With all the competition out there, selling your home can sometimes take some strategy and out-of-the-box thinking. Buzz needs to be created for your home, but it can be difficult to do that when there are several other similar homes out there, all similarly listed.
So how do you stand out? Our latest post will discuss unconventional real estate selling tactics, and how you can use them to sell your home fast!
Throw A Party
The people who are coming to your open house, have probably seen others (lots) just like yours. The same boring food, same walk-through, same speech. The process can feel stiff and not truly showcase the personality of your home. Instead, you might consider doing something a little different. Depending on the time of year, throw a themed open house. Not only will people feel more comfortable in a more relaxed environment, but they will also get to see how much fun can be had at your house when entertaining! This creates a mental picture, really allowing them to feel at home.
Some examples.
Holding a Back Yard BBQ could showcase how well it is to entertain friends in the backyard. Or in the Fall Dress up the front porch with mums and pumpkins, showcase the awesome flower beds decked out for fall, and have a Hearth Room party showing off how well your kitchen area is set up for entertaining. Or maybe deck out the family room for a Football Party. Mid-Winter – decorate for the holidays and set the table for the big family dinner. Show off that dining room if you have it. You get the idea, show people what it is like to entertain in your home and they will picture themselves showing the home off to their friends and family.
Use an Unconventional, Humorous Ad
Real estate ads all tend to look the same. All homes are described as “beautiful” and is seems like most neighborhoods are described as “highly desirable.” So many ads lack creativity, which makes them blend in with all the others. Instead of a generic, boring ad, make yourself stand out by being bold and possibly funny. “Man Cave for Sale, (also Has 4 Bedrooms!)” Even if they aren’t looking for a “man cave’ per se, the ad will stick in their memory, and the use of humor makes you seem human as opposed to the typical, robotic, real estate ads.
One person we know had a tiny home before tiny homes were so cool. So he created a few videos that humorously showed off how tiny the home was, it sold in days. Or maybe there is something weird and quirky that could be a selling feature if you just framed it right. In our own home, we had what was originally planned as a formal living room, but when we finished the basement, the role of that room changed. Our kids had always called it the useless room as it had never had a purpose . . . so we showcased our useless room in its many different stages to show how valuable the useless room could be as a home office, kids’ playroom, exercise room, craft room.
Big Ticket Items
A new trend sellers are having luck with, is enticing buyers by throwing in a big-ticket item. Something they may have always wanted, but most likely not going to buy for themselves. Depending on the location throwing in a boat or even a car can be an option! If it doesn’t make sense to do something that extravagant, consider a new big-screen TV, or fridge. People like to get something for free, even if you have already factored it into your desired sale price.
In the KC area, most homes are sold without a fridge. So if you have a nice new set of appliances, save the moving costs and throw in the fridge as a bonus. Or maybe you have that big TV that is a bit costly to move. It might make more sense to throw in the TV and the built-in surround sound. You probably were going to include them anyway, but showcase them as a bonus so people think you are gifting them something with the home.
Get High Tech
Spending a little extra money upfront can lead to some big returns down the line. Think about hiring a videographer to make a video of your house, but have them make it look like the preview of a Hollywood blockbuster! Or have professional photos taken using a drone. The unique, aerial perspective, will add a whole new dimension! People will also be able to “get a lay of the land.” Don’t forget to include to showcase the neighborhood! Having some great photos of the local area can help potential buyers get a real sense of what living in your home will be like!
If you are listing with your Realtor, depending on the price of your house and the commission they are charging, they may not have the budget to do something like this. You might go out and get this done on your own dime and provide it to the Realtor as a marketing tool. Or take this marketing piece and sell your home For Sale By Owner and save the commission.
Take Your Staging Up A Notch
Most people know you need to stage a home to some extent to make buyers fall in love. However, by kicking it up a notch, you will make your home unforgettable. Think about details you would see at a luxury hotel or high-end residence. Hang only the most elegant, fluffy hand towels in the bathroom. Present hors d’oeuvre on an elegant serving tray. Even if these aren’t items you would use in your everyday life, bringing them into your home during these moments will make visitors to your home feel a sense of luxury and refinement. This will help your home stand out among others they might be looking at.
And do remember, even though your buyers are not buying your furniture, they do look at it in photos. So if you were going to buy all new furniture at your new home, why not upgrade some key pieces now? It will make the home you are selling look that much better in photos online, and the better it looks online, the more people who come to see your house and the sooner you get it sold.
Have a Sleepover
Well not exactly. If you are no longer living in the home, and you have a buyer who is on the fence, offer them the option to spend a night in the home! This way they can get a sense of what living there and waking up in that house will be like! We saw this in a neighbor’s house just this past weekend. The home is for sale and is vacant, but a happy couple came and camped out for the evening on the deck to see how they liked it. I think they slept at an alternative location, but from 7 pm to 10 pm, they were in the house and on the deck for 2 nights in a row getting a feel for how it would be if they lived there.
Are you looking for unconventional ways to sell your KC Metro home? Our team continually comes up with innovative strategies designed to sell your home fast! Fill out one of our forms and ask us about a fast cash offer vs our traditional listing option, either way, both are as-is
