Why is marketing so important?

So we met them at their property and immediately fell in love with the entire package. It was an attractive, well-maintained home in a great (actually fabulous) setting. The home was priced a little lower than we thought it could be, but otherwise, their current listing sheet had a sufficient number of photos, room measurements were there, and there was an adequate, though not particularly compelling, description of the property.  So why hadn’t such a great property sold? The piece of the puzzle that was missing and the reason it hadn’t sold was marketing.

When we list properties we look for a “perk” –  something that screams for attention and makes buyers sit up and take notice. Not every property has a perk and sometimes it’s hard to find something special to hang your marketing hat on.  But that wasn’t the case here. This was a great home with wide river frontage, 15 minutes from some the best fly fishing and kayaking in the area, in a nice country setting, with views of the mountains. Anyone of those things would be enough to work with but this home had it all and we recognized the potential and more importantly, we knew how to capitalize on it.

Several days later, we got another call from the sellers letting us know that the other agents had agreed to let them out of their listing agreement and they were ready to get started with us.

Robert and I, along with Ace our real estate dog,  spent the better part of a day shooting new pictures and a video. The location was off a dirt road, along the river, and in the country, so we decided to do an “Andy of Mayberry” sort of opening.  The approach we took was to focus on the lifestyle. The house had a lot going for it, but it was the setting that was going to sell this property.  Finding a home in this price range (even after we raised the listing price $15,000) with this much river frontage isn’t something that comes along every day and that was the hook. We carried that theme into the description of the property on the listing sheet and in various print ads. When it was all said and done, the video went out on YouTube, onto our listing, and out to the world.

Fast forward 22 days after signing the listing papers with us.  The sellers have entertained 2 offers and are now under contract with one of them.  Plus, by using our pricing strategy they not only sold quickly, they sold for more money than they would have at the lower listing price.  They will close in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, our phone continues to ring with inquiries from other agents and buyers who have seen the video and have an interest in the property.

There is a reason why companies large and small spend so much money on marketing….because it works. Real estate is no different. The minute you sign the listing papers, your home becomes a consumer product and just like the car you drive, the clothes you wear, or the ketchup you put on your french fries, your home will stand a better chance of selling if it is marketed properly.  Just ask these sellers!