Gone are the days when home sellers can count on a sale by simply sticking a for-sale sign in the front yard and listing on the MLS. In today’s market, you have to get a lot more creative than that to sell your home quickly and at a good price. Effective marketing is crucial and can make the difference between a sale and no sale. But when it comes to creative marketing, you also have to distinguish between tactics that are merely gimmicky and those that are truly unique and effective. With that in mind, we offer these 4 unique marketing ideas for home sellers in Port-Elizabeth.
1. Create a Virtual Tour
Virtual tours aren’t exactly new, but when done professionally and creatively they fall into the category of unique marketing ideas for home sellers in Port-Elizabeth. And since the advent of COVID-19, virtual tours aren’t just for high-end homes anymore because buyers love virtual tours.
“A good virtual tour will grab a buyer by the hand and lead them from room to room, whether it’s 360 or a video. Depending on the tour company, you can add sound, music, or an exciting, professionally written description that scrolls with the movement of the tour.”
Virtual tours are so effective for home sellers because they provide buyers “an experience about how they could use the house, how they would feel within that space, [which] can really enhance their interest in the house. As you know, in-home buying, a lot of things can be all about how you feel about the new space that you’re going to live in.” In fact, one study found that “virtual home tours are a big factor in selling houses at prices two-to-three percent higher than similar homes without online tours.”
Just be sure to consult your Port-Elizabeth agent for the best practices in virtual tours for your market. To find out more about this, call 0823283345.
2. Leverage the Power of Social Media
The power and reach of social media present home sellers with many unique marketing opportunities. “[T]he importance of social media for real estate really can’t be overstated.” Consider that 99% of millennials and 90% of baby boomers begin their home searches online.
The most popular social media platforms for home sellers are Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. And Pinterest is also gaining in popularity. But the key to effective social media marketing lies in finding the channel that works best for you. You have to determine what you’re most comfortable with and what works best for you.
One creative social media strategy that has proved effective for home sellers is offering a reward for shares that lead to a sale. You could, for example, offer a R1,000 reward to any Facebook friend who shares your listing when that share results in the actual sale.
3. Let Buyers Live There for a Weekend
Here’s a really unique marketing idea for home sellers in Port-Elizabeth: let potential buyers (the most promising ones) live in your home for a short time. There’s no better way for buyers to really find out about your house and exactly what it would be like to have it as their home.
Certainly, you’ll be more comfortable about this if you actually know the people who will be staying in your home, but even if you don’t it’s still worth considering. If you have a seemingly serious buyer who is waffling or staying on the fence, letting them stay in your home overnight or over the weekend can be just what it takes to close the deal.
So in your marketing efforts, be sure to state that you are making the stay-over-the-weekend offer for serious buyers. Your Port-Elizabeth agent can help you vet buyers so that you won’t be wasting time.
4. Hold an Extreme (and Fun) Open House
Open houses have historically been dull, low-key affairs. And most of the people who attend them are mere tire kickers, not serious buyers at all. But an extreme open house can be a unique and fun way to market your home. You just have to take it to the next level.
You could, for example, host an escape room in your house or maybe have a murder-mystery party as part of the open house. You’ll attract more potential buyers, and you’ll make the open house experience fun for them. The fun experience and its emotional impact on buyers will make your house stand out for them.
And Call on Your Port-Elizabeth Agent’s Expertise
These unique marketing ideas are really only a few of the possibilities. There are many more things you can do such as using drone photography and high-end staging. But one of the best things home sellers can do is to utilize their local agent’s knowledge and expertise. A good agent will have many more creative marketing tactics in her arsenal. So if you’re among the home sellers in Port-Elizabeth who really want to make their home stand out with unique marketing, don’t hesitate to contact us today at 0823283345.
