When you think about marketing a house, think beyond selling the property. Think about selling a lifestyle — an ideal lifestyle for the potential buyer — and then make your pitch.
How Do I Do That?
It’s pretty simple…
Don’t describe the physical characteristics and stop there, describe how the new buyer will feel, how the features will be used, what life in this particular house will be like for the buyer. Many real estate agents are still describing properties like they did for newspapers — with an eye toward paying per word. They use shortcuts, quick and lazy options and abbreviations. It’s more like reading code than discovering a property.
Today, you can use property postcards, brochures and your website to expand the a simple description to a compelling experience.
Need an example? Compare the following:
Boring Description of Kitchen:
Stainless steel appliances are top-end, granite counter tops, painted oak cabinets, walk-in pantry and ceramic tile floor.
Compelling Description of Kitchen:
This chef’s dream kitchen offers more than beauty and convenience. It boasts a sealed gas cooktop, self-cleaning dual wall ovens, matching stainless steel dishwasher, and rich tile floors. Here you can enjoy creating the perfect meal without the burden of a lengthy clean-up chore! Warm, quality painted oak cabinets are built to last, look beautiful, and wipe clean. Oversized windows flood the kitchen with natural light and task lighting ensures you will have the right amount of light in every corner, day or night.
The granite counter tops offer luxury that is durable for a lifetime of daily use. The walk-in pantry allows for buying in bulk, keeping it all organized — with every ingredient your culinary creations will require at finger-tip access. No more frustrating last-minute dashes to the grocery store!
Why order take-out again, when you have a kitchen designed to make it so easy to cook healthy, delicious meals at home without a huge time commitment? Save money, save time, save gas, and get back to the tradition of enjoying family mealtimes in this lovely new home!
Take It Into Other Areas
It’s not just a kitchen thing — talk about the luxury in well-appointed bathrooms, discuss the opportunity for summer gatherings and barbeques in an generously sized back yard, point out the convenience of using the study as a home office or craft room.
When you look at a house you have just listed, take off your real estate glasses for a moment and consider what it would be like to live there:
- Make any small repairs
- Freshen up and update a room or accent wall with a fresh coat of paint
- Add eye-catching cabinet handles and shiny new fixtures
- Well-placed plants, accessories and artwork draw attention to interesting architectural details
- Add warmth and richness with a neutral color palette
- What are the best features?
- What are the best uses of the space?
- What will the right buyer want from the property?
Now, paint a picture with your words — a snapshot of a happy life in this new home.
Sure, a tough economy makes it harder to move houses, but taking the time to sell the lifestyle and highlight the possibilities of each individual property will help you attract more buyers and sell the home quicker!