selling a long listed property with creativity

Creativity May Be the Key to Selling a Long-Listed Property

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Sellers obviously love those hot markets that do not require a whole lot of effort. They like to be able to list their homes for sale, entertain a number of competing offers within the first few days, and then make a decision. But things in real estate do not always go that way. Sometimes sellers sit on a long-listed property without getting many offers at all.

There are plenty of reasons explaining why a house might not sell. We recently posted another article discussing that very topic. Still, there are times when you can do everything right and still not get any bites. That’s when it’s time to look at being a bit more creative.

A Haunted House in Baton Rouge

Here at EXIT Real Estate Consultants, we serve clients primarily in the DeRidder area – including Fort Polk, Leesville, and Rosepine. But we recently ran across a story about a Baton Rouge house that had been listed for five months without selling. It is a brand-new build in a community that not a lot of people know about.

In order to generate some action, the builder agreed to a significant price reduction. Meanwhile, the builder’s real estate team set about revamping the listing. They took advantage of the Halloween season to do something very unique.

As you can see from this story published by the San Francisco Gate, the listing agent enlisted the help of some of her colleagues (and her kids, too!) to take brand-new photos with a slightly spooky theme. It was a brilliant idea guaranteed to get the house some exposure.

Better Marketing, Not Gimmicks

At first glance, redoing the listing photos may seem like a gimmick. But it really isn’t. There was no attempt to pass the house off as something that it’s not. Each new photograph still focused on the property itself and what makes it special. Adding the spooky touches were an enhancement more than anything else.

From our perspective, that’s just good marketing. That is what real estate sales are all about. Whether an agent is selling residential or commercial properties, the biggest part of their job is marketing. And in the marketing game, you cannot sell if you don’t at least get a buyer’s attention.

This is why nearly every real estate agent in the 21st century takes plenty of pictures and posts them online. Agents know that today’s buyers are less likely to sit around and wait for agents to find houses they can look at. They proactively search online for themselves. When they find something that they like, they contact the agents to set up a viewing.

You know all of this. But did you realize all those pictures are best utilized as a marketing tool? A real estate agent wants their pictures to reach out and grab the attention of every buyer who sees them. They want them to tell a story that’s interesting enough to get buyers to request viewings.

Creative Marketing Gets Results

The thing about creative marketing is that it gets results. Creative marketing is different; it is unique; it makes a personal connection in ways that less creative marketing strategies don’t. Sometimes, that’s what you need to get some action on a property no one seems to be looking at.

If your house has been listed for a while but doesn’t get much attention, take a look at the fundamentals first. If you are doing everything right but still to no avail, maybe you and your agent just need to come up with a more creative way to market the property. At least consider it.

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