An Everything Guide to Marketing Your Home During the Sale Process
Posted by Gary Ashton on Friday, April 19th, 2019 at 10:43am.
Selling anything with a hefty price tag can be tough, considering how there's usually a limited number of prospect buyers actually willing and capable of shouldering the expense. When it comes to selling a house, things can get pretty difficult, mainly because the residential market of Nashville, as well as almost every other market in the US, has shifted towards the buyers' favor.
Honing negotiating skills is something that all parties in any transaction should do, especially for those looking to sell their dwellings. As competition gets fierce, evolving owner strategies will be necessary to stay on top. While conventional methods could help, there are several other methods which can aid any homeowner secure the best possible deal.
The Most Successful Real Estate Marketing Strategies
Sometimes, you need to step up to the plate and help with some of the marketing for your home for sale. When you sell a home in Nashville, your real estate agent will handle most things, but you can certainly help out. Here are a few ways you can market your Music City home for sale.
Understand Where Buyers Go
There are four specific places that first time buyers go to find a new home. The National Association of Realtors did a study and about 99% of buyers find their new home through these four channels:
- Family and Friends
- Agents
- Online
- Yard Signs
These fours avenues should certainly be considered when you're marketing. You want to include all four categories as you develop your strategy, if possible.
It's also important to understand that you don't have to wait until your home is actually listed to start the marketing. You can start telling people as soon as you're 100% you will be selling. Spread the word through your own family and friends, put up a yard sign and get your home on the social media channels online, if possible.
Getting Listed in the Right Place Online
Getting your listing seen online requires the right strategy. There are a ton of different homes for sale throughout the city, which means you have to do the right things to get yourself to the top of the list. Here are a few tips to help enhance your online listing.
- Use sites, such as Zillow to enhance your listing and give it a little extra help
- Choose an agent capable of using both their network and the right SEO to get you listed on Google
- Add pictures and video for buyers to tour your home online
- Choose the Best Message
Another part of your marketing strategy needs to be the message you choose. You want to use both words and images, because images will do more for your home than anything else. The front photo is the most important part of the listing, but other photos will make a huge difference.
Take Good Photographs
Photographs help draw in buyers by making the listing look attractive. Working with a professional real estate photographer is a good way to get the best photographs possible, but if you're planning to take the photographs yourself, start by fixing up your home and cleaning up any messes that might detract from your photographs. Take interior and exterior pictures, and shoot more than you need to give yourself options.
Rooms that look small or dark in photographs can detract from the overall collection of pictures, so leave out any pictures that aren't flattering. When shooting outdoor images, take photographs at the height of the day when there are few shadows on the ground. Remove your car from the shot, and try to focus on your expansive lawn and beautiful home.
Staging your Franklin home is the process of making it look like a property that a buyer would like to buy, and it's crucial to perform staging before you have a professional real estate photographer come in to photograph your home. Typically sellers do this by making repairs as needed, keeping each room clean, redecorating if needed and decluttering. Every home is different. Some of the most common things that people do to stage their home include:
- Buy organizers for closets and bedrooms to make it easier to put clutter away.
- Repaint one or two rooms to give the home a fresh, well-maintained appearance.
- Pick up children's toys off the floor and put them in bins to keep them out of line of sight.
- Put pet toys and pet accessories away where they can't be seen.
- Clean carpets and replace rugs as needed.
- Remove heavy drapes to let in light.
In general, home buyers need to see that your home is well-maintained, spacious, and a pleasant place to live. If you're not sure what to do to stage your property, your real estate agent can help you decide how to present your home in the best light possible.
When shooting indoor pictures, take pictures from many angles. Remove any remaining clutter from shots and, if necessary, turn on all interior lights to eliminate shadows.
Put Out Signs
Signs make it easier for buyers to find your home while also attracting attention to your property. Use a sign that is easy to see, attractive and provides the important information in bold text. Put the sign in a prominent location to make it easier to find. If you're working with a real estate agent, he or she will have signs already made that can be put on your lawn at a moment's notice. Work with your real estate agent to put it in the best location possible.
Create Video Footage of Your Home
Humans are innately visual, so in addition to quality photography, you can create a video of the house plus surrounding amenities, and post it at YouTube.com. What needs to be included here is footage of the entire dwelling, as well as a verbal explanation telling the viewers about any key areas that'd probably be appealing to them. Taking a video of the neighborhood would be great too, as well as any nearby shops, cafes or malls.
If it's in the budget, consider using a drone to get aerial footage of your home. This high-quality footage is sure to set your home apart when prospective buyers look at it.
Market Your Home on Social Media
Utilize the power of social media! While many buyers go to online MLS or real estate websites to find a potential residence, waiting around for the best offer isn't exactly the fastest way to sell a house, especially when the Nashville residential market is currently filled with inventory.
Putting the word out to friends and acquaintances through websites such as Facebook or Twitter is a very effective way to reach out to thousands of people without having to pay a dime. Networking is a powerful tool in any industry, and there's no excuse as to why it can't be used here.
Social media is an excellent way tool to use when marketing a home for sale. Getting the home posted on Facebook and Instagram will immediately put it in front of dozens, if not hundreds of eyes. A simple post that includes a couple of eye-catching photos of the home, the basics regarding the location and what the home offers plus a link to the listing online may be all it takes to gain social media traction. If possible, consider adding a link on local community groups or pages (such as a buy & sell group or community discussion page) to gain additional views. This type of social media marketing is free and when done right can actually take on a life of its own!
Work With an Experienced Real Estate Agent
These are just a few of the many tips you can use to help market your Nashville home. Make sure you hire the right agent and take their advice for marketing, as well.
The best way to market your home during the sale process is to work with an experienced real estate agent. Your agent can help you make your home attractive to buyers while also spreading the word about your property to people who want to know. If you're thinking of selling your home, get started today by contacting experienced real estate agents in your area.
Gary Ashton
The Ashton Real Estate Group of RE/MAX Advantage
The #1 RE/MAX team in the World!