Stand Out From the Crowd
The real estate market is crowded, and making your property listings stand out from the others is the key to getting buyers in the door. Let’s have a look at four things real estate agents can do with their listings to get the best possible result for their homeowners.
Presentation Makes or Breaks Listings
Presenting a home in the best light is definitely a key step in making sure your listings stand out. Most real estate agents agree that styling a property in a certain way will help achieve a higher sale price, and many believe it’s key to moving a home faster.
So what styling tips do agents recommend? The most popular one is to declutter. This involves hiding or removing items in a room so that there is less stuff sitting around. When there is too much clutter a room feels smaller, and that’s the opposite of what new home buyers are looking for.
However, sometimes more significant steps are needed, especially when the agent or seller are hoping for a top price. Over at The New York Times, they recount a story of one homeowner who was putting a home on the market. After the owner took steps to declutter, the presentation still included the owner’s eclectic mix of furniture. The home failed to sell, even after dropping the price from $1.85 million to $1.65 million.
Eventually, the selling agent convinced the owners to bring in a professional home stager, who then removed the owner’s furniture and added new contemporary pieces. The place was “mobbed” at the first open house, and with a crowd of buyers, they were able to achieve a successful sale for $1.8 million.
Your Listings Should Present a Lifestyle to Buyers
As Jane Saidenberg, the design director of Studio D noted: “It’s not just about solving a problem now, but much more about presenting a lifestyle to prospective buyers.”
Why are buyers expecting such high standards, especially in the larger cities? It may be due to the abundance of real estate shows on TV where viewers are exposed to high-quality listings that are immaculately presented. When they arrive at a home that is for sale, they expect that high standard to be there. If the property is presented in a dated fashion, then buyers will either walk out or expect to pay a lower price than they would for a listing that is presented as a ‘trophy home.’
Be Present for the Photo Shoot
Some real estate agents never show up for the photo shoot, or if they do they push the photographer to move through as quickly as possible so the agent can ‘move on to more important things’. Agents that treat their listings this way are missing the point.
A well-orchestrated photo shoot, where the agent and photographer work as a team to create compelling images that present the home in the best possible way, will get the best possible result.
With the agent present, the photographer can focus on creating great images rather than being distracted by the owner, pets, or other matters that can make their time on site more difficult than it needs to be. Homeowners also love to see their agent take a hands-on approach to the photo shoot, and this is something that is likely to lead to great references and word-of-mouth referrals.
Use Drone Shots When Appropriate
We’ve spoken previously about the importance of using drone shots, and they certainly can get the attention of buyers. But to maximize the benefit of aerial shots, drones should be used with discretion
- Got a listing with a great location? Use a drone to show how close it is to a local landmark or the city.
- Got a large property with lots of space? Use a drone to show the size of the property.
- Got a listing with a lot of trees around it? Use a drone to get a clear view of the home.
- Got a small property that’s very close to neighbors? Don’t use a drone.
- Got a property with a bad roof? Don’t use a drone.
- Got a property with unfavorable conditions or properties nearby? Don’t use a drone.
And remember that not all drone pilots are created equal. Some drone pilots crash into things, creating liabilities. As one writer noted in an article at Inman – Drones in real estate: 3 things to consider before hiring a pilot:
- Make sure you ask for a testimonial.
- See previous examples of their previous work.
- Ask if they carry general liability insurance.
The risk is too high to hire a pilot without these qualifications.
Share Your Listings on Social Media
The majority of buyers in your local area are probably using social media on a daily basis, so you need to make sure your listings are there as well. However, a lot of agents only post photos or links to their latest listings, and I think that’s a mistake.
As this comment from AgentImage notes: “While posting high-quality photos of your properties can help you to get more shares and likes, you should also create content that is interesting to your demographic that will create a buzz, generate awareness about the community and real estate market, and solicit feedback and interaction.”
Three Tips for Real Estate Agent Facebook Marketing Campaigns:
- Create Friends Lists in your personal profile so that when you share content, you can choose to only show it to your buyer and seller connections on Facebook.
- Do mix business with personal when posting content, whether it’s on your personal profile or your business page.
- Commit to your Facebook marketing plan, and make sure you stick at it long-term.
Contact us and put our 23+ years of experience in media, content creation and marketing to work for you to make your listing stand out!
Northern Virginia Real Estate Photography
571-207-7282 757-348-3402
www.novarealestatephoto.com
