Discovering Your New Home

Search, search, search......it seems as though that is all we talk about these days. With web search continuing to rise and over 80% of new home shoppers using the web, you would think the story would have been pretty much told by now. But, to the contrary, it is a story that has only just begun to be told. Every day it seems as though there is another important aspect of online marketing uncovered in the homebuilder world. Over the next few weeks, I will delve into several emerging issues pertinent to the world of online new home marketing.

Part 1:  The Journey of Discovery

Today’s thought is the term “search” itself and the disservice it lends to our craft and trade. Search implies a level of precision and confidence that belies most home shoppers. We search for the nearest Starbucks location. We search for a gallon of milk in the grocery. We search for the best rate on car insurance. I hope you are getting my point; we search for things which we are very clear and certain about, commodities which we are familiar with, known products and brands. The process of search is well supported by the web and leverages the inherent advantages available by applying the capabilities of today’s information technology. However, it also constrains and denigrates the home shopping experience. Moreover, it does not get the consumer across the emotional threshold required to make a purchase decision.

People don’t “search” for a new home. No one types in 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and $225,000, finds the first home on the list and then presses the buy now button. Finding your new home is a journey of discovery. Creating a “short list” of affordable options which meet basic criteria is tremendously valuable, but from that point the journey must support the emotional, psychological and physical needs of the buyer. For the builder community, web 2.0 offers us the opportunity to expand our online engagement to include the journey of discovery. In the weeks to come we will be discussing creating trust, creating a sense of place, using rich media to tell stories, and how to create assistance/recommendations, along with many other elements of the journey.

Google Base: A New Avenue in Real Estate Search

Inman TV recently interviewed Justin McCarthy - the strategic partner development manager of real estate for Google.  Below is a 6 minute clip of the interview highlighting how Google Base attempts to deliver relevant real estate listings to it's consumers.  Currently you can find Google Base within the organic search results for "homes for sale + [City]" type queries.  It is the drop down menu box at the top of the organic results.  NewHomeSource.com provides Google Base with a feed in order to get our customers communities into Google Base.

Real Estate Video by - Real Estate Blogger

Google Searches: "New Homes" Search Volume Trends

What goes up, must come down.  After seeing "new home" related searches match their high point in July, we saw a substantial decrease in search volume traffic for the month of August.  A decrease is to be expected, as the selling season cools, and families prepare their children to go back to school.  The cyclical nature of the market along with the national market conditions have made this recent drop more extreme in comparison to other years. 

Below is a snapshot provided by Google Trends highlighting the August dip relative to the rest of the year. (Note:Google does not publish actual search volume quantities performed but they do offer this graph.)