Attracting home buyers during is the first step in the home selling process. Being the first step, it is fundamental to attract as many buyers as possible in order to increase the chances of a successful sale. What you are about to read are 9 secret tips – almost no one knows about – to get the attention of potential home buyers.
1. Put Mirrors in Narrow Areas
Although this applies mostly for small homes, putting mirrors in narrow areas can make the property look larger. The reflection of the light will add more bright to the overall space too. This works wonders when put in halls.
2. Add Some Beauty to the Garden
Although in winter there’s little you can do to add that beautiful touch to your garden (in case you have one), you can tide borders and lawns to make it look as decent as possible. In case you upload pictures of your home on the internet, make sure you provide them with a picture that has been taken during spring when flowers are starting to bloom.
3. Make Sure Your Home is Warm
In case your home doesn’t receive enough sunlight or it’s winter time, you should turn on a heater several minutes or up to one hour before the visitors arrive. Cold homes aren’t very welcoming and they can give a negative impression to home buyers emotionally speaking.
4. Start Marketing your Home Before Spring Comes
Many people think there’s no use to putting their home for sale before spring. They couldn’t be more wrong. Actually, you need to start marketing your house before spring, so when spring comes you can sell it quickly. In the UK, spring time is when home sales go up. If you have started to market it before it arrives, you will be able to reap off the benefits of a flourishing real estate market. Many online real estate portals get tens of millions of visits during spring, and it is estimated that e-mails and phone calls are almost 50% higher on January than in the previous months combined.
5. Hire the Right Real Estate Agent
Not all real estate agents are created equal. In order to hire the right one, you need to:
- Talk with previous clients. You can do this by asking him or her to provide you with a list. Then, call them and ask questions such as, “how long was your home in the market”, “what was the asking and the selling price?”, etc.
- Make sure he specializes in types of properties such yours. You can confirm this information by checking his credentials.
- Check if the agents has won any award recently.
- Hire someone who has been on this business for at least five years.
- Make sure he has several listings on his site as this is correlated to how well he is doing in terms of closing deals.
6. Consider Hiring an Online Real Estate Agent
Online agents charge around £600 paid up-front. On the other hand, “offline” agents will charge you around 1.3% of the home’s value. Thus, if you own a £400,000 home, fees will be a staggering £5,200, almost over 1000% than those of online brokers – in case your home is sold.
7. Offer a Cup of Tea or Coffee to Potential Buyers
Acting proactively will place you ahead of the game when trying to sell your home. While buyers will make their decision mostly based on the home’s features and price, offering them a firm handshake and a cup of tea or something warm to drink will definitely make you stand out from the crowd. This move may not assure you the first place on their minds, but it will definitely add a few points in your favour. Needless to say, building rapport will always work to your advantage.
8. Don’t Tell Clients to Take Their Shoes Off
Many home sellers ask their potential clients to take off their shoes before entering their property. This is a good way to turn people down. Some people feel uncomfortable walking without their shoes even in their own home! Others will see it as a rude demand. If you are worried about germs or dirt coming from the street, putting a mat at the entrance is the best thing you can do to keep both them and you happy.
9. Be Clear in Your Ad
Being too pompous in the words used in your advertising will only serve the purpose of disappointing people when they check your property. Many real estate agents like to use this style to attract buyers. However, this only works in the most initial stage of the process. You can also use bullet points to point our features. You can go a step farther and provide them with locations of nearby schools, amenities, transportation links, etc. Every house has a unique selling point which is its most captivating feature. Point it out too.
Nice post! Thank you for sharing. Hope to hear more from you.
Thanks for this great article