Undisclosed Address

Why not display an address when marketing a property for sale? Two common reasons are:

1) To protect privacy or fear of theft.
2) It's used as a marketing tool to generate more calls on the listing.

This often times backfires because people sometimes are annoyed by the lack of data or discount the property altogether because it's location is hidden.

Research shows that the percentage of inquiries a listing receives is the same whether the address is shown or not. The extra interest generated by buyers wanting to know the address is most likely counterbalanced by those who immediately skip over the listing.

However, some technological advances that would enhance the prospect of selling with a shown address include:

1) Online Map Search - Most real estate websites now have options to search for homes for sale by listings or by an interactive map. For most, when the address is not given the location given to the listing is the zip code of the area it's in and a search is not really possible.
2) Mobile Real Estate Search - There are applications for mobile devices that can tell you what listings are in the area you're at using GPS technology. Properties with hidden addresses will likely not be included. This use will become more important over time.