What do the top selling agents have in common?

Kyero team member

According to Spanish website elconfidencial.com, international property sales in Spain have almost doubled in the last decade, now representing two in every 10 sales made.

But in that time the profile of these foreign buyers has changed dramatically. At the end of 2007, 35% of international transactions were made by Brits, the largest group of buyers. This has now more than halved to 14%. This may sound concerning but it isn’t all doom and gloom.

Find out what top agents have in common

Far from stagnating, international sales have remained high over the period, buoyed by interest from other countries. Swedish sales, for example, have increased over 700%, Belgians almost 1000% and Italian have increased 400%. There has also been increased interest from China, Morocco and other areas outside of Europe in the last 10 years.

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So what does this mean for you as an agent?

We’ve analysed the performance data of the top performing agents on Kyero.com to identify common characteristics, determine what they are doing well and what can we learn about successfully marketing property to this wider variety of international buyers.

We’ve found five similarities in the profiles of our most successful sellers:

#1: The top performing agents always have detailed descriptions and a high number of photographs

Recent studies have shown that you have less than 8 seconds to capture the attention of a person browsing online.

With such a limited window of opportunity to pique the interest of potential buyers; clearly and comprehensively communicating the attributes of the property through the listing whilst simultaneously selling the Spanish dream and aligning with the lifestyle aspirations of the buyer is paramount.

Buyers may want to check out how spacious the lounge is, whether their oversized table and chairs will fit on the sun terrace, or judge whether there will be room for all three grandchildren to stay in the spare bedroom at one time. By providing as many images and details as possible of all elements of the property, you will enable viewers to decide whether it would give them what they need. They can then proceed to request more information with confidence.

If your listing does not provide the information that a potential buyer is looking for they may well move onto another one that does.

OUR ADVICE: Use detailed descriptions with plenty of images.

 

#2: Top performing agents are 3x more likely to show a property’s energy performance ratings

While displaying energy performance ratings may seem insignificant, the data indicates it’s more important than you might think. If buyers  are working to a tight budget they will want to be sure that they are able to afford the ongoing costs of maintaining and living in the property long term..

Don’t be put off if your property’s energy performance rating is low. Potential buyers may be open to the idea of making home improvements that could ultimately increase its value.

OUR ADVICE: Display your property’s energy performance rating.

 

#3: Top performing agents are more likely to display built/plot sizes

As per finding number 1, giving people as much information as possible is the way to generate good quality leads. While providing plenty of images is useful, available space can sometimes be hard to gauge, depending on how the photos were taken. This is where accurate measurements are valuable. Give viewers a way to compare the size of their current property with the ones they are looking at online.

This is especially important if you are selling a plot. Potential buyers will know exactly what they are looking for, so providing accurate details can help save both their time and yours by ensuring all enquiries are hot leads.

OUR ADVICE: Make it clear how big the property or plot is.

 

#4: Top performing agents are more likely to provide the exact location (or geo-coordinates) of a property

The old adage is true; the three most important factors when buying a home are location, location, location.

Whether the buyer is looking to purchase a property as an investment, holiday home or to relocate – ultimately, location is the most important factor.

Therefore, providing as accurate location information as possible is essential. Many buyers  have a clear idea of whereabouts they want to base their search. Many have fallen in love with particular areas when holidaying and go on to buy property there. And if they are familiar with the region, they may even have narrowed down particular neighbourhoods that they are looking for.  By enabling the buyer to pinpoint where your property is located, you are likely to receive highly qualified enquiries from those that are looking in that specific area.

OUR ADVICE: Make it clear exactly where your property is.

 

#5: Top performing agents use an average of 8.3 different languages for their property descriptions, over double the average number of translations used by other agents

Perhaps this is the most relevant to the changing face of international buyers. The data shows that  listings that are translated into multiple languages generate the most enquiries. By translating property listings into multiple languages you are dramatically increasing the target audience who will see (and understand) your property listings.

OUR ADVICE: Translate your listing into as many different languages as you can.

 

Conclusion

Ultimately, the more information you make available to buyers, the more likely they are to decide a property interests them enough to make an enquiry. Put simply, the way to the new wave of international buyers’ hearts is to produce good quality listings full of useful data and translate them into as many languages as you can.


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