are a useful tool in encouraging potential buyers to make contact.
Criteria for GOOD rating
Virtual tours are included in the minimum quoted price.
Criteria for AVERAGE rating
Virtual tours are available for an additional cost.
Criteria for POOR rating
Virtual tours are not offered. |
| Floor Plans |
Floor plans provide potential buyers with a clearer understanding of the layout of your property and it's suitability for their purposes. Floor plans are being used more and more by both Estate agents and private property sellers due to the help they provide in closing a sale.
Criteria for GOOD rating
The production of floor plans is available in the minimum listed price.
Criteria for AVERAGE rating
Floor plans can be produced at an additional cost.
Criteria for POOR rating
The site does not offer a floor plan service. |
| Maximum number of photos |
The photographs included on your property advert will be one of the biggest selling points of your property. It is therefore vital to be able to include enough photographs to show not only the exterior of your property and each room, but also the garden and all original features, views and other selling points of your house.
Where sites charge for additional photos, the maximum we are using is the number included in the price quoted.
Criteria for GOOD rating
20 + Maximum photos
Criteria for AVERAGE rating
11 - 20 Maximum Photos
Criteria for POOR rating
10 or less photos allowed |
| Professional Photographs |
With photos being such a vital part of your online advert, the option to have the photographs taken professionally is a useful one.
Not only will a professional photographer produce a better quality of image, but they will also know what features of your property are more likely to attract buyers.
Criteria for GOOD rating
Professional photographs included in the minimum package price.
Criteria for AVERAGE rating
Professional photographs available for an extra charge.
Criteria for POOR rating
No professional photography service is offered. |
| Direct URL |
A direct URL is a web address that is specific to your property. Having a direct URL for your property means that you can maximise the exposure of your advert by including the address in offline promotion such as a card in the newsagents window, your own local newspaper advert and the like.
This combination of local offline advertising and your online advert can be very effective as it allows a very small advert to provide full information.
Criteria for GOOD rating
A short direct URL (less than 20 characters) is provided.
Criteria for AVERAGE rating
A Direct URL is provided, but it is over 20 characters.
Criteria for POOR rating
No direct URL is provided, without adding variables to the URL or none at all. |
| Image Clarity |
Having lots of photos is all well and good, but if they are presented too small or compressed so much that the image appears poor then they are not going to be as effective in attracting buyers.
We've looked at both the physical size of the image and the quality that it is displayed at. As quality is difficult to measure we have only marked down on this point in cases where the images are exceptionally poor.
Criteria for GOOD rating
Large, clear images displayed on the site at a minimum of 300 along largest size.
Criteria for AVERAGE rating
Clear images displayed at a size of at least 200 pixels along the largest edge.
Criteria for POOR rating
Small (under 200 pixels) or unclear images. |
| Printable property details |
When buyers find a property they are interested in they will often print the details either to refer back to themselves or to show to other family members. It is therefore important that details are presented in a clear and printable form.
Criteria for GOOD rating
Separate, print formatted, details of the property are available either by post or for the buyer to print themselves.
Criteria for AVERAGE rating
No separate print version of details is supplied, but main details print adequately on a single page.
Criteria for POOR rating
No separate print version of details is provided and main copy not formatted for printing. |
| Competing Adverts |
When potential buyers are looking at your property online you want their focus to be on the details of you property. If your property details share a page with other advertising then you are having to compete for the attention of the buyer and the page is not dedicated to getting you the enquiry.
Criteria for GOOD rating
Property detail pages contain no external advertising.
Criteria for AVERAGE rating
Property details pages contain minimal external advertising (1x standard banner at 468*60 or 2 buttons at 120*60)
Criteria for POOR rating
Property details include considerable external advertising. |
| Advert Duration |
Once your advert is live you want it to stay that way until your property is solved, even if that takes a while in a slow market.
Different sites will run adverts for different durations before removing them.
Criteria for GOOD rating
Your property details remain on site until the property is sold.
Criteria for AVERAGE rating
Details remain on site for 3 months or more without having to pay to renew.
Criteria for POOR rating
Details remain on site for less than 3 months before requiring paid renewal. |
| Maximum words |
The description you provide of your property should not only provide the basic information, but also gain the interest of the buyer and answer questions that they have. Remember: There will not be an estate agent on hand to answer these points.
It's important that whatever service you choose allows you to provide as much information as possible about your property. We have therefore checked whether each site limits the length of property descriptions.
Criteria for GOOD rating
Description length not limited
Criteria for AVERAGE rating
Description length limited
Criteria for POOR rating
Description length limited to a length under 1000 words |
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Conclusions
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