Getting Buyers To Take A Look

Presenting Your Property.

Understand the Market Conditions.
It was not that long ago when if you wanted to sell your property you would just stick a For Sale sign on your lawn and you had buyers flocking to see it. The 50 year low interest rates had everyone who ever thought about buying, out scurrying to buy a home. The demand for properties was high and it was a red hot seller’s market. Many properties were receiving multiple offers and some of the nicer properties were receiving a dozen or more. It was indeed a record market, the likes of which are very unlikely to be repeated any time soon.

Those buyers have all found their home and money is now tighter. The demand for properties has cooled and the market has turned to a cool buyer’s market. Homes continue to come onto the market and buyers now have many properties to choose from. As a result properties tend to stay on the market longer and prices are no longer spiraling up the way they were. The lawn sign and Sunday classified ad combination just does not pack the wallop it once did. To protect yourself from lowball offers you need a marketing plan that is going to show the property in its best light, provide as much exposure as possible and capture buyers' attention. In short, it all begins with having your home in proper presentation order.

Curb Appeal
Whether a potential buyer is just driving by the property, seeing the MLS (Multiple List Service) listing, viewing the property’s web page, the property flyer, a virtual tour or a live tour – the first impression of the property is how the house appears on the outside. How inviting is it? How well is it cared for and maintained? Is there a pride of ownership? That first impression often makes or breaks many deals. The tough part is that the deals that break aren't even know about - the buyers just do not pursue the property. This first glimpse, and the impression it makes, is referred to a curb appeal.

You want the curb appeal to give a powerful and positive first impression. I know, you ask, “why do I even mention it? It goes without saying, right?” No, it must be said and even emphasized, POSITIVE (not negative, not neutral, not okay, not mediocre, not humdrum) and POWERFUL. Powerful enough to get potential buyers out of their “ho hum, just another property routine” to getting them sitting up in their chair saying “hey, I want to see more of this one.” Without that emphasis, yours is just another property – you want yours to be the property that most people want to see.

So curb appeal is everything from the front curb right up to and in the front door. It is apparent on all views of the front of the house including MLS and flyer photos. It is the positive and powerful first impression that gets buyers to stop and look closer.
Next: Creating Curb Appeal

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