How to Sell Your Home More Quickly

Gearing up to sell your home — or thinking about it? Exciting!

While a realtor is a terrific ally to help you get the word out, there are countless other ways you can help boost your home’s profile in the marketplace. We chatted with people who’ve recently sold their homes to see what worked for them — and while marketing tactics varied, one key truth remained. As a seller the best thing you can do is remember what you loved most about living in the house — from the neighborhood coffee shop to the quirky cupboards — and focus on bringing those features to life for your prospective buyers.

Not sure how to accomplish this? Get your creativity flowing with these tried-and-true marketing hints for making your home stand out.

Digital Curb Appeal

Photos speak volumes. Hiring a professional to take photos and staging your home for show-and-sell is critical. People skimming online will remember their first impression. Getting atop their visit list requires good attention to detail.

Stars in the digital space. Putting your home on as many sites as you can with as many good photos as you have lets people know you’re serious. Finding your local MLS site — as well as nationwide sites such as Trulia and Zillow — will give you maximum exposure. Also, neighborhood social media communities like Nextdoor are a good way to get people near you working for you.

Getting People In The Door

Place signs everywhere. There are people who still sell homes via word of mouth or to prospective owners driving through desirable neighborhoods. A sign out front works in conjunction with your online presence, so shoppers can easily see interior photos while experiencing the neighborhood firsthand. Also, placing little placards for various home features inside the house will show people things they might otherwise miss when touring.

Brochures deliver. When people drive or walk past your home and become interested, you want them to be able to get their hands on its information immediately. Keeping the brochure box filled, especially before a weekend, will raise your selling chances.

Greeting with open doors. Not everyone is comfortable scheduling private showings. Many would rather make the rounds of open houses in one weekend day. Improving your chances of snagging someone’s attention with your beautiful home starts by making it available for weekend showings.

Broker tours. Whether you’re selling your own home or working with an agent, having an open house just for brokers can multiply the visibility of your home. Putting out hors d’oeuvres for evening showings usually keeps guests around. You could even create a self-guided tour with printed home maps highlighting the selling points.

Staging for encores. Presenting your home at its best means staging it before taking the first photo. Your home should demonstrate curb appeal, cleanliness and flow. Making sure you’ve depersonalized and decluttered so potential buyers can envision their own belongings in the space will let their imaginations fill in the blanks.

Realty newsletters. If you’re working with a real estate agent, often they will send fliers throughout their company with new listings. Talk to your agent about including your home.

Next-Level Marketing

Dedicated websites. Creating your own website to sell your home isn’t that difficult and certainly elevates your home’s perception. If your home is priced in the top half of the average home prices around you, putting a site together can separate your home from the rest. Showing photos from each season, listing your neighborhood’s attractions and showcasing your property’s best features, like fireplaces, pools, porches and smart home systems, unfolds the story that is your house. Providing floor-by-floor layouts, specs and photos of your home’s furnace, air conditioner, sump pump, lighting, sound system and appliances will make the decision to buy more of a foregone conclusion. Include contact information with your site, and serious buyers will come calling.

E-fliers and emails. Creating an easy and attractive email/flier showing off your home and its top amenities and linking to the MLS site (or your personal website) shows an attention to detail people will assume spilled over into the care of the home. Sending it to brokers, your neighborhood association, friends, family and business acquaintances (if appropriate) is the way home marketing is done these days.

Using social media. Posting on social media is just a click away. Word of mouth will fan the flames of your home’s desirability, and potential buyers will take notice. Highlight the high points and include the asking price. 

Create a virtual tour. Large homes benefit from virtual tours, and they’re easier than ever to create. If it’s not something you can do, ask your real estate agent for help.

Online ads. There are many options with broad reach: local city magazines, newspapers and even utility companies. Also, remember real estate websites (Trulia, Zillow, etc.) and larger online classified sites, like Craigslist. One good question to ask is whether the site uses profiling to match your ads to users who would most likely be interested (geographic, age, viewing history, etc.).

Incentives. Depending on the real estate laws in your state, you may be able to provide buyers with certain incentives to buy by including key items, like stereo systems in a pre-wired home or projection screens in the movie room.

Whatever approach you take with marketing your home, keep in mind your end goal — to move into a new home that better supports your family’s dreams. Keep your head up and your hard work will pay off – you’ll be handing over the keys in no time!