Aggressively Marketing Homes in a Sellers’ Market

Marketing is still important in a seller’s market

In a real estate sellers’ market, inventory is tight and home prices increase. It’s that supply and demand thing. As a seller, if you’re anticipating a fast sale, it’s easy to get complacent about advertising. But your real estate agent shouldn’t!

These markets favor sellers, yet some properties sit on the market longer than they should. A strategy that puts your home’s best foot forward and markets it via multiple channels can speed up the process and garner a higher price.

With 32 offices throughout Central Indiana and an array of resources at their fingertips, Carpenter Realtors® takes marketing seriously, no matter the market. “It’s a little weird, because when you’re in a seller’s market, you think, ‘Why would I spend that money on marketing a house?’ But it’s our job,” says Jennifer Turner, a Broker Associate at Carpenter Realtors. “Every listing gets the same treatment, regardless of the market. I do the full load marketing program. I still spend that money. It’s only professional.”

Professional presentation

With more than 95% of buyers starting their home search online, it’s more important than ever to make a good first impression in a handful of images. So, regardless of how (or how many ways) your home gets marketed, making a good first impression means professional photos and, where appropriate, video.

“The first step in marketing is making sure that the home looks 100% perfect in listings, so I work with a professional photographer,” says Turner. You must prep your home — from getting rid of clutter to slapping a fresh coat of paint on the front door — then your Carpenter agent will bring in top notch photographers to capture the right images.

Virtual tours

Carpenter Realtors recently launched a new tool that will give buyers a sneak peek at their listed properties. The 360-degree home tour lets you virtually walk through a house on your computer. “You tap where you want to go and it gives 360-degree views of every room,” Turner explains. “So I can zoom into the wall and see a detail, or get a sense of where the bedrooms are in the house.”

Getting attention

Once the perfect listing is created — with professional photography and virtual tours — it needs attention to translate into a sale. In addition to the marketing standards — yard signs, holding open houses and posting homes on hundreds of websites — Carpenter Realtors advertises homes through some exclusive channels.

Immediately, Carpenter Realtors®’ listings are advertised online, with social media and display ads that target neighbors of the property as well as buyers looking in the area. These ads generate immediate visibility and interest when a home is fresh on the market.

Then, six times per year, “Call Carpenter Homes” magazine features more than 1,000 homes listed with the company. More than 40,000 copies of the full-color print publication are distributed throughout Indiana in restaurants, offices and magazine stands.

Carpenter Realtors properties are featured on two local RTV6 shows. Throughout the week, homes are highlighted on the 6 p.m. news during their “Home of the Day” commercial. In addition, on Sunday mornings at 11:30 a.m., the 30-minute “Showcase of Homes” highlights 45 current listings via video tours and property overviews.

Making buying easy

Carpenter Realtors like Turner believe that part of marketing is making the search and purchase process as easy as possible for buyers. Carpenter Realtors’ exclusive Home Spotter GPS app gives buyers real-time information on listings they come across in person. All the buyer needs to get information on any house for sale is point their phone at the property.

Turner also makes sure to be the ultimate fount of knowledge on her properties. “I answer every question a buyer will have while they’re in the house,” she says. “When they’re walking through the home, I’m going to have things they would question: I use picture frames and as the buyer is walking through, I tell a story. Here are the utilities, here are the covenants. The quicker the buyer makes a decision, the better it is for both parties. And that’s our job.”