Marketing Do’s And Don’ts When Selling a House

Although there are numerous reasons why a house may sit on the market without selling for months on end, one of the primary reasons is that your marketing strategy isn’t up to snuff. If your listing is about to expire, it’s time to take another look at your marketing approach to see what you can do to improve your chances of a successful sale. Some real estate agents may try to tell you that your sale depends on the desirability of your property. However, with an excellent marketing plan in place any property can sell.

It’s helpful to have an optimistic and experienced real estate agent working with you as you start to devise your marketing plan. Compare your local agents using the free, no-obligation service at LocalAgentFinder. Be sure to interview potential agents to find out more about their marketing approach before making a decision.

In today’s complex real estate market, it’s no longer enough to stick a “For Sale” sign on your lawn and a short ad in the classifieds section.  You’ll need to devise a marketing strategy with your real estate agent which covers more ground, using all available advertising media. This includes everything from using incentives to generate interest in an inspection to creating a virtual tour of the property and placing it online. Avoiding all of these tools can leave you far behind your competition, with your property left in the dust.

The following are a few common marketing mistakes that sellers make. Read through them to see if by simply correcting a few errors, you could find better ways to connect with your core demographics of buyers and improve your chances of selling your home.

Mistake 1: You have poor photos to represent your home.

One of the most important marketing tools you have at your disposal is the group of photos you take for online listings. Your online photos could be the primary factor when it comes to a buyer making a decision of whether or not to arrange an inspection. If you have amateur, blurry, or poor quality photos, this could drive buyers away.

Photo Do’s:

• Optimise any high resolution photos before uploading them online.
• Crop out irrelevant areas from your images, such as sidewalks or neighbouring properties.
• Post photos using the correct orientation.
• Include as many photos as possible, including both general shots and more specific images highlighting unique details of the property.

Photo Don’ts:

• Don’t use dark photos with drawn curtains and household clutter.
• Don’t include photos of your pets.
• Don’t just post a single photo of the home’s exterior without any details.
• Avoid photos which include your reflection or an image of your camera.

Mistake 2: You have included a bland, uninformative listing description

Although the listing’s photos may be the factor that initially captures a buyer’s attention, you can then reel them in with a captivating online description. Look at this as an opportunity to state your case and tell the buyer why your home is right for their needs.

Listing Do’s:

• Be sure to highlight any unique or interesting features in your property.
• Show off how versatile your property is by describing the features in terms of potential function.
• Use positive and varied adjectives to liven up the description.
• Post your internet listing on as many websites as possible.

Listing Don’ts:

• Don’t forget to include contact information.
• Don’t neglect to include your home’s selling points, and provide more than simply basic information.

Mistake 3: You are tied down to traditional marketing methods.

The world is changing, and you must keep up with it to make a successful sale. Stay on top of online marketing methods for a more well-rounded strategy. You may want to choose a real estate agent who is up to date with the latest forms of technology. Compare your options using the free comparison tool at LocalAgentFinder.

New Marketing Do’s:

• Think about creating a virtual tour. This provides viewers with a 360 degree view of all the rooms in your property, creating interest. A virtual tour can put your home ahead of the competition immediately.
• Use blogs or informal websites to promote your property, along with more formalised real estate listings sites.
• Give visitors the option to print high resolution photographs from your listings websites.
• Give visitors the opportunity to email information or images pertaining to your home to their contacts using your websites.

New Marketing Don’ts:

• Don’t neglect to use traditional marketing methods in favour of all new ones. Old methods can still be effective, making a combination of both the most efficient way to sell your home.
• Don’t stop advertising in magazines and newspapers. House sale ads printed in daily newspapers on peak days can still reach a wide audience. You’ll particularly want to make use of outlets that allow you to print photos.
• Don’t reject new marketing ideas right off the bat because you are unfamiliar with them. Listen to your real estate agent and remember that more exposure can lead to a wider audience of potential buyers.

Mistake 4: It’s too difficult for buyers to view your property.

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and remember that they will need to take their time shopping around for a purchase as large as a new home. You’ll want to make their lives easier by making it easy for them to come view your property. Otherwise, they will skip your open for inspection and go to your neighbour’s instead.

Viewing Do’s:

• Try to be flexible with your time and make yourself available for private viewings.
• Keep your home in a buyer-ready state. A marketable home is de-personalised, tidy, and free from clutter; ensuring that it is ready for viewings at all times.
• Ask your real estate agent to give you notice before an inspection so that you have time to tidy up and make any last minute arrangements.
• Place a lock box on the property so that your agent can come and go when you are not available to show the home.

Viewing Don’ts:

• Don’t require more than 24 hours’ notice for viewings.
• Don’t heavily restrict your house’s viewing times.

Mistake 5: You are not offering buyers any incentives to attend your open house inspection.

Finally, if you’re going to go to all the time and effort to hold an open for inspection, you’ll want to make sure that you give buyers plenty of incentive to show up. Although sellers might want to avoid incentives due to the extra cost, this can lead to a swifter and more profitable house sale in the end.

What’s next?

Your marketing strategy will be more effective if you are working with a top-notch real estate agent. Sellers and agents have been using LocalAgentFinder to connect with one another since 2007. Register your details and start comparing agents including fees, commissions, marketing strategy and more.