Marketing and Selling Your House is Easy!
Whoever said that, couldn’t have tried selling a house in the 2008-2009 recession. House prices, dependent on buyer confidence and the availability of mortgages, tumbled; the market stagnated and both supply and demand fell off a cliff. We put our house on the market in autumn 2008, pricing it below the estate agent’s valuation. There were some viewers but we didn’t think they were serious prospective buyers. Some were looking for a bargain at distress prices, others were just plain nosey. We rejected a rock bottom offer.
And so it went on, through the winter and into spring 2009. More viewers, no buyers. We dropped the price, twice. Still viewers came and still we had no success. We reached the point where we’d rather stay put than reduce the price again. Then we did what we should have done a year earlier. We put some money and thought into the property. We applied marketing principles. Dark carpets were replaced by new ones, in neutral colours. Dated wallpaper was replaced with a light pastel paper. Pictures came off the walls, treasures were put away. We allowed potential buyers to see the house as a backdrop for their own tastes, not ours.
By this time we recognized that you don’t market a house, you promise a lifestyle. A new front door, slate house name sign, neatly trimmed hedges and lawns, well-tended flowerbeds all gave our house kerbside appeal. We decided that our eagerness to sell was having an adverse effect on viewers so we resolved to focus even more on lifestyle rather than the property itself.
We didn’t put the coffee pot on. Instead, we trusted the next viewers to wander round unaccompanied. They stayed longer and as if by magic, phoned back later to say they’d like to look again. This time I sat in a shady part of the garden, empty mug and Saturday supplements strewn untidily across the table. Our buyers commented that I’d found the perfect place for some peace and quiet. I agreed and they wandered, all the time thinking themselves into our leisurely lifestyle.
We didn’t sell to that couple but they did increase their offer and within two weeks we had another viewer. We did the same thing, depicting a lifestyle instead of trying to sell a house. This couple viewed again the next day, made an offer and we sold. Without the use of simple but effective marketing measures, we probably would even now still be looking for that elusive buyer. I have no idea why it took so long for us to pick up the tools that had been there for us from the very first day.
Footnote:
Contrary to perceived wisdom, we were entirely happy with our estate agents. They were professional and reliable, and went out of their way to help. Fenn Wright, thank you!
Ian Thurgood
http://www.sixtonant.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Thurgood
I have found real estate agents to be useful in finding a good place to live. This is especially true when I don’t know the area. Just make sure you find a good real estate agent.
thanks,