Angie’s List: How technology has changed home buying

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Not so long ago, if you wanted to buy a house, you drove around, paged through books of homes for sale and walked through open house days. But in today’s Angie’s List report, we’ll see how technology is changing the real estate game.

Selling your home online isn’t just about posting pictures anymore. You need a full suite of high-tech approaches to make your mark.

Angie Hicks, Angie’s List Founder, says, “If you want your home to stand out to potential buyers, aerial views and videos, as well as 360 degree tours, will give you a leg up on the competition.”

Dan Tracy, a real estate broker with Fulton Grace Realty in Chicago, says the Internet is absolutely crucial to modern home buying.

Dan Tracy, a real estate broker with Fulton Grace Realty in Chicago, says “In 2016, 95 percent of home-buyers used websites to search for their homes. Of those, 93 percent actually preferred mobile-based, meaning they preferred to use a phone or tablet to search for their homes.”

Mobile technology allows you to update your online profile instantly.

“Over the last few years it’s tripled, quadrupled in terms of the tools and the different aspects … Now we have 3d floor plans, virtual staging, 4k videos, all sorts of different options,” said Tracy

Not to mention high-resolution and aerial imagery.

“The 4K videos, the aerial drone videos are crucial”, says Tracy.

Tracy says the professional touch still matters. No matter how good your phone is, potential buyers can tell if your video and photos were shot by an experienced hand.