Long gone are the days when you could sell a house by just sticking a for-sale sign in the front yard and maybe taking out a classified ad in the local paper. Now, it takes some aggressive and highly targeted marketing because you absolutely must reach and then sway your target market. As with marketing and selling anything else, you have to target the right buyers. Read on, then, to discover how to find and appeal to the right buyers when selling your house in Kauai.
Emphasize Lifestyle
As any savvy marketer will tell you, it’s all about benefits, not features. Buyers are, of course, interested in features, but what they really want to know is what those features can do for them – that is, the benefits. And different kinds of buyers are looking for different benefits. So if you truly want to appeal to the right buyers when selling your house in Kauai, emphasize the lifestyle benefits.
Certainly, your listing will talk about square footage, the number of beds and baths, the in-ground pool, the fireplace in the family room, and so on. But your listing needs to do a lot more than that. “What buyers want – whether they’re aware of it or not – is a glimpse into the lifestyle the home could provide. A good listing description will definitely feature information about recent upgrades to the home and the amenities of the neighborhood, but will also offer a little something more. That ‘something more’ is an emotional connection to the home. Rather than dryly listing home features, use them to create mini storylines in buyers’ heads.”
Don’t, for example, say “great location.” Say, rather, “only blocks from top schools and the new Freddie’s Steak House.” Don’t leave it at “new dishwasher and washing machine,” but instead emphasize benefits by saying “brand-new high-performance and environmentally friendly Energy Star appliances.”
Use Professional-Quality Listing Photos
Because most home shoppers search online now, professional-quality listing photos are absolutely essential to appeal to the right buyers when selling your house in Kauai. They have to know exactly what you’re offering simply by looking at listing photos. Great photos will help you find and appeal to the right buyers.
If you have some experience and good equipment, you can take the photos yourself. But you do need to shoot at the right time of day and in the right light and, particularly, from the right angles. Your agent can guide you in this if you’re not sure of the best, most-appealing shots. (To discover more about how your agent can help, call 808-634-4518.) But if that sounds like too much to tackle on your own, consider hiring a professional photographer.
Market Aggressively and Effectively
Maybe the most important aspect of trying to find and appeal to the right buyers when selling your house in Kauai is marketing. Those highly targeted buyers have to know your house is for sale, and marketing does that job. “The more people that know your home is on the market,” experts say, “the greater the chance will be that someone will submit an offer. You should be all about shouting it from the rooftops.”
They also recommend a three-pronged marketing strategy involving:
- In-person tactics, such as showings and open houses
- Traditional print methods like flyers, mailings, signage, and pamphlets
- Digital marketing, which includes online listing sites, social media, and blogging (especially your agent’s blog)
Your agent will be your best asset here, so make sure you hire an agent who is conversant with all kinds of online marketing. To find out more, call 808-634-4518.
Price It Right
In addition, in order to appeal to the right buyers when selling your house in Kauai, you have to price appropriately. Most buyers have a price range in mind early on, and if you don’t price within your target buyers’ price range, your house won’t appeal to them. And the result will be that you get very few offers (if any).
You absolutely have to let go of your emotional attachment to your home and what you think it’s worth. Instead, you have to focus on your home’s value within the current local market, that is, fair market value. Your agent can help you determine what that fair market value is by performing what is known as a comparative market analysis. This is a valuation method that looks at homes within the neighborhood much like yours (similar in size and features) and what prices those homes actually sold for within the last handful of months. This will give you a pretty good idea of what your potential buyers are actually willing to pay.
Hire a Great Local Agent
You may be tempted to sell your house yourself to avoid having to pay an agent. But will you really wind up with more money in your pocket? It can be a pretty tough task to find and appeal to the right buyers when selling your house in Kauai. Hiring a local agent will help you target “individuals who are ready to buy your home immediately. Agents have access to databases that will deliver your listing straight to buyers who are looking for homes similar to yours. . . They also have the opportunity to vet potential buyers for you.” Don’t risk losing a sale – sooner and at a better price – because you want to save a few dollars.