Floor plans have been a standard element in builder marketing materials for years. Recently there have been a number of positive statistics relating to the use of floor plans in the U.K.
Several of the larger property portals there are promoting the fact that properties with floor plans receive 30% more interest than properties that don’t.
It seems like it’s an affordable marketing tool for Realtors. There are some real estate floor plan solutions out there at $10 or less per plan. One such company we’ve seen is Metropix – a floor plan creation solution for real estate professionals. Within this solution, there are multiple ways to create a floor plan, including a “draw your own service”, which costs $9.99 for 48 hours use.
It looks like it’s easy to use, too. For example, if you don’t want to draw yourself, there’s an “AutoDraw” feature that converts a rough sketch/plan into a professional floor plan for you. You can decide mid-way through to upgrade your “classic floor plan” into an interactive floor plan with photographs and/or a 3D floor plan or Walk-through.
What’s your opinion as to whether Realtors would market homes and properties with floor plans? Do you currently use a floor plan solution as part of your marketing? Would such marketing be well received by U.S. consumers?
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Are you guys kidding me? How can anyone argue that providing potential buyers with floor plans is not important, or doesn’t attract more attention? The US is far behind other countries in providing the information buyers need and demand, floor plans and decent photos to start. Great post and so important!
My company, PlanOmatic is FULL-SERVICE, creating Interactive Floor Plan & Photography Presentations. We operate in many metropolitan areas in the US, and continue to add more at a rapid rate.
By the way, “Would such marketing be well received by U.S. consumers?” What kind of consumer in any country would refuse to look at floor plans?
June 17th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Interactive floor plans are a great way to help a property stand out and will help sell the property. Floor plans connected to photos add a whole extra dimension of information and show the viewer exactly where they are as they view each photo. This is so much better than just a bunch of photos, which all start to look the same after a while. Floor plans add context to the content.
My prediction is that in the next 2-3 years, most homes shown online will include interactive floor plans; they are really that important. However, as this market grows, realtors that start using interactive floor plans for marketing their properties will have a distinct competitive advantage, and will earn more listing presentations by using this exciting new technology.
My company offers do-it-yourself interactive floor plans – http://www.tourvista.com.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I agree that floor plans can be a great marketing tool for realtors. I myself find that buyers are much more attracted to listing with floor plans. If a company such as Metropix can provide me with the ability to create floor plans for my listings that are lacking them on demand, I would certainly spend the money to use the service. Furthermore, if potential buyers are able to walkthrough 3D floor plans of listings on my site, they may be more inclined to set up a showing. On top of that, if sellers see that I am creating 3d floor plans for my clients they may be more apt to hire me as their agent. I think that this may be the best new online marketing tool for realtors. I’ve heard It’s doing well in the UK so if its affordable, which it seems like it is after i checked out Metropix.com site, then I am going to start pushing my marketing funds in that direction. If I am one of the first to utilize interactive floor plans, I will be sure to have an advantage form a marketing stand point. I suspect however, that other realtors will jump on this quickly.
June 17th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
I believe more buyers and sellers will demand the use of floor plans and the ability to view them in 3D. Imagine a 3D floor plan adjacent to a virtual tour. The use of floor plans in other countries is a normal and expected business practice. It appears that Metropix is a powerful and affordable solution to deliver what will become an industry norm in the United States.
June 18th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Coming from home builder sales & marketing, I have always found it extremely frustrating that resale listings do not typically include a floor plan. Its a crucial part of how I shop, and I know consumers love them. I’d recommend including them in a listing whenever possible.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Fortunately, if you lack the time or the ability to do this yourself, you can still popular your website very quickly with what’s known as PLR content. If you’ve never heard of it before, PLR stands for Private Label Rights. When this type of content is produced.
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January 19th, 2011 at 12:41 am