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How to turn ‘Digital Visitors’ into Real-Estate Residents

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How do developers build a lasting and genuine relationship with customers who view property from behind a screen? 

The housing market is increasingly seeing a rise in the ‘digital visitor’. This individual is interested in buying a house, but expects every step of the journey to be in a rich digital environment. For these digital visitors to become ‘digital residents’ i.e. to exchange data, interest and engagement, we need to earn their trust and permission.

But first, what is a digital visitor? And a digital resident?

A digital visitor is initially incognito. They want to browse, undisturbed and untracked, seeking out precise information on a property. Then if persuaded by a truy digital first marketing approach, they’ll engage and exchange details. 

At EyeSiteView, we use property marketing tools such as active site plans, virtual tours, product configurators, digital brochures and more to build an emotional connection with the digital visitor. This retains customers from the first inquiry, through to the first house visit, to signing on the dotted line. 

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Why do we need to understand the digital visitor now? 

In his latest market forecast, Matt Fleming predicts a slowdown in the housing market for Q4 of 2022. House prices have risen at the fastest annual pace since 2007 but due to a myriad of economic factors, the chief economist at Nationwide predicts they will slow in the quarters to come.


With a more competitive market on the horizon, it’s more important than ever to understand the digital visitor and how they interact with new build property. There’s a lot of uncertainty out there. Especially for property marketing departments choosing how and where to spend their budgets.  

But doing the same old things, in this very different world, won’t achieve the same results. 

Why do some new build developers miss out on the digital visitor market? 

Why do some new build developers struggle to build relationships with the digital visitor?  These prospects have very particular needs that should be catered for. No longer can new build developers rely on a marketing brochure to show off a CGI render, or an architect’s vision. A significant part of the customer journey is online.

 

What is the digital visitor thinking about?

  • “What does my house really look like?” 
    • It’s no longer enough to rely on a marketing brochure to sell your property. The digital visitors expect interactivity and customisation. A stock image won’t cut it.

  • “What amenities are close to my house?”
    • Google Maps has created generations of buyers that can explore a locality at depth and detail. A digital visitor isn’t just interest in a property, they’ll be thinking about the 15 minute radius for shops, leisure, entertainment and more.

  • “I don’t just want to choose kitchen finishes, I want to know how they look”
    • This buyer won’t be satisfied with swatches over a sales centre counter, they’ll want full customization of bathroom, kitchen and fittings baked into the viewing experience.

  • “Why can’t I see all the prices for interior upgrades?”
    • As with any buyer, pricing is crucial. But the digital visitor has more dynamic expectations. They’ll want to see, in real time, what the pricing is like for their upgrades of choice.

  • “What will the full estate look like when its completed?”
    • Has your development been built yet? It won’t matter to the digital visitor, they’ll be looking for a sense of where their new home sits in the full estate. A brochure won’t do, they’ll want to get involved on street level.

  • “My house is mirrored to the plan you’re showing me. I would like to see the correct handed house?”
    • Getting a sense of the ‘real deal’ through a digital experience, is what this buyer is looking for. It won’t be enough to show them a mockup that isn’t correctly handed.

  • “Why can’t I walk through my completed house before I decided its for me?”
    • Virtual tours have become an essential part of the digital visitors expectations. They’ll want to get a sense of the dimensions of a new build before putting down an offer.

  • “I haven’t got time to visit the sales centre today” –
    • Making repeat visits to the sales centre isn’t an efficient use of time or money for the digital visitor, when they can enjoy a rich website experience from the comfort of their home.

 

Turn the digital visitor into a digital resident with EyeSiteView

Building trust through continued and considerate interaction with the digital visitor is key to bringing them into sales process.

We now know what’s in the digital visitor’s head but how do we create a journey where they trust and inspiration is built. 

At EyeSiteView we’ve crafted a suite of products and services that equip the new build developer with all the tools they need to reel in the digital visitor and make them a real estate resident.

 Here’s how our products have been designed with a digital visitor in mind:

  • We use 360 degree virtual tours to give customers a rich digital experience before they reach the marketing suite, so they get a detailed understanding of what their new home really looks like.
  • These realistic CGI creations, that can be walked through and explored, build an emotional attachment between the digital visitor and the property. This is enhanced by our household configurators tool that empowers the customer to make personal changes and upgrades to the interior, so they know what works best for them.
  • The digital visitor is used to their products and services being at their fingertips, everything from movies, groceries, dinner-front-of-the-TV are all just a click away. Our 3D Active Site Plans and virtual tours give the customer instant and constant access to the new builds they’re interested in. This saves them time and money from repeated visits to a showhome.
  • Our active site plans give the digital visitor a deep impression of the whole new build estate, which means they can check out the position of their selected home in the wider development. The active site plans dynamically pulls the latest property pricing and upgrade pricing, so customers can make key decisions earlier. 
  • When the time comes to visit the property and the marketing centre, our ViewStation tool makes the transition from the digital to the physical seamless. Read more about the ViewStation on our blog.
  • To top everything off, nothing is more important than learning. With EyeSiteView analytics, you can learn more about the digital visitor. How many times did they view the virtual tour? Which upgrade options did they browse? How long did they take from the first tour to the final visit? Learning about the digital visitor then makes it easier to sell to this customer base moving forward.

How should new build developers avoid missing prospects and buyers during the downturn in Q4? Equip themselves by investing in a customer journey for the digital visitor and get familiar with a suite of digital first marketing tools. 

Develop your digital visitor strategy today

How do developers build a lasting and genuine relationship with customers who view property from behind a screen? 

The honest truths of real estate will always stand the test of time. The right buyer needs the right property and building a relationship with the customer is still the most valuable and effective approach to selling new builds. Trust is essential.

The digital visitor needs the same things, they’re looking for a real-world experience but through their smart-phones, tablets and laptops. That means new build developers need to be on those devices, with digital sales tools to build lasting and genuine relationships with these customers. 

Get prepared for the Q4 downturn by building out marketing systems that are designed for the digital visitor – active site plans, virtual tours, viewstation, product selectors, customer portals and more. It’s time to turn the digital visitor into a digital resident.

Get your team up to speed on the digital visitor today:

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