Holmes Sotogrande has always worked hard to provide its clients with up to date information about the area. The maps Holmes had specially designed for the use of those interested in Sotogrande are a good example of this, and Holmes was the first agency to do this for their market place in Southern Spain and Sotogrande. This innovation has since been taken up by others. Presented as a handy fold-up map that is easy to keep in handbags, car glove compartments and even in wallets, they are highly popular. With the emergence of the Internet and business websites in the late 1990s they very quickly made their way onto the Holmes website – creating a whole new way for buyers to identify the location of properties that they are interested in, also helping people to choose the areas of Sotogrande that might interest them more than others.
Regularly updated to represent the latest information, the maps form part of an information source contained under the Explore Sotogrande banner on the homepage of the website that also includes videos and photo galleries. “We want
to provide as much information to our clients as possible,” says Ben Bateman, “not just about the properties themselves, but also about the lifestyle, facilities, surroundings and the different areas of Sotogrande.”
Linked to Holmes’ very clever property referencing system, that gives a unique reference code to each property based on its exact location, the map appears as soon as you click on a property, indicating exactly which sub-sector of Sotogrande the property is located in, and giving visitors to the site a means of analysing and comparing the different properties that attract their interest. “It allows people not only to look at the properties they like, but also helps them compare properties in different locations in Sotogrande. The areas that are highlighted on the maps for a particular property have been carefully chosen using years of experience. Streets are grouped together because we understand why buyers would be interested in that area , be it proximity to the golf clubs, the polo, the beach clubs, the marina with its bars restaurants and shops, the school or even because of the views or going for a stroll in the evening.”
For security reasons the exact address is not pinpointed, but in providing people looking for properties with this advanced tool, Holmes is encouraging the visitors to its website to make use of the information it provides freely and without restriction. “Rather than pushing for visitors’ contact information, or asking them to contact us, we hold back at this point, as we believe that they will contact us when they are ready, and when they do, it will be willingly and with purpose and a much clearer idea of what they want. This, in turn, helps us to quickly identify what we need to be showing them and why.”
Highly popular with both clients and visitors to the website alike, the maps are just part of the wealth of information about Sotogrande, its lifestyle and properties that is available both online and through contacting the team at Holmes Sotogrande.
By Jackie Cruz - Manifesto ·