Address
The Galleria 9626 N. Kings Hwy
Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
Every listing agent has been there. You write the copy, upload the photos, hit publish, and wait. Some homes take off immediately. Others sit quietly while the market moves around them.
The difference isn’t always price. Sometimes it’s a beam.
Zillow recently released findings from their Buzz Index (ZBI), a data tool that measures how specific home features drive buyer engagement across their 235 million monthly users. They analyzed more than 600 features to see which ones cause buyers to stop, click, save, and come back. The results are worth taping to your dashboard.
The Features Buyers Are Clicking On Right Now
Here’s what Zillow found drives the biggest daily engagement bumps compared to similar homes without these features:
Exposed beams — 20% boost (highest of all 600+ features analyzed) Victorian architecture — 19% Exposed brick — 15% Open shelving — 15% Arched doorways — 14% Tudor style — 14% Midcentury or A-frame design — 13% Saltwater pool or outdoor shower — 11%
Notice what’s missing from that list. No mention of quartz countertops. No stainless appliances. No “open concept living.” The features buyers are buzzing about are the ones that feel like they couldn’t have been ordered from a catalog.
Character Converts
The throughline across every top-performing feature is the same: buyers are drawn to homes that tell a story. Exposed beams, original brick, arched doorways — these are details that took decades to accumulate or required someone to make a deliberate design choice. They can’t be replicated in a cookie-cutter new build, and buyers know it.
This matters beyond the click. Zillow’s research shows that homes exceeding a certain threshold for daily views and saves tend to go pending faster and are more likely to sell above list price. Engagement isn’t a vanity metric. It’s a leading indicator of demand. When a listing captures attention early, it creates the kind of momentum that affects how a deal ultimately closes.
How to Use This at Your Next Listing Appointment
Walk the home before you write a single word of copy. You’re not just taking notes — you’re looking for ZBI features.
If there’s an exposed beam in the living room, that’s your headline. Not a bullet point buried in the description. Not a detail you mention in passing. That beam is the hook that stops the scroll, and your copy should treat it that way.
Original brick in the kitchen? Lead with it. Photograph it close. Give it a sentence that earns its place.
Arched doorway off the entry? That’s not background architecture. That’s the first thing buyers should see when the photos load.
What to Do When the Home Is Neutral
Not every listing has exposed beams or Victorian bones, and that’s fine. When the home itself is neutral, lean into the story around it.
Neighborhood architecture, proximity to a historic district, mature street trees, the character of the block — these elements create context that a newer or more generic home can borrow. Buyers aren’t just purchasing square footage. They’re buying into a place. Help them feel that place before they ever schedule a showing.
Zillow just handed listing agents a data-backed cheat sheet for what buyers are clicking, saving, and falling for right now. The agents who use it to frame their listings — in the copy, in the photography, in the way they present a home at the appointment — will capture more attention.
And in real estate, attention is where everything starts.
Be sure to check out Pinnacle Real Estate Academy’s blog page for more valuable real estate content. Interested in getting your real estate license? Pinnacle has been voted the best real estate education provider in the Grand Strand AND South Carolina! Register now to experience the Pinnacle Difference.
