Let us play devil’s advocate for a moment.

We’re told that giving buyers everything up front — floorplans, video tours, drone footage, high-res images of every corner, right down to the boiler cupboard — is the way forward. “Transparency!” they say. “Efficiency! Convenience!” 

But here’s the uncomfortable question no one seems to be asking:

Is showing absolutely everything online actually putting people off?

Because in 5 decades of selling homes, one thing’s remained absolutely true — people don’t buy with their heads. They buy with their hearts.

Too Much Info, Not Enough Imagination

Let’s be honest. When you give buyers 40 photos, a video walkthrough, a floorplan, a plot map, and a virtual tour, what do they do?

They sit at home and pick holes in it.

“The lounge is a bit narrow.”

“Not sure about the tiles in the kitchen.”

“Garden looks like it slopes a bit.”

“All the bedrooms are on the small side.”

“Oh, and there’s no pantry.”

And just like that, they swipe past a home they might have fallen in love with if they’d only stepped through the front door.

Are we creating a generation of home-buyers who are filtering out the “maybes” before their feet ever hit a hallway. It’s like online dating — too many filters, and you’re left single at 50 wondering why you said no to someone because they didn’t like dogs or listed “jazz” as a hobby.

Homes Aren’t Bought on Paper

Here’s the truth: most people end up buying a house that wasn’t exactly what they were looking for. It didn’t tick every box on the wish list. It wasn’t always in the perfect location. But it felt right.

It had that something — the light through the kitchen window, the way the garden felt private, or the fact that their toddler made a beeline for the under-stairs cupboard and called it “his den.”

You can’t capture that in a JPEG. You can’t bottle it in a floorplan.

And when buyers only judge a property from a phone screen, they miss the magic. The feeling. The potential. The human side of the process.

But What About Investors?

Of course, investors are a different beast. They want numbers, not nostalgia. Floor area, rental yield, roof condition. Show them the EPC and a spreadsheet, and they’re off.

But the average buyer — the couple looking for their first home, the growing family moving up the ladder, the retired couple looking to downsize — they’re buying with their gut. Not a calculator.

And maybe, just maybe, we’re making it too easy for them to say “no” before they’ve even had a chance to say “hmm… maybe.”

So What’s the Answer?

We’re not saying we should go back to one photo and a vague description that reads “three-bed, must be seen.” We’ve come too far for that.

But maybe we need to leave a little to the imagination. Maybe we don’t need 36 photos of the ensuite. Maybe we could give just enough information to spark curiosity — not kill it.

Because the goal isn’t to get someone to see a house.

The goal is to get them to feel something about it.

And that still happens best when they walk through the door, smell the fresh coffee (or the slightly overenthusiastic plug-in), and see themselves living there.

Not just when they’re scrolling on the loo.