Jul
21

Stager’s Secret Tips For When You Prepare a Property For Sale to Compete Against New Constuction

  Posted By admin Posted in how to list property properly, properties, property for sale, property marketing, selling property | 1 Comment »

We know that most buyers want to “move in on Friday, unpack on Saturday, and go to work on Monday”.  This is why new construction always trumps “pre-owned”.  

I wrote an article a year ago about competing against new construction.  You’re welcome to read the whole thing  However, I believe the key points were - 

 

  1. Mint Condition 
  2. Updated Lighting (Recessed lighting, and halogen make such a difference to the feeling of a home)
  3. Warranty (so, try Certified Pre-owned, works for the car people)
  4. Layout designed for the Modern Lifestyle (Family Rooms off the kitchen, smaller Living rooms, bigger Master Bedrooms since the 2 people who are paying for the home have to share a room.)
  5. The Smell of New Construction (not bottled yet, but so tempting – cedar, oil, paint as opposed to dust,mold, perspiration, rotting food, odd recipes that were likely ill-advised at best! etc.)
  6. Special Spaces (an office, a den, a wrapping room – often new homes have quirky areas that are ideal for our more regimented, overly scheduled lives today.)
  7. The Green Card (energy saving appliances, windows, etc.)

 

Of all of these, lighting and smell rank the highest for me in terms of what can be done inexpensively for H-U-G-E impact!  Smell or scent is so important in the selling of a property – home buying may look like it’s about numbers but when it comes right down to it, it’s the emotional pull that causes a particular property to be the one that’s chosen.  When thinking about emotions – the 5 senses come into play.  Smell being one of the more obvious ones at play.

There are lots of options to change the various aromas of your house: from cleaning the carpets, the curtains and upholstery to relocating the pets and plugging in an anti-allergen odor diffuser.  I love the essential oils that are used in aromatherapy, and they do create a luxurious feel but one needs to be careful that it’s a universally appealing aroma as opposed to something pungent and distinctive.  (My husband hates cinnamon for example, whereas my girlfriend, Karen, links orange with strong cleaning products and won’t tolerate it.  So be careful!)

As to lighting ~ a brightly lit home feels so much more cheerful and alive than one with no overhead fixtures and a few hardworking dreary 60 watt bulbs on standard lamps on the corners.  Gloomy = depressing.  I can’t emphasize how important this is.

And do we have to go over the Mint Condition thing again?  Want people to back bid during Inspections?  Fix stuff so you can go to market with confidence and walk tall!


 

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Jul
20

Photos of Previous Projects

  Posted By admin Posted in property marketing | No Comments »

In the last few months, I have relocated my family from NJ to Myrtle Beach, SC.  This Herculean undertaking has prevented me from blogging in either or timely or useful manner.  So, today, i thought I would share a resource of mine that might inspire anyone trying to market a property -

http://juliet.phanfare.com    

 

Kitchen Before and AFter

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Jun
15

Property Marketing Preparation Secret Weapon

  Posted By admin Posted in property for sale | 23 Comments »

 As you know, the first step to selling property is preparing the thing for sale. (Prep~aration, the 1st of my 3 p’s – where Primp and Promote are the other 2.)

There is a site that will tell you, for your specific zip code, what the ROI – Return on Investment – is for each potential improvement you make to your home.  It’s called the Home Gain Maximizer and is brought to you by the creative folks of  Home Gain.

Whatever you’re considering, these folks will tell you how much more these types of improvements and upgrades have yielded in past transactions and what you can likely expect.

Sound good?

For me, it was particularly heartening to see that Home Staging services enhanced the property listing’s result by 453%!!  Now there’s a % I can live with!!

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May
28

Fish where the fish are… and stick with it until they bite!

  Posted By admin Posted in houses for sale, property for sale, property marketing | No Comments »

You know that buyers start their search for a new home online.

You know that both buyers and sellers check out realtors online before they meet one.

You know you have to master this online thing… over and above putting your property listings on Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow and whereever else the Office Manager has organized.

The online piece of property marketing is as much about the listings and properties you have to promote as it is about branding yourself, your service and your expert status in your zipcode (s).

Later posts will go into more detail.  Along this journey, it will be important to remember the same 3 words of encouragement Alex Perriello, CEO of Realogy, offered about the ridiculously tough Spring Market of 2009:

Be positive, proactive and persistent!

Keep at it.  Small steps, every day, and in a short period of time (way faster than advertising) you will see results.Ice Fishing

Keep a positive, open outlook.  This stuff works, and it’s how the kids want to do business.  If we want to help them we have to come over to their space to do it.  You’ve heard the old saying – if you want to fish, go where the fish are?  

 

Building a platform for the social media piece of Property Marketing takes time.  Not a lot of money.  But time.

Stick with it, and you will reap the rewards!

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Aug
10

Property Marketing ~ changed by the Internet!

  Posted By admin Posted in how to list property properly, property marketing | 4 Comments »

Property MarketingProperty marketing has changed, thanks to the internet.  Because anyone can research houses for sale, with or without a realtor, the way properties look becomes of the most important factor.  Therefore, to successfully market property, it must be conditioned (prepared), styled (primped) and placed online artfully, copiously, everywhere (promoted.)

In the old days, a property was listened in the local MLS and an ad was placed in the newspaper to announce an open house.  If the home was in good condition, the ad said so.  If it was not, that fact was silently reflected in the price.  Those days have gone.

Now, as soon as a house is for sale, it is posted online… with photos.  Those photos are carefully scanned by buyers and agents alike, to assess whether the property is worth taking a look at in real life.

 Just as important as the photos is the data fields:  all need to be filled out since internet searches all work via criteria.  The number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage – all vital so that your property comes up in as many search results as possible.

The best way to ace the online promotion piece of marketing property is to get the thing into really good condition.  Finish all the little to-dos that have been hanging around.  Make sure edges and corners are clean and well-defined.  Then style the home that it looks inviting in all of the photos.

This is the case whether you are selling your house by yourself as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) or whether you’re using an agent.  In either case, the home that is presented best wins the buyer and a higher selling price.

It takes more time to prepare a home to sell in this environment, but the rewards are great.

I encourage you to stop by often for tips, timesavers and best information available from someone in the field of property marketing 24-7.

 

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