The decision to move home is exciting. Perhaps you’ve bookmarked your dream property on Rightmove, and you’re longing to call it home. Or maybe you’re trying to sell your rentals to boost your retirement pot. Whatever your reasons for selling, prolonging the move gets tiresome fast. But when the ‘For Sale’ sign in your front garden starts gather dust, don’t despair. Because if your property won’t budge, we’re here to lend some helping hands. Follow these three simple steps, and you’ll be hanging a ‘Sold’ sign in no time!
1. Exposure
The longer your home is on the shelf, the further it’ll get pushed to the back. So how can we shake off the dust, and position it for the right families to see?
Let’s start by making sure that it’s priced right. This starts with a little research. Is it priced in line with comparable local properties? How quickly are they being snapped up? And why are they getting more viewings? Pick your estate agents brain; their knowledge and experience is invaluable, and they’ll want your home to sell as quickly as you do. Double-check your asking price is realistic, and if it is, head to Rightmove.
A well-considered price is a great start, but on comparison sites, the exact figure is the key to greater exposure. The majority of estate agents will suggest listing for just under a milestone figure. For example, £495,995 or £499,995. Sitting nicely under the big 5 looks much more appealing, and they’re naturally friendlier looking figures. Seems logical. But logic and house buying are often streets apart.
Why? Because people are smart. They know that £499,995 is a Costa coffee short of £500,000. So pricing in that sweet-spot underneath £500,000 is actually a sticky trap. A home listed on Rightmove for £500,000 will show up in the in the £475,000-£500,000 price bracket. But it will also show in the £500,000-£600,000 searches too. Now if the same house was priced at £499,995, it would fail to show in the latter search. That’s decreasing your view potential by half. And the more people that see your home, the more likely you’ll find the right buyers. So to prevent a bitter taste, grab a Costa, and price your home sweetly in-between two price brackets.
2.Photography
Once your home is priced just right, we need to catch people’s eye. This starts with visuals. Because first impressions are crucial.
When you’re endlessly scrolling through Rightmove thumbnails on your way back from work, what makes a property stand out enough to pause and take a closer look? If you’re like most, it’ll be a gasp moment at an impressive picture. Something too beautiful to scroll past. So professional photography is key. And whilst estate agents know that great shots sell homes, most are not photographers. That’s why choosing an estate agent that offers professional photography is a must; they’ll help capture all the loveliness of your home, separate you from the ‘point and click’ masses, and tempt a catalogue of potential buyers to click on the thumbnail.
3.Copywriting
So, we’ve got two brackets-worth of Rightmove users looking at your property, and the impressive photography has got people looking. But when they click on the picture to take a closer look, what’s going to persuade them to book a viewing? Yes, a catalogue of impressive visuals will help, but even by professional standards, photography alone cannot sell a home. It needs accompanying descriptions to complete the picture.
When you scan most property descriptions, it’s very easy to disengage. Home descriptions are characterised by their generic, copy-and-pasted content. They’re often fit-for-purpose at best, and clinical at worst; there’s a repetition of words and descriptions that often don’t really mean anything in daily life. And who wants a home that is sold by reused words? Instead, words that tell a story capture the readers attention; they help potential buyers picture their daily life. If the home description is interesting and personal, the home must be special too.
Because as we mentioned earlier, logic and house buying aren’t always the greatest of neighbours. When people see your home, we want them to picture their family inside. That takes clever photography, and thoughtful copywriting. Because when choosing a home, emotion overrides practicality, so creating a Rightmove ad that is different to the stream of others is key.
So if your property has been on the market for a little longer than you’d like, we’d love to get you moving. Just call us on 015394 88811 or drop us a line at phil@ashdownjones.co.uk and we’ll help find the right family for your home.
