With the housing market in a bit of a slump at the moment, and sales figures subdued, creativity goes a long way towards clinching a sale. While clean white walls, a tidy yard, and a freshly made bed are all likely to make a good impression on potential buyers, some crafty sellers are prepared to go the extra mile. From novel listings and fun games through to unicorns and dinosaurs, there are lots of different ways to get more people through the door and speed up the sale process.
In order to sell a house, you need to sell a home. If potential buyers can't see themselves living in your property, they are much less likely to break out the cash. This is even true for investment properties, with buyers still making decisions based on their own likes and dislikes. Whether it's conscious or unconscious, the lifestyle you offer through your listing or open house has a crucial role to play. Try to see your home through the eyes of potential buyers and give them exactly what they're looking for.
The best way to get to know a house is to spend some time in it. In an effort to show off their home, one couple took this idea to its logical extreme by offering their home as a free weekend getaway to potential buyers. While this option is not available to everyone, this incredibly trustworthy gesture shows that you, and your home, have got nothing to hide. Even if you don't want to go down this road, it's important to highlight the best features of your home during every open house so potential buyers can picture themselves waking up to the view, having dinner with their family, or enjoying drinks on the deck.
One recent listing in America got a lot of media and market attention, with the real estate agent representing the property saying "It was definitely the busiest open house I've ever had in all my time doing real estate." Rather than spending tens of thousands of dollars doing renovations or adding new features, the property owners made the brave and highly creative decision to dress their kids in inflatable unicorn and dinosaur costumes. The larger than life creatures were then photographed playing the roles of mum and dad in the property listing, with social media catching on and the market immediately buzzing.
If you're feeling really playful, why not make a game out of the entire process and have some fun along the way. One brave homeowner turned their sale into a contest and offered up their home as the first prize. The essay contest had a $125 fee and 7,000 entries, which netted just over $900,000 and covered the intended price of the sale. While you could potentially make even more money with this strategy, a lot of marketing will be needed, and you will need to check the laws in your local area. Even if you don't want to offer your home as the prize, throwing in some extras or offering rewards can be a great way to attract market attention.