Do You Have the Horsepower to List Luxury Homes?
Listing and marketing luxury homes is very different than listing a suburban, three-bedroom ranch with a bath and a half on a cul-de-sac. Luxury home sellers expect a higher level of service than simply creating a 8 1/2" x 11" flyer and running it through your office copier or posting a picture of their home on Facebook.
Are you prepared to pursue the luxury home market?
Here are just a few tips on how to list and market luxury homes. There are many more so comment with your best luxury home marketing idea!
Tips for Listing Luxury Homes
- First and Foremost, Sell the Dream -- Luxury home buyers are fulfilling a dream, a lifestyle to which they aspire or one they are currently living. Focusing your marketing efforts on the "sticks and bricks" will fail to connect with them emotionally.
- Professional Photography -- Photos taken on your iPhone won't do the property justice. Hire a professional photographer who is skilled in lighting -- daytime, twilight, morning's beauty light and interior.
- Aerial Photography -- Drone or helicopter photography is essential in marketing exclusive homes today, particularly if a property has considerable acreage or breathtaking ocean views.
- Floor Plan & Sketches -- Companies like Plan-O-Matic will create drawings of the home's floor plan for use in the property's brochure.
- Home Staging and Presentation -- Hire a real pro to stage the home. If the home features a beautiful piano room, hire a pianist to play for an "invitation only" open house. If the home features an enormous kitchen ideal for entertaining, hire a chef (wearing a chef hat and starched white jacket) to fill the open house with wonderful smells. Sell the sizzle as well as the steak.
- Advertise in Local and Regional four-color magazines targeting upscale readers. Here along West Michigan's shoreline, buyers come from Chicago, Detroit, South Bend and Indianapolis. How do you plan to reach those markets with your advertising?
- Professionally-Designed and Quality-Printed, four-color property brochures with detailed descriptions and plenty of photos -- interior and exterior.
- Individual Property Website -- Create a Customized website for the property, complete with extensive descriptions, lots of photos and your contact information, including a "Chat With Agent Now" option.
Again, we'd enjoy hearing your thought on how to market luxury and executive homes in today's market!