Especially in recent years, there have been increasing trends and changes in real estate marketing. What was sufficient to attract potential buyers for Baby Boomers and Generation X is no longer enough for Millennials and Generation Z. We provide a brief overview of the expectations of these generations.
Up until the turn of the millennium and beyond, the print newspaper was the go-to tool for real estate agents and developers to advertise properties and find potential buyers. Whether it was a short two-line ad without pictures, but with lots of abbreviations (because you had to pay per letter), or later on, a small picture. Those with higher-priced properties would sometimes devote a quarter, half, or even a full page to a property in the newspaper, including photos, or even run their own direct mail campaign. Buyers were generally used to searching for new properties in newspapers and, if interested, calling to schedule a viewing. Those in urgent need would go directly to their chosen real estate agent to inquire about current listings.
These print marketing methods still exist today, but they no longer work for younger generations. Then came the internet – and it changed everything.
With the advent of the first real estate websites, the world of property marketing changed rapidly. Initially entered manually, later automatically via a dedicated CRM system, soon every property listing had its own detail page on the real estate agent’s or developer’s website. The photography of these properties also changed dramatically. What began as analog photography, later transitioning to DSLR cameras, changed with the release of the first iPhone: smartphone photography quickly replaced professional cameras. Only photography-savvy agents, or those who hire external photographers, still rely on professional cameras.
Another change was the nature of real estate listings. Starting in the early 2000s, listings on online real estate portals like ImmoScout24, Immowelt, Immonet.de (in Germany), Willhaben (in Austria), and many others became increasingly popular. Nowadays, real estate agents and developers routinely list their properties on these platforms, usually fully automatically integrated with their CRM systems. Multi-listing systems (MLS), like those used in the US, never really caught on in German-speaking countries. This is likely because the exchange of property listings among real estate agents leads to less profitable partnerships. Instead, the goal has always been, and still is, for prospective buyers to contact the real estate agent directly via portal ads or other marketing channels, usually through an inquiry form (which now automatically adds the contact to the CRM). Email and telephone are still used channels, but their use is steadily declining.
Users primarily search on these portals using their respective search forms; in the early days, Google essentially acted as an intermediary, connecting search queries to the relevant portals. However, map searches using location pins gradually became established on these portals, allowing prospective buyers to see an approximate location of a property even before submitting an inquiry.
With the dawn of the digital age, two media were perfectly sufficient for real estate marketing: photos and floor plans. This changed in the mid-2010s with the advent of the first “virtual tours,” specifically 360° panoramic tours. Video also moved into the spotlight of real estate marketing through exclusive video tours. Some real estate agents and developers even started using social networks (initially Facebook, later Instagram) to showcase their properties with photos and architectural renderings.
The necessity of 360° tours and video tours became strikingly apparent with the COVID-19 pandemic. After all, during lockdowns, in-person property viewings were no longer possible, and an alternative was needed. Thus, the digital trends of video and 360° tours shifted from nice-to-have experiments to the modern standard.
While older homeowners often have traditional expectations, a younger generation of buyers is emerging – with different values, a different pace, and different media consumption habits. For Generation Z and Millennials, this means they’re not simply looking for a place to live – they’re looking for a concept that aligns with their values and habits.
A purely technical sales approach – square footage, year of construction, whether a basement is present – remains lifeless if it isn’t placed in context. Today’s “buyer’s language” is:
The key is to tell a story with data, to show potential buyers how they themselves could live in the property. Trends like digital virtual staging with AI or self-configurable 3D models offer precisely this kind of interaction.
Furthermore, they also provide a solution to a well-known problem for property developers: model homes. Today’s prospective buyers don’t just want to see renderings or 360° tours of a selected unit in a new construction project – rather, they want to experience the unit visually in its entirety, one that suits their wishes and needs.
We’ve witnessed technological advancements, but the other side of the coin is the shift in buyer expectations. For the Baby Boomers, a few photos and a description were sufficient. Generation X demanded more details, wanting photos of every room and precise floor plans. Today’s buyers, Millennials and Generation Z, are different. They’re accustomed to visually driven content from platforms like Instagram and TikTok. They demand immersive experiences, videos, virtual tours, and lifestyle photography that help them envision living in the property. For them, professional media in various formats isn’t optional, but standard.
The motto is: Get as many details about the property as possible before the viewing. After all, nobody wants to discover on-site that the property isn’t right for them, especially since the journey, like the time spent at a physical viewing, is now only meant to confirm the digital impression of the property in person.
But beyond the standard real estate marketing approach, which you can easily implement with our software, we go a step further: Experiencing the property completely digitally means creating an immersive digital twin. This not only comprehensively presents the property’s current state but also allows your buyers to interactively plan the rooms as their living space. The shift from presentation to interaction is currently a new digital trend, one that you can implement early on with our software.
Remember: What’s trendy today will eventually become the digital standard in your buyers’ expectations – especially as your target groups increasingly consist of younger generations. Have you considered what Generation Alpha will expect from real estate marketing when they reach purchasing age?
Especially in recent years, there have been increasing trends and changes in real estate marketing. What was sufficient to attract potential buyers for Baby Boomers and Generation X is no longer enough for Millennials and Generation Z. We provide a brief overview of the expectations of these generations.
Digitally furnishing and enhancing real estate photos using artificial intelligence is a trend that is primarily generating excitement. What renderings are for new construction projects—showing how the property could look—is now possible for existing properties thanks to AI. However, caution is advised with this type of presentation: After all, you certainly don’t want to disappoint your potential buyers with the reality, the current state of the property, during a viewing—we’ll tell you what you should pay attention to.
Real estate photography takes skill. Those who don’t invest in professional equipment or hire external photographers often end up using the ultimate all-rounder: their own smartphone. With our simple pro tips, you’ll achieve high-quality photos that are virtually indistinguishable from those taken by professional cameras.
To ensure perfect results from your smartphone’s LiDAR scan, there are a few tips and tricks you should keep in mind. This will save you valuable time during the subsequent post-processing of your 3D model and ensure that your scan is as accurate as the technology of the built-in LiDAR sensor allows. Read more about it in this article.