Pinterest and Buying or Selling Your Home

Pinterest is an amazing. Let me say that again...amazing! And no I don't own stock in the company.  There are so many things you can do with this online pin board including help in buying or selling your home. How you ask? Well that is what this blog is all about.

So let me start at the basics for those of you who are not familiar with Pinterest. Have you ever used the "Bookmark" setting on your web browser? So you know, when you find a page you'd like to go to again and have the computer remember if for you, you "Bookmark" it right? Well Pinterest is similar in that it "bookmarks" or "Pins" things that you can find on the internet or you can download your own images, then you can share them with other people such as friends, family, or people that are following you in the same manner that works with Twitter. So, for example, lets say I find a picture of a beautiful garden somewhere on the internet. I can "Pin" this website that has the photo by going to the top right of my screen on Pinterest and hitting "Add". That will take me to the next page where I have the option to "Add a Pin". Once I choose that then I copy and paste the web address from the site where I found the beautiful garden into the space provided on Pinterest and it "Pins" it to my site. I can then add it to my "board" or category that I named "Ideas for my yard". I can even add a little personal note below it that could say something such as "I enjoy this yard because of the flower arrangements but I would prefer a white wooden fence". Then everyone who is following you will see that you pinned this. Then this goes onto Pinterest and other people also on Pinterest may see this photo and have the same thought you did about how nice that garden looks and then they will "Repin" it which just means they are Pinning it to their own board on their personal sight.
How does this help in buying a house? Well sometimes as Realtors we hear our clients say things like, "I want an updated house" or "I want a house with character". These things mean something different to each and every person. So why not "Pin" some things you like about homes on Pinterest and share them with your realtor? Or lets say your significant other travels a lot for business (as a lot of people here in LA do). You could make a board for all the homes you see either from your own personal photos you upload or from internet sights that show the listed home. Then you can add your own person comment to the photos for the home like "smaller than we like but terrific neighborhood".  Then your partner can just go onto Pinterest and look at all the photos with all the comments all at once without having to get separate emails with the photos or links.
What about selling my home? First off, the more advertising done on your home the better and this can be just another form of advertising.  But also, if your home is on Pinterest and someone Pins it, everyone that is on that person's following list will see it as well. Also, if you pin pictures of your home and label it with things such as "Original Spanish tiles" or "dreamer's pool", then people who are already on Pinterest looking for home ideas could find yours based on what they are looking for. And from a Realtor's point of view, if my past clients are following me on Pinterest, they too will see your home I listed and find it interesting or pass it to others that maybe interested. It's like a big web that can catch and hold a lot. And even if you aren't in the market to buy or sell, it can be fun to Pin ideas such as your dream master bathroom or a cute idea to make the best of a small space in a laundry room. So once you are on Pinterest, come find me and see what I've been pinning!
http://pinterest.com/adolle/