Not all real estate marketing is the same.
If you are like most people, your home sale is probably one of the most significant financial transactions you will make.
With so much riding on the deal, it only makes sense to do it right. There will be competition, so you must pull out all the stops to get your home in front of the most buyers.
The following marketing ideas may be helpful to you, helping you reach a wider audience than you usually would and hopefully ensuring that your home sells quickly and for a great price.
Marketing for real estate isn’t rocket science, but for the best results, it warrants your attention.
From nearly forty years as a real estate professional, the effort you and your Realtor put into selling a home can make a significant difference.
Time and again people are rewarded when they put their best foot forward in real estate sales.
You are about to read some of the best real estate marketing tips for selling a home. The advice will put you in a prime position to achieve the results you are looking for.
There are so many vital things for home sellers to know before listing for sale.
These real estate marketing strategies will make you much better positioned for a timely and fruitful home sale.
What is Real Estate Marketing?
Real estate marketing refers to the strategies and techniques to promote and sell properties. It involves various activities to attract potential buyers or tenants through advertising.
The efforts should be designed to make a positive impression. One that could convince them to purchase or lease.
Real estate marketing is crucial for agents, brokers, developers, and property owners to effectively reach their target audience and generate leads.
One of the main goals of marketing real estate is to create awareness and visibility for a property. This can be achieved through traditional marketing channels such as newspaper advertisements, billboards, and direct mail. Digital marketing methods like websites, social media, and online listing platforms are crucial today.
By showcasing the property’s features, location, and benefits, real estate marketers aim to capture the attention of interested individuals and entice them to explore further.
You’ll want to ensure your home looks its best on the most visited websites for buyers. Potential buyers that make a home search notice immediately. Some real estate listings stand out, while others do in the wrong way.
Creates Lead Generation
In addition to creating awareness, real estate marketing involves lead generation and nurturing. This includes capturing the contact information of potential buyers or tenants through various means, such as offering free guides, virtual tours, or providing valuable content on a website or blog.
Once leads are obtained, real estate marketers utilize follow-up strategies to nurture these leads and build relationships. The ultimate goal is to guide them through the sales or leasing process.
Furthermore, real estate marketing often involves market research and analysis to understand the target audience, competition, and market trends.
By conducting market research, real estate professionals can identify the unique selling points of a property and tailor their marketing efforts accordingly. This allows them to appeal to potential buyers’ or tenants’ specific needs and desires, increasing the chances of a successful transaction.
13 Noteworthy Facts and Statistics For Real Estate Business
1. Marketing for real estate involves promoting properties for sale or rent to potential buyers or tenants.
2. Digital marketing has become essential to real estate marketing strategies.
3. Top-producing real estate professionals have websites that are used as tools to reach potential customers.
4. Zillow is one of the most effective real estate websites for promotion and customer engagement.
5. Effective real estate marketing relies on high-quality photos and videos to showcase properties.
6. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are commonly used for marketing real estate.
7. Virtual tours and 3D floor plans are increasingly popular in real estate marketing to provide immersive experiences for viewers.
8. A real estate business can gain trust by sharing their knowledge and tips through blogs.
9. Using professional photographs in real estate listings increases the chances of selling a property by 42%.
10. Homes listed with floor plans receive 30% more inquiries than those without.
11. Virtual tours lead to a 70% increase in online engagement for real estate listings.
12. Properties that include detailed neighborhood information have a 25% higher likelihood of attracting potential buyers.
13. Utilizing social media channels for real estate marketing results in a 60% higher conversion rate than traditional methods.
Choose Your Agent Carefully
All the creative marketing in the world cannot make up for the experience and expertise of a great real estate agent in your local market. Never fear, however, as these things usually go hand in hand.
I have not met too many creative Realtors who aren’t competent marketers. However, some Realtors have no marketing strategy whatsoever. They list your home in the Multiple Listing Service and hope for the best.
From years of experience, this is a recipe for getting less-than-ideal results.
Before you ever consider putting your house up for sale, choosing the right real estate agent for your needs is best. You want someone who will do more than put a sign on the ground and throw a listing up on MLS.
See how to pick a real estate agent for helpful advice on how not to get stuck working with a BOOB!
There are many ways you can help ensure you get the best Realtor for you, including:
Interview Multiple Agents.
Taking the time to talk to different Realtors properly is one of the best marketing tips when selling a home. You can’t understand what’s out there without talking to at least three to four real estate agents in your area.
Knowing how to interview a Realtor is crucial. Ask the right questions.
Don’t think putting in the effort to choose a real estate agent wastes your time.
Keep in mind real estate agents are a dime a dozen. The barriers to entry for the real estate industry are very low. This allows people to become agents who clearly should be prohibited from doing so. This is probably your largest asset – you should treat it like one!”
Selecting the right real estate agent could put a significant amount of money in your pocket that you may miss out on with a less experienced agent.
Above all else, look out for the agent who will buy your listing by telling you your home is worth way more than it is.
Remember, market data doesn’t lie, but people do. Plenty of real estate agents will mislead owners about their home’s value just to beat other agents for the business.
See if the Realtor Has a Website.
A good Realtor in today’s market will have an exceptional internet site and a strong web presence in real estate social media. Too many marketing opportunities online must be taken advantage of for a new Realtor not to be online.
Over 90% of all buyers find their next home by doing some online search.
The agent you hire should showcase their listings on the home page so it is the first thing a buyer sees.
If the agent hasn’t invested in their website and instead relies on the company site, what does that say about them? Quite a bit, and none of it is good!
Look for an agent who is investing back into their business. The first place is a top-of-the-line website of their own.
With the advent of smartphones, genuine buyers are also on social media daily.
If they are in the market for a home, it is possible they could decide to use an agent who is well-connected locally and online. It only makes sense, right?
Ask About Their Track Record.
You want a real estate agent with a steady home sales history, including sales in the last year.
You also want someone good at pricing homes, so you need to look at the original listing price of their listings vs. the actual sale price. There should not be a big gap between the two.
You want a Realtor that can price a home well from the start. Remember that you will see some great real estate marketing ideas below. However, the best marketing in the world will NOT sell an overpriced home! The price you set for your property is more than 75% of the marketing.
Don’t make the mistake that some owners do by avoiding an agent that seems busy. You want someone successful. Successful people are busy!
First-time home sellers, please pay attention to this!
Would you hire a doctor nobody wants to use because you will get more one-on-one attention? I hope not! It works the same way with real estate.
Choose an agent with a track record of success. Selecting an outstanding agent is one of the most critical marketing tips for selling a home.
Get References.
A good Realtor should have recent references that can tell you how great they are. Without references, there is no way to know if what the agent says about themself is true. Ask for at least two to three recent clients to talk to.
Better yet, look up a couple of listings the agent has and call the owners out of the blue. You will get a far better handle on how an agent performs this way than getting a hand-selected list from the Realtor.
Do you think the agent will give you a list of people who will say negative things? Fat chance! You might as well talk to the agent’s mother.
Look For Reviews and Testimonials
Researching the real estate professionals you are considering is wise. Look at online testimonials and reviews to understand what past customers thought of their experience.
Most people running sound businesses grasp the concept of showing off their brand. I have over sixty-five gold star views that can be seen on Google when people search for Maximum Real Estate Exposure.
It provides potential future clients of my credibility as an exceptional agent. The benefits speak for themselves. It has lead to multiple referrals over the years.
Pick Someone You Can Get Along With.
Selling a home is stressful and can sometimes take longer than anticipated. The agent’s track record and abilities are critical, but so is being able to get along with them.
You may spend an extended amount of time together and will almost certainly deal with some stressful situations.
Selling a home isn’t just about procuring the buyer but managing the transaction after the contract has been signed. There are some things for a listing agent to represent a seller well, including attending the home inspection, meeting the appraiser, and communicating weekly as any issues arise.
Never underestimate the importance of having a problem solver in your corner. The ideal agent is having someone you like who is also a closer. Remember, this is a business transaction.
If you choose between liking someone and business skills, always go with business acumen first!
Ask How They Market Properties.
The marketing tips that are coming up are good indicators of how serious an agent is about selling homes.
When interviewing your Realtor, consider taking this list with you and ask the interviewee if they use these marketing ideas.
Better yet, go out and check for yourself. Jump online and do your survey.
Checking for yourself can be a fun exercise when figuring out the agent who will do the best job marketing your home.
Interesting Studies in The Housing Market
Get Creative! – Ideas For Marketing Your Home
OK, now on to the best marketing ideas for selling a home. No matter which real estate agent you choose, these thoughts can be helpful when you get serious about selling.
Use Bold Listing Descriptions.
The listing is the first place most buyers will see your home. You want to ensure your listing speaks all the best about your property. Your agent should be writing property descriptions that sell and not some mindless dribble.
For example, there is no point in saying the home has four bedrooms and 2.5 baths in the listing description when a buyer can see that in the features.
With the limited copy to write something memorable, the focus should be on standout features. And that it includes great images to back these descriptions up.
Ensure the Photography is Exceptional.
Buyers are finding homes online, where pictures can make all the difference. You want your photos to stand out and demonstrate your home’s best qualities.
Your Realtor should be bringing in a professional photographer. Insist they do. Take your business elsewhere if the agent won’t spend the money. It’s a sure sign they are not in tune with what the housing market wants.
Getting your photos looking sensational is one of the most essential parts of real estate marketing. SLR Lounge offers some great real estate photography tips. One of the best marketing tips for selling a home is having photos that blow people away!
Provide Beautiful Professional Video Tours.
One of my favorite marketing tips for selling a house is having a spectacular video presentation. Video is the latest development in innovative marketing for real estate sales.
People love videos, and for good reason. They can give a much better feel for what the home is really like before buyers ever walk through the door. With more and more internet users choosing videos over plain text and photos, including video in real estate marketing is quickly becoming necessary.
Video can be more expensive, but it can be worth it if you want to stand out. Here is an example of a video tour of a home I recently sold in Milford, Massachusetts.
This property is one of the town’s most expensive homes ever sold. Some real estate agents would never consider spending this kind of money on marketing one of their listings.
For me, it is worth it. Just look at how many people viewed this home in a very short period.
Use Slide Show Presentations.
Making a slide show presentation of your beautiful photographs can make it easier for buyers to view them, giving you control over how they perceive your home. You get to pick which pictures come first, and you can mostly tell a story in a series of photographs.
These home tours are great for less expensive homes where you might not have the same budget as you would for a luxury property.
The site I use for my presentations is The Real Estate Shows. They are incredibly affordable. This is one of the best real estate marketing deals I know of!
The best thing about The Real Estate Shows is you can syndicate your presentations to YouTube. When someone does a Google search for the address of one of my listings, they will almost always find my presentation on the first page, along with my website.
Use a Blog Post to Create a Fantastic Listing Presentation.
If your Realtor has a popular blog, you can create a more detailed and compelling presentation for your property than on MLS. An excellent blog post can cover all the critical parts of the home that people want to know about.
You can include your pictures and video, as well as more detailed information about the neighborhood and contact information for showings.
Here is an example blog post of Walden Woods, a townhouse community. There are countless ways of having creative marketing with a blog.
Some real estate agents like to send a monthly newsletter highlighting their blog content. Others will reach out to their contacts whenever new property listings become available. It’s all about networking and engagement. Marketing for real estate doesn’t have to be about ads.
Connecting with clients as part of your campaign is a terrific addition to any ongoing marketing plan. Email marketing can be effective when used correctly.
Create Community Pages
My community pages are some of the best channels on my website. They show off my local expertise and educate potential buyers on why these towns are excellent places to live.
These resources can benefit people relocating to an area they know nothing about. Here are some examples:
Realtors guide for Hopkinton, Massachusetts: Did you know that Hopkinton is the start of the world-famous Boston Marathon? How about the highly-rated schools? You can learn what you need to know about this incredible place.
Realtors Guide to Framingham, Massachusetts: If you are looking for a place to call home with an urban and suburban feel, Framingham could be for you. Learn about all the best features of this popular community.
Use a Drone to Show Off Your Lot and Neighborhood.
One of the biggest marketing trends going on at the moment in the real estate industry is the use of drone photography. You can get a nice aerial view of a property with a drone. This can give home buyers an excellent perspective of the property’s surrounding land and is especially useful if there are outstanding views.
I have provided drone footage on several of my properties. Sellers and buyers appreciate the different perspectives it offers.
Leverage Social Media.
Social media can be a handy tool in marketing your property. Ideally, your Realtor will already have a presence on social media outlets like Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin, Ticktock, and X.
Some agents have a solid social media presence, and others do not. Those that do know how to leverage their content on these platforms.
Even if your Realtor does not, homeowners can create social media connections to inform everyone about your home sale.
An excellent real estate agent, however, understands that using social media can be a valuable tool for branding themselves as an agent and spreading the word on properties they may be marketing.
You can post all your beautiful photographs on Pinterest while sharing your listing information on Linkedin and Facebook.
Instagram, also centered around photos, can help you spread images of your home far and wide.
The options for social media marketing are constantly expanding, so you may need to learn a little to take full advantage of it. However, this channel’s increased outreach can make the effort worth it.
Consumers will use these tools, so you’ll want to be in front of them. It’s all about reaching the target audience by providing satisfying content.
Did you notice the social sharing buttons at the top of the screen? You can quickly share content you love with your social media network instantly.
Any real estate website can integrate these tools. You then can have helpful social media posts providing value on various topics.
Make a Standout, Full-Color Marketing Brochure.
As easy as online marketing can be, there is a certain appeal to things you can hold in your hand.
Making a high-quality, full-color marketing brochure that buyers can take when viewing your home is easy but intelligent marketing.
A glossy, beautiful brochure is ideal for reaching an expanded audience, especially those not so internet savvy.
A memorable brochure is excellent for buyers to look at once they are home, and the five homes they viewed are starting to blend in their minds. There are lots of things you can include in your marketing brochure.
You can find some excellent outside-the-box marketing ideas in this article. Include some of these with your marketing material for added OOMPH!
Use “Just Listed” Professional-Looking Postcard Mailers.
Along the same lines as the brochure, postcard mailers can provide a tangible representation of your listing to people around a given area. A “just listed” postcard lets everyone know your home has gone up for sale.
While just listed postcards will not have the same impact on the audience you will capture online, everything you do to get the word out helps.
Over the years, I have had several sales from my postcard mailings. Print media can still be a powerful form of marketing in real estate.
Think memorable when putting together your real estate marketing.
If You Don’t Have a Blog, Create a Single-Property Website.
If you don’t have a blog, you can still create a single property website dedicated to your listing. You can use targeted keywords to drive traffic to your site. The most crucial information must be on the home page, with more detailed info inside the site. You can also add forms to capture leads to each page so visitors can seek more information anytime.
A website can also let you put all your excellent marketing material in one place, including pictures, videos, PDFs of your brochure, and other paper materials.
While a real estate blog is best, a single property site gets the consolation prize.
Utilize Virtual Staging
Virtual staging gives potential buyers an enhanced presentation of the home’s appearance. This online staging option offers the advantage of saving both time and money by eliminating the need for physical staging. It works best for vacant properties that otherwise would look better with furnishings.
A study by The Zebra in 2023 discovered that 85% of staged homes sold for 5-23% more than those not staged. With virtual staging, the process of decorating the home becomes effortless.
Potential buyers can visualize themselves in a prospective new home without visiting it. Through a virtual presentation showcasing a furnished property, they can better understand the layout and envision what it would be like to reside in the space.
While virtual staging can be a helpful marketing tool, Realtors must emphasize in their ads that they are using this technology. It can be not very pleasant for potential homebuyers to find a property looks nothing like it does online in person.
What About Open Houses?
You are bound to hear a lot of sales pitches from real estate agents about doing an open house as a marketing activity. Let’s get one thing straight – we are in the digital age, and an open house is unnecessary to sell your home.
This is one of the least effective real estate marketing methods to sell a property. Homeowners don’t need them.
“Serious buyers are always going to call and schedule an appointment for homes they are interested in viewing.”
Lots of Realtors, however, will push them because they are great for agents to meet potential buyer prospects for other properties. Will an open house sell your home? The chances are slim, and you will avoid the unnecessary security risks of letting anyone with a pulse in the door.
If you decide you want to have one, make sure you put all your valuables away. Also, plan on your nosy neighbors stopping by.
Final Re-cap
There are lots of great marketing activities to help sell a home. However, a successful home sale starts with picking an exceptional agent to price your home appropriately for the local market. This will be based on comparable sales data and not pipe dreams.
When you have checked off these two boxes, you will have a pleasant home-selling experience.
About the Author: Bill Gassett, a nationally recognized leader in his field, provided the best real estate marketing tips for selling a home. He is an expert in mortgages, financing, moving, home improvement, and general real estate.
Learn more about Bill Gassett and the publications he has been featured in. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns for the last 38+ years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA
