The Pen is mightier than the sword
This week we bring you a great new article from Tara
Nelson at Trulia! This week her article touches on something quite important
to Sellers; what do I need to do to make my home desirable to all the qualified
and ready buyers out there? While we’ve
talked about the drought in inventory here in the Silicon Valley, while your
home alone will bring the buyer, what are things that you can do to keep them
and get them to make an offer? We here at the Dawn Thomas Team take our
responsibility to you, the Seller, very seriously and part of that means walking
you through the home selling process and explaining to you what makes your
house desirable and coming up with a marketing plan that best suits your house.
Please read on for the top 10 most powerful words for your home sale!
1. “Walkable to. . .”- Home buyers really love to be in neighborhoods and communities that offer them the ability to be within walking distance to enjoy the local amenities like coffee, the farmers market and that great hole-in-the-wall restaurant! “The results of a study by Walkscore.com bears this out: buyers are simply willing to pay more for homes with high “walkability” rankings, compared with homes in sprawling neighborhoods where cars are necessary to get to and from essentials.”
2. Feel, floor plan and flow- Home buyers, right now, want homes that are open *think “great room” and is clean and bright. If you’re home matches this criteria you want to use this description as it will make buyers want to come and see it themselves.
3. Lifestyle upgrades for first-time buyers- “If your home is in an area, a price range or has other characteristics that are treasured by first-time buyers, you can get major bang out of every listing description word by simply mentioning the ways in which life in your home would represent a big lifestyle upgrade compared to living in an apartment or a rental. For example, dropping verbal clues that your home has ample storage spaces, offers exceptional privacy and quiet, or has uniquely usable furnished or otherwise ready-to-enjoy outdoor living spaces are all mentions that can capture the attention of even the most bargain-hungry first-time buyers.”
4. Materials- In their 2005 book Freakonomics, economists Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner ran some numbers and found five words which, when present in listings, were positively correlated with higher purchase prices – and three of the five were finish materials: granite, Corian and maple. (The other two? State-of-the-art and gourmet.) Keep in mind two things: (1) what buyers prefer changes over time, and (2) different buyers prefer different materials. So, while granite counters and hardwood floors were the materials du jour a couple of years back, buyers are increasingly responsive to mentions of more avant garde materials like concrete countertops and cork floors.”
5. Brand names- Naming brands in a lot of other areas in life seems rather snooty but in the situation of selling your home: it’s a good thing! We equate brand names with certain adjectives and quality and if you have those names, you’re potential buyer will do the same thing. So if you’re home has high-end appliances in your kitchen, let them know! Another way brand names can be powerfully included in your home’s listing is joint with #1, by indicating the popular stores and shopping corridors that are conveniently accessible from the property. Mentioning the home’s proximity to “shopping and dining” is good; detailing that it is less than a half-mile from Trader Joe’s/Whole Foods is great.”
6. Neighborhood names- ”Including the actual name of your district or neighborhood allows your home’s listing to become searchable for that term. In particular, if your home typifies a style of home for which your area is well-known, dropping the names of both the neighborhood and the style can pack a one-two punch ie “Mountain View, Eichler original”
7. “Built-in” or “custom”- “Some that fit the bill include:
• Custom desks and bookcases
• Built-in closet organizers and garage storage systems
• Customized recycling centers or backyard composters
• Custom, artisan-built wood doors, windows and cabinetry
• Built-in furniture like breakfast nook banquettes and window seats.”
8. On trend features- A big consideration for a lot of buyers right now is green retrofitting for homes, whether that is upgrades or green materials used in your addition. Make sure to let the Dawn Thomas Team know about these things when we list your home!
9. Little kitchen luxuries- Do you have two dishwashers? Or a breakfast banquette? Those are things that buyers look for in their potential kitchen; don’t miss your opportunity to talk about those!
10. Differentiators from the competition- “:If your home is on a premium lot, or has an extra bathroom or a mother-in-law unit compared to the others for sale in your subdivision or town at the same price range – mention it; whatever your home has going for it that others lack should be front and center in your listing.”
1. “Walkable to. . .”- Home buyers really love to be in neighborhoods and communities that offer them the ability to be within walking distance to enjoy the local amenities like coffee, the farmers market and that great hole-in-the-wall restaurant! “The results of a study by Walkscore.com bears this out: buyers are simply willing to pay more for homes with high “walkability” rankings, compared with homes in sprawling neighborhoods where cars are necessary to get to and from essentials.”
2. Feel, floor plan and flow- Home buyers, right now, want homes that are open *think “great room” and is clean and bright. If you’re home matches this criteria you want to use this description as it will make buyers want to come and see it themselves.
3. Lifestyle upgrades for first-time buyers- “If your home is in an area, a price range or has other characteristics that are treasured by first-time buyers, you can get major bang out of every listing description word by simply mentioning the ways in which life in your home would represent a big lifestyle upgrade compared to living in an apartment or a rental. For example, dropping verbal clues that your home has ample storage spaces, offers exceptional privacy and quiet, or has uniquely usable furnished or otherwise ready-to-enjoy outdoor living spaces are all mentions that can capture the attention of even the most bargain-hungry first-time buyers.”
4. Materials- In their 2005 book Freakonomics, economists Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner ran some numbers and found five words which, when present in listings, were positively correlated with higher purchase prices – and three of the five were finish materials: granite, Corian and maple. (The other two? State-of-the-art and gourmet.) Keep in mind two things: (1) what buyers prefer changes over time, and (2) different buyers prefer different materials. So, while granite counters and hardwood floors were the materials du jour a couple of years back, buyers are increasingly responsive to mentions of more avant garde materials like concrete countertops and cork floors.”
5. Brand names- Naming brands in a lot of other areas in life seems rather snooty but in the situation of selling your home: it’s a good thing! We equate brand names with certain adjectives and quality and if you have those names, you’re potential buyer will do the same thing. So if you’re home has high-end appliances in your kitchen, let them know! Another way brand names can be powerfully included in your home’s listing is joint with #1, by indicating the popular stores and shopping corridors that are conveniently accessible from the property. Mentioning the home’s proximity to “shopping and dining” is good; detailing that it is less than a half-mile from Trader Joe’s/Whole Foods is great.”
6. Neighborhood names- ”Including the actual name of your district or neighborhood allows your home’s listing to become searchable for that term. In particular, if your home typifies a style of home for which your area is well-known, dropping the names of both the neighborhood and the style can pack a one-two punch ie “Mountain View, Eichler original”
7. “Built-in” or “custom”- “Some that fit the bill include:
• Custom desks and bookcases
• Built-in closet organizers and garage storage systems
• Customized recycling centers or backyard composters
• Custom, artisan-built wood doors, windows and cabinetry
• Built-in furniture like breakfast nook banquettes and window seats.”
8. On trend features- A big consideration for a lot of buyers right now is green retrofitting for homes, whether that is upgrades or green materials used in your addition. Make sure to let the Dawn Thomas Team know about these things when we list your home!
9. Little kitchen luxuries- Do you have two dishwashers? Or a breakfast banquette? Those are things that buyers look for in their potential kitchen; don’t miss your opportunity to talk about those!
10. Differentiators from the competition- “:If your home is on a premium lot, or has an extra bathroom or a mother-in-law unit compared to the others for sale in your subdivision or town at the same price range – mention it; whatever your home has going for it that others lack should be front and center in your listing.”
This blog is courtesy of The Dawn Thomas Team who is an
award-winning Real Estate Agent team at Intero Real Estate Services in Los Altos
650-701-7822. We help nice people with selling and buying homes from Palo Alto
to West San Jose!
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