What Does Google Have To Say About Your Sellers?
The world is a different place today, and even if you're not online, you ARE ONLINE. Unless you've been living in a cave for the past 30 years, if someone "Googles" your name, they will likely find someplace where you are mentioned - public documents, meeting minutes for local organizations, boards you serve on, mentions in the newspaper, sports activities, or any number of places. The same is true in real estate for buyers and sellers.
Buyers and Sellers are more Internet savvy than ever. I have had two instances recently where a buyer was interested in a house, looked the property up online in tax records, and did a Google search of the seller's names.
The first buyer discovered that one of the seller's was formally a tennis star and that the family had owned some local restaurants. The second buyer learned about the seller's profession and actually found his Blog online. Read What Is That Seller Thinking? Just Read His Blog to Find Out!
I don't think either instance changed the outcome of the transaction but it did make me stop to think about how it changes the real estate transaction.
When you are working for a seller in a real estate transaction, the seller may not always want to disclose personal reasons for a sale - a divorce, death in the family, financial issues of the seller, etc. because it may speak to their motivation. If a buyer knows that they have to sell, it can affect the offering price.
Transparency is something we strive for in social media, and with the power of the Internet, it seems it applies to everyone - whether they realize it or not.
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