In today’s digital world it won’t surprise you to learn that most real estate purchases begin with an online search. Most buyers will check your property out online (as well as a number of others) well before they contact an agent.

The words people are entering into the search bar reveal a lot about what buyers are looking for right now.

Australia’s number one site for real estate, realestate.com.au conducted some research into the top terms people entered into the search bar between 1 January and 31 August 2017 when looking for property online.

Some results may surprise you…

All over Australia, it seems Aussies love nothing more than the idea of owning a home with a pool.

So topping the list for search terms input on realestate.com.au was POOL.

Coming in at number 2 was the humble GRANNY FLAT. The rise in the popularity of granny flats in Australia is not only an indication that more families are pulling together, but it also indicates that Aussie home buyers are more savvy today and are realising the potential of earning a secondary income from owning a granny flat and how a granny flat will increase the value of their home.

Number 3 was WATERFRONT – not surprising given our love of the water and the fact that we are a nation surrounded by it.

Number 4 on the list was VIEWS, with this word being a popular search term in all settings – urban, rural and coastal.

And finally taking out the number 5 spot was BEACH, again no great shock with this one given our love of Australia’s beautiful coastline and idyllic beaches.

Knowing what buyers want can help you decide where to buy/what to look for in terms of future capital gain potential as well as what to do with your existing property, such as that pool you have been considering.