If you are reading this text, there’s a high chance you work in the real estate market, and most probably your day-to-day job involves selling or renting properties.
Let me start with two questions:
- Do you add a floor plan to every advert? If your answer is no, it’s time to change strategy and read out what I’m about to tell you.
- Do you use furnished floor plans with a specific design created by marketing experts, or you just upload your existing or architectural floor plans in black and white? If you picked the second option, make note of the unvaluable tips I am about to reveal.
Statistics are great. Why? They tell you what PEOPLE think and want. You may have an idea or an opinion, but do numbers agree with it? Let me show you something first (Statistics from Rightmove):
- 87% of the times sight is the sense that pilots our motivations for action
- 42 % of sellers won’t hire an agent if they don’t offer floor plans
- 64% of home buyers are interested in viewing floor plans
- A listing including a floor plan can reduce time on the market by 50%
And also:
- 1 in 5 buyers will ignore a listing if it does not include a floor plan
- 1 in 10 buyers won’t even arrange a viewing if they don’t see a floor plan first
Mind-blowing, isn’t it? You can guess the first and most important tip:
1. Buyers want to see floor plans before visiting a property
Photos are great and can convey a great amount of information. But a floor plan can reveal the number of bedrooms and bathrooms of a property and show size and location of these rooms. In a digital age, not many buyers would visit a property to obtain this information. Instead, they expect to make their initial judgment about the suitability of a home’s layout ahead of time. And what you display on your listing is crucial for their initial judgement.
Floor plans can easily explain the circulation, floor area calculation, space specification and space planning. Also, customers love to use floor plans and sketch on furniture. That’s almost impossible for them using just photos.
A floor plan can give buyers the information they need to make an offer, not just taking your listing into consideration.
2. Floor plans design must be clear and understandable for everybody
I am sure you have a pretty clear understanding of buildings, that’s important for a real estate expert. But what about your potential buyers?
They may be writers, bankers, gardeners, bakers, programmers, and so on… Some of them might struggle reading an architectural floor plan. The biggest difficulty is in understanding how big a room is: written dimensions can surely help, but not everybody finds it easy to visualize 15 square meters or a 3.45 meters long wall.
What is the easiest and most immediate tool that you can use to overcome this issue?
FURNITURE. Let me explain this to you:
Wardrobes size can vary slightly but we can all imagine an average depth or length of wardrobe. The same goes to beds, chairs, kitchen units…
A furnished floor plan makes all the spaces inside a property immediately recognizable. In this way, potential buyers can clearly verify the exact size of the rooms and imagine their future use.
Furniture is an essential feature as it gives an immediate idea of the proportions and the size of a room.
Thanks to floor plans design a young couple can start imagining life inside the property. Or entrepreneurs can start organising the layout of future offices. Or two sisters planning to open their dream bistrot in town, can visualize how many tables can fit in the space and understand if that’s the right fit for their businesses.
Adding furniture, floor plans evolve from an informational tool into a marketing device. They tell potential buyers what they need to know.
3. Not just drawings: you are dealing with emotions!
We talked about dreams, imagination. Aren’t these words connected to feelings, emotions? And aren’t purchases strongly driven by them?
Is the living room big enough to fit their much-loved sofa? Can they fit a dream walk-in wardrobe in the bedroom? Will there be a room with enough space for their newborn baby? Not only furnished floor plans can answer these questions, but also can create a first strong attachment to the property. Imagination and dreams about the future play a massive role in the decision-making process. It isn’t clearly just a matter of costs!
Don’t underestimate this emotional attachment: buyers can be inspired in making an offer, or even pay more to make sure they get the property!
Emotions can also be triggered by the look of something. Why some people cry while looking at a painting of Botticelli? Because we perceive up to 80 per cent of all impressions by means of our sight. And watching something we consider beautiful can stimulate this sense and move feelings.
Of course you don’t need Botticelli for floor plans design, but it goes without saying: an unpleasant, gaunt or technical floorplan can’t really get you butterflies in your stomach!
A well-drawn plan – harmonious, properly furnished and rightly proportioned – will attract more buyers as they will perceive the property as more fascinating increasing their perceived value. This is the first point of attraction to the property.
4. A package of benefits with “just a picture”
We have seen that furnished floor plans will clearly benefit your business, but let’s check all advantages offered by simply adding furnished floor plans to your listings:
- Exponential increase in clicks on real estate ads and increase the acquisition of new customers,
- Add them to all your properties and your personal brand will look stronger. Consistency is at the basics of branding. It will show how valid and professional you are in your field.
- They indirectly increase the value of the properties in your listings, by showing all their potential.
- You can offer a great extra service to your clients, with minimum effort: suggest ideas of renovation or small internal changes
- Renewal of expiring assignments: if you are about to renew a contract with clients whose property is taking a bit too long to be sold, show them you bring new solutions to the table by adjusting your strategies. You will the appointed person for the job (and future jobs too)!
- You can PRINT them, and use them for:
- Your display window. Remember, people are attracted by pretty pictures!
- Brochures that you can take to the property viewings and leave to clients. A well-made brochure represents a powerful physical media that can blow away the competition and make you stand out from the rest.
- Framed: what about if you hang it at the entrance of the property? It will act as a “treasure map” with that extra wow effect!
Surprised about the great amount of benefits with just a single floor plan? Now you just need to find someone who can provide this service.
5. Always rely on experts!
Many people or companies try or have tried floor plans design. Architectural studios, designers, DIY software, and so on.
When looking for a provider, ask yourself these questions:
- Experience: how long have they been on the market? Are they specialized in this?
- Professionals: know who draws your floor plans. Architects specialized in Real estate marketing are the “go-to” choice.
- Speed: time is money! Is the company fast enough in processing and delivering your orders?
- Up to date: is the company keeping upgrading and growing?
- Easy processes: Is it user friendly? Can it be integrated your CRM software?
- Communication: Does it need minimal and light communication, or do you need to make long phone calls or write emails every time you place an order?
Total Render can answer a big fat YES to all six questions.
With its team of 25 architects, Total Render works with Real Estate agencies since 2015, and is partner of national and international Real Estate brands. Among the years the company has seen a constant and organic increase, with the latest news the opening to the international market.
The specialized team of Total Render can deliver eye-catching and functional floor plans in 24/48h. The team constantly research the best marketing strategies and always keeps an eye on trends and updates in the property market.
Total Render has developed a simple and user-friendly software where agents can place orders by a few clicks.
So, what are you waiting for?