SEVEN THINGS
2 3 INVITE THE NEIGHBORS Tracey Hampson, an agent with Century 21 Troop Real Estate in Santa Clarita, Calif., puts a twist on the party idea and targets the neighbors, inviting them personally to a wine and cheese party by knocking on their doors and handing them an invitation. Because the neighbors have to bring the invi- tation to get in to the “very exclusive” party, they feel special. The approach usually doubles the turnout she could have expected without an invite, she says. Better yet, on her last listing, she ended up selling the home to a friend of one of the neighbors who attended the exclusive private party. You don’t have to go to that effort to have a similar effect if your property isn’t the wine-and-cheese, open-house type. Instead, go door-to-door letting the neighbors know about the home you have for sale and asking them to pass the information to any family members, friends or co-workers who might be interested in moving into the area. HOST AN EVENT People are always looking for space to hold events, such as weddings or parties and even to sell their items at pop-up shops. If you have the right venue, it’s another way to draw attention to your property. Post an ad, along with photo- graphs, on websites like The Storefront (www.thestorefront.com) and Event Up (www.eventup.com) and make sure fliers are available or that you’re available to talk about the property. Bonus: You’ll be able to generate a little revenue from the event as well. Listed properties usually charge several hundreds to several thousands of dollars per event, depending on the venue. If your property isn’t venue material, you can tweak the idea. Host a neighbor- hood garage sale (another great way to get the neighbors involved) or a charita- ble event at the property. For the charita- ble event, coordinate with the charity to hold an event at your property, such as the ever-popular wine-and-cheese party or an art auction. Ask the charity’s staff to help promote the event to their donor
BUY & HOLD
4 list, and offer a portion of the home’s profit to the charity when it sells. USE A DRONE “If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a five-minute video would be worth 7,000 words and definitely gen- erate more interest,” says Ed Brancheau, an SEO expert with Goozleology. That is especially the case, he adds, if that video includes footage shot by a drone. While photographs taken by a drone showing a bird’s-eye view of a property are becoming more common, a video showing exterior and interior drone footage still stands out. Brancheau says properties using drone video get more views, which means more interest and possibly more money. Chris Bonnet, CEO of Drone Dis- patch, says drone video isn’t necessarily for every property—it usually works best for properties that have great yards and spectacular interior features—but it can be an effective tool when spliced with conventional video and accompanied by voice-over or text overlays. For most videos, the drone starts outside and flies through the front door, through the living space, out the back door and over the backyard. Sometimes, Bonnet will incorporate drone flyovers of pool tables or elevated shots of the staircase. The footage is then edited to include conventional video. Although anyone can learn to fly a drone, it takes considerable talent to make an effective video. “The magic is in the video editing,” Bonnet says. Prices start at $600 for Drone Dispatch’s services. OFFER SOMETHING EXTRA Whether you offer a club member- ship or an actual item like a pool table, sometimes a perk can attract the extra attention needed to make your house stand out. Andrew Reeves says that when he put his home on the market, he asked local gyms to let their clients know that he would pay for a year’s gym membership for the person who bought his house. The strategy worked. Someone who 5
Get Crazy TRY SOME OUT-OF-THE-ORDINARY MARKETING TECHNIQUES TO GET YOUR PROPERTY MOVING.
of an open house, create a real buzz by throwing a party. The more over-the-top, the greater the buzz. Place signs and fliers in the community, hire a DJ and raffle off prizes. You may not attract someone to the party who eventually will buy your property, but those who do come may say something to someone who is look- ing in the area. Parties generally only make sense with large, upscale homes that are conducive to entertaining. Brian Jones, a digital real estate marketing profes- sional and a title insurance adviser for Liberty Title, points to a million-dol- lar lake house in Pinckney, Mich., as
an example. The owner spent nearly $10,000 on an open bar, pig roast and other entertainment, but the invest- ment paid off big time. More than 150 people attended, and a bidding war ensued, with the owner eventually accepting an offer for $150,000 above the asking price. You could scale things back if you have a smaller, less expensive house. Instead of going all out for a community party, invite a targeted group (such as other investors) for a wine and cheese party or host an art show for students from the local high school—anything to get people in the community talking about your property.
by Teresa Bitler
1 THROW A PARTY Open houses attract buyers on a limited basis because most buyers can easily find homes in their area through the MLS and Internet and gain access through their real estate agent. Instead
IN A SEA OF MLS LISTINGS , creative marketing can help your property stand out. While these seven strategies may not be for everyone or for every property, under the right circumstances, one of them may help you get a competitive edge.
96 | think realty magazine september :: october 2016
thinkrealty . com / mag | 97
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