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Smart Home – what does it mean?

We encounter the expression “smart home” everywhere today. But it means much more than clever refrigerators and intelligent lighting. Smart home is when your house “thinks” and makes your everyday life as easy, safe and pleasant as possible. Thanks to a smart home, you save precious time. Smart devices organise annoying routine tasks for you. The goal is comfort, entertainment, energy saving and security.

Smart Home how does it work?

The principle can be summed up in the following; Various electrical devices and sensors are interacting and communicating with each other. Often, you can control Individual devices and even entire systems remotely. In this way, a simple and complex process can be automated.

How does the communication work?

Lying by the pool and starting the oven with a roast for dinner? Or making a coffee while still in bed with your smartphone? With Smart Home, such comforts have long ceased to be a vision of the future. At home, the devices communicate using standards such as WLAN, Bluetooth, KNX data cables or even directly via the power line.

All are proven standards and almost all current smart home devices and systems can be installed and operated very easily today – via an integrated display, smartphone, tablet or even a voice control.

Which devices can be controlled in a smart home?

In principle, every electrical device and system can be controlled smartly. Therefore, it is often possible to optimize comfort, safety or efficiency at once. Lighting, heating and air conditioning systems are typical areas of application for smart homes such as controlling canopies, blinds and shutters. Entire lighting concepts can be conveniently controlled and automated.

A message on your smartphone as soon as your laundry is finished?

Thanks to Smart Home, this is not a problem.

But it gets even better, entire home security systems can be controlled as well. While you are away, it is very easy to check that everything is fine at home using your smartphone. If someone rings at your door you can even see who it is and answer at the intercom. You simply access your intercom and cameras at home via the Internet.

Want to buy or sell your home? List it with us today.

Homes are still selling despite Covid-19

As latest numbers are in, there is a wave of relief going through the real estate sector. The good news is, homes are still selling.

No doubt, the covid-19 virus will have severe consequences on the real estate market, but it seems with low interest rates people are still buying homes.

All over the world people have lost part of their income due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The first shock

When the coronavirus hit the world most of us were under shock. I never spend so much time to watch the news than the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, always checking the latest numbers. After a couple of weeks though we kind a got used to it – although there are still moments when the whole situation seems incredibly unreal.

It is true that we also saw a decrease of visitor to our website for a couple of weeks but we are happy to say that all numbers are back to normal now. People are still interested in good real estate deals and they didn’t give up of buying homes.

Homes are still selling – a home is one of the basic needs

One reason might be that people became more aware of their “needs” rather than their “wants”. Staying at home and trying to keep everybody in the family sane has shown many the importance of having a home that has everything they need. Having a home definitely is a need. Even if someone needs to downsize and move to a smaller more affordable home it still means that there is movement and therefore home sales are happening in the real estate market.

Challenge to close the sale

In some countries it has become more challenging than in others when it comes to closing the sale legally. With solicitor and notary offices closed or not fully operational this is really a challenge. But surely, as some countries have already started to lift their covid-19 lockdowns this will just be a matter of time.

Time for new ideas

All these new challenges truly have given fuel for new ideas and innovations to simplify the home buying process.

Stuart Miller from Lennar Corp., one of the USA’s largest homebuilders, said they are working on new ways for buyers to buy houses, including through the company’s digital programs as well as drive-through closings, where homebuyers can close on a home through their car.

Positive Outlook for Real Estate

To know that homes are still selling is really good news. It helps us, home buyers as well as sellers, to see the future more optimistic. It’s been a nerve wrecking couple of weeks, even months for some. For me it was great to see how quick real estate agents adapted to the new challenges and finding alternative ways of showing homes to interested buyers.

Keep up the good work.

Real Estate After Quarantine

This temporary quarantine made many people think about their values and goals in life as well as their work situation and their homes.

Although, this isolation is only temporary, life itself has always and will continue to change.

Our social interactions will be different for months, if not years to come. Our economies will eventually grow again, but the way we do business will have progressed. This is true for real estate as well.

Next time I like to quarantine on a tropical island…

One thing is certain, everybody needs a place to live, therefore real estate will always be needed. As much as everybody would like to improve their homes to be able to quarantine in style in case this happens again, it has to be considered that the financial situation of most people changed. Therefore, the housing market needs to adapt. Cheap real estate will be needed more than ever before. “Cheaper” meaning more cost effective.

This of course can mean that people have to downsize or reconsider what they really need in their home – simply back to the basic needs.

“Cheaper” doesn’t mean uglier

It’s true that many houses for sale that are on the lower end of the price range don’t look too good. But to be honest most of them only need a little bit of TLC and they can be a cosy home.

If you need to downsize, why not sleep on a sofa bed in the living room?

How can real estate agents adapt to this new situation?

You as a realtor can continue to do what you are really good at – be there for your clients and understand what they need in their circumstances. This is a new situation for all of us and for some it may be hard to adapt. Maybe some can’t picture themselves in a smaller, simpler home.

Whatever step someone needs to take, you can be there to help and make this a good experience.

What exactly does this mean?

You have to think outside the box, but yourselves in the buyer’s shoes. It maybe time to rethink how real estate deals where done in the past and see new ways that can make the whole process simpler, more time effective and more cost effective.

Will you go with the flow, let the waves take you wherever they go, or will you build a ship and go your own way?

Pick your boat and get on your way.

What is your idea of real estate after quarantine? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.

Target buyers where they are: at home

This is the longest period of time most of us ever spent at home non-stop. The risk of COVID-19 has grounded about 1.5 billion people worldwide, meaning people are engaging with their homes more than ever before.

Regarding real estate this means that many people have time to think about their living arrangements. They may see things they like to improve in the house or they might shop around for a new house that suits their needs even better.

Whatever the reason why someone may shop around for a new home, it’s simply amazing to see how realtors have already adapted to the new circumstances. I saw that many newsletters were send out by them to keep their clients informed and engaged.

Target buyers who are at home

Also, they started to offer some great new services to buyers, for example to make a house viewing via video conference. While the agent would walk through the house for sale the client can follow along while sitting at home. The agent would explain while doing the walk-through and answer any questions that arise.

Another less personal but equally effective way to target buyers is the virtual tour, where the real estate agent made a video recording of a house viewing and puts this video online. It might surprise how many people will actually look at it who otherwise would have never asked for a house viewing.

My absolute favourite is the 3D tour. As far as I know, the real estate agent needs some special equipment to make a 3D tour for a house but from all options this is probably the best. The 3D model that is created allows anyone to “walk” through the house. It is similar to Google Street maps just indoors.

What about private seller?

Well, nobody can stop you from doing your own video where you walk through your house for sale. This is something everybody can do.

This is definitely some positive side effect of the COVID-19 and I hope this new digital strategy for real estate is here to stay. It saves a lot of time for buyer and seller – house hunting can be very time consuming – as this already helps to get a good overview of a property.

How the Internet has revolutionized the Real Estate market

The arrival of the Internet has changed the real estate market for ever. Until 1998, the hunt for a suitable home to buy or sell took place through the advertising in the local newspaper or a big sign in the front of the house.

And these approaches are still used today. With the arrival of online property portals, the significance of the newspaper for many real estate agents has dropped radically: both buyers and sellers create their choice to purchase a property and locating an agent largely online. Obviously, personal recommendation can be still a large thing which shouldn’t be underestimated.

Consequently, the objective of any real estate agent needs to be that potential buyers encounter his real estate offers before everybody else, be it on some real estate portal or straight on his own website. But how can you do this?

Real Estate Market: Listing alone is no longer enough

The competition on the sector is fierce. New thinking is necessary, because listing an ad alone, is no longer sufficient.

Real estate hunt online

When it comes to the real estate market, it’s important to put yourself into the buyer’s shoes.

Fundamentally, the earlier the agent manages to get the buyer to his website or on the portal, etc., the greater the chance to get a deal!

The buyer is on the lookout for advice: he’s at the research phase. He’s now considering selling his own property. That’s the reason why he is searching with Google for advice about his or her concerns. It would be great if this possible client would land on your website at this phase.

For you, this means making services and information about the sale and purchase of property – obviously with reference to a region.

Some potential topics could be: Advice about energy efficiency, market cost determination, house staging, aftercare for clients and a whole lot more.

SEO-optimized composing: Little interventions make a huge impact

But every individual text must also be aligned in this manner that it matches the research requirements of your target group. The intention is that Google shows your text up in the results listing. Possible buyers may find your content before anybody else. Including search engine optimized composing, for that there are a few principles. The simplest & main guideline is: The preview which the searcher enters in his Google search should, if possible, look in the heading and at the very first paragraph of your text!

Where’s the real estate agent’s digital home in 2020?

The most fundamental place for many is your own homepage. This ought to be so intuitive that the consumer can find all of the important information and various methods to get in touch with you. But several websites are distinguished by the fact that they feature mostly static, i.e. virtually classic content that’s rarely changed (like contact, imprint, about us).

Your home can also be on a real estate platform where your available properties are featured along your contact information. This can be at https://www.listproperty4free.com/

Social networking is standard now

At the era of Social Networking, you will find tons of places online where you can also present content.

Most successful agents are on Facebook – the business page is currently standard.

Another great place is youtube. It has been a part Of the Google family and also shows up high in the results listing. It is possible to learn how specialists use real estate videos. Naturally, videos are a great deal and more chances to find you.

For all activities on the Internet, you should produce as many connections to your content as you can.

The searcher’s first experience with the Broker or his property occurs from the results listing.

It is important to be visible on top of the results listings and to look better than the offers of your competition.

With bump-up (to be on top) and spotlight displays, your visibility is increased. Like that possible buyers actually click on your ad and possibly contact you. That of course requires a good quality of pictures and text.

Find some great offers on the real estate market on www.all-real-estate.com

Selling your house – best first impression by using the right accessories

A good first impression of a property is always the most important thing. To achieve this when selling your house, the use of nice accessories, such as a fancy letter box, a cute house number sign or some flower pots beside the entrance door is essential.

Small things like this not only improve the overall feel of a house but are also an indicator of who lives here.

It should express your personal character and taste. There are numerous ways to display a house number, for example. There is the right design for every taste. I noticed that vintage signs have been very popular recently. Those good old fashion white numbers on a blue enamel sign.

Every house has a mailbox, of course.

It is not just for receiving letters and advertisements. It also expresses the individual character and taste of the person behind the mailbox. Often, the letter box is integrated into the front door in the form of a letter flap.

There is nothing more beautiful than nature’s beauty. A well-arranged flower pot at the entrance is an eye-catcher. Flowers in lovely fresh colors are always triggering good emotions – and that is very important when selling your house.

Besides using the right accessories for the best first impression, a well-kept garden and clean house complete the impression. You will be seeling your real estate in no time.

Since the potential buyer does not only want to see the outside area, it is clear that you also have to present the inside of your property in an appealing way. You don’t have to offer a sterile atmosphere.

Well-chosen decoration ensures that the prospective buyer feels welcome and comfortable.

One of the most important preparations for an on-site visit with potential buyers is to put the interior in a tidy condition and to repair any defects in the house:

Are all rooms tidy and clean?

Are repairs required?

Would parquet or tiles need to be restored?

Could the walls use some paint or a new wallpaper?

What items can you remove now?

How can you decorate and create a good atmosphere?

Are you selling your house? List it with us on https://www.listproperty4free.com/

New must-have to sell your property faster

We at listproperty4free.com are there to help you to rent and sell your property. So far you know us as a reliable partner for free real estate ads that are presented internationally. That will remain so in the future.

However, many of our customers want to have better visibility on our websites to get more inquiries and speed up their sales or rentals. We are therefore very pleased to introduce our new sales booster.

Here is a great tool to help you get the buyers attention and rent or sell your property faster. Make your ad stand out by adding a subtitle.

Stand out from the crowd

Subtitle appears right below the title of your advertisements in our lists and helps you to get more attention.

Extra eye-catcher

Subtitle works very well as an extra eye-catcher on the details page.

No lifetime

Once bought the Subtitle add-on will be active as long as your advertisement exists.

It’s cheap and can make a huge difference. Simply go to your ad and click “sell quicker”.

Try it.

This sales booster is already available from € 1.29 / € 1.49! Further details and prices can be found at https://www.listproperty4free.com/pricing.php

We wish you every success in selling or renting your property!

Use our website to post real estate listings for free

No matter if you are a private seller or a real estate agent you are probably always happy to know another online platform to post real estate listings for free.

In this article, we like to show you quickly some of the features we offer when you list your real estate ad on www.listproperty4free.com.

Can I upload Images with my real estate ad?
Yes – you can upload up to 100 Images with your free ad.

Can I set the location of my real estate ad (Mapping Functionality)?
Yes, this is one of the main features of our website. You can set the location of your property. As a result it will show the location in your ad as well as showing your property on the map on our homepage.

Can I link to outside sites?
No. We currently do not support links to other websites. Rather, if you sign up as a real estate agent you kinda have your own page within our website. This will show like this:

www.listproperty4free.com/properties-by-agent/your-name

Am I required to create an account?
Yes. You will need to create an account to be able to post your real estate ad for free but there are no strings attached. Therefore, you can easily delete your account anytime you wish and all your data will be deleted.

Are there Special Promotion Options?
Yes, you can book extra features with your ad but this is not free of charge. Please see our pricing page for more details.

Can I post an international ad?
Yes, it does not matter where your property is located. It can be anywhere in the world.

What are you waiting for? Post real estate listings for free for thousands of new possible buyers or tenants on www.listproperty4free.com.

Your house for sale in autumn – how to get ahead PART 2

When you are preparing your house for sale, you have worked hard to get the place looking pristine.

You have arranged all the ornaments to just the right angle and have the cushions plumped just so. Your house for sale is ready. But this is the time to relax the rules. Let your prospective buyers sit, walk (with shoes on if they whish – if this is not too extreme for you), and set their mug down where they like. If you are hovering in the background with a critical eyebrow-raise and a cloth to wipe up water rings from the coffee table, they may get the impression that you are not quite ready to hand over the keys to your precious home.

Of course, this means that you do have to run around cleaning up and plumping cushions again after each visitor leaves. When the next people arrive, they need to be made feel special and don’t need to be reminded by dirty cups in the sink that they are just one in a string of people (hopefully) coming to view the place.

Another hosting trick that can put you ahead of the game is to learn a little about prospective buyers before they arrive.

This can give you an idea of what to talk about and what might be especially appealing to them about your home or its location. If you learn that their mother tongue is different to yours, you should learn a few words in their language. This really helps a person to feel appreciated. The key ones are obviously “hello”, “thank you” and “goodbye”. If you can manage “Would you like a drink?” that would be very special.

It can also be helpful to know a little bit about their cultural background. Some cultures love to talk and chat, others respect silence. Of course, individuals are individual, but you can be prepared so that you don’t seem disappointed or offended if your efforts at small talk are not reciprocated.

It is challenging to sell at this time of the year but these few simple tips can give you an advantage.

Be ready with the kettle on for tea and hot chocolate or, if you’re feeling really brave, even some mulled wine!

Selling your house in autumn – how to get ahead PART 1

It’s getting cold outside and the children have settled back into a new school year;

perhaps not the optimum time for upping sticks and moving house. Property tends to move slowly as the weather worsens since people feel less inclined to go to viewings and it’s more difficult to see the potential of a beautiful south-facing garden through the dreariness. For many people also a move may involve new schools, a difficult task when the kids are already settled into their existing one. So how can you get an advantage with the people who do want to get unpacked into a new home before Christmas?

When it’s cold outside, you need to make sure your home is warm and cosy on the inside. Have the fire lighting and the heating on. Place a good mat by the front door to control the wet footprints and an umbrella stand to catch the drips. Make sure you have plenty of soft furnishings to make the rooms feel more warm and inviting. Get a big shaggy rug for the sitting room and an extra throw for the sofa. And as always…. ensure there is something baking in the oven!

When it’s dark outside, get it bright inside.

Let in as much light as possible by opening the blinds. Make sure the windows are clean and the low sunshine really shows up any dirt. Turn on all the lights and get some lamps to brighten up any dark corners. You don’t want people squinting to see inside the storage areas either – some strip lights under the kitchen cabinets and inside closets can really help. Mirrors are also helpful in making a place feel bright and airy. Whilst these things may cost a bit it really can make all the difference and the money spent may seem negligible when compared to the overall sale price of the house.

If you have a garden, it can be difficult to make it shine at this time of the year.

But there is no reason you cannot keep it clean and tidy. Sweep the leaves and clear away any deadwood. If there is snow in your part of the world, make sure the footpath is kept clear. You don’t have anything flowering in the garden this time of year (which you can by getting some winter bedding)? Buy a nice colourful pot with something flowering in it to have by the door to give potential buyers the idea that the garden can be beautiful too.

If you are showing people around the house yourself, it is vital to hone your hosting skills. You need to make people feel relaxed and comfortable, as if it is already their own home. Be ready with drinks and snacks and give them space and freedom to roam around at their own pace.

To be continued tomorrow…