5 Easy Ways to Attract More Buyers to Your Home

Before buyers can fall in love with your home, they first need a reason to walk through the door. That means thinking about more than any one piece of the listing. Price, exposure, presentation, information, and terms all influence how buyers respond. The early days on the market give us an especially important opportunity to get those pieces working together, so let’s look at five ways to help your home make a strong introduction.

PRICE IT RIGHT
Finding the right starting price is a balancing act. You want to protect the value you’ve built in your home while choosing a price that makes sense to the buyers comparing it with other properties. If the home begins noticeably above what the market supports, some buyers may decide not to see it at all. And if activity is lower than expected while Days on Market begins climbing, that’s information worth paying attention to. This article explains Days on Market in more detail.

That doesn’t mean the answer is simply to price low. Different homes, markets, and seller priorities call for different strategies. I’ll help you look at buyer demand, competing properties, timing, your goals, and the characteristics of your home so you can understand where the strongest starting point may be.

A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) gives us useful information for that conversation. I’ll examine recent sales and current competition, explain how buyers are likely to compare those properties with yours, and help you use what we learn to establish a pricing strategy that makes sense for your sale. “How a CMA Can Make You Money On the Sale of Your Home” explains more about what goes into the analysis.

MAXIMIZE EXPOSURE
Once the home is positioned for the market, the next question is where the right buyers are likely to find it. Depending on the marketing plan and local practices, that may include the local MLS, consumer real estate websites, brokerage channels, social media, direct outreach, email, print materials, signage, and other appropriate methods. More isn’t automatically better. The goal is to choose the channels that make sense for your property and make sure buyers encounter a consistent, compelling presentation wherever they find it.

HIGH-QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHS
For many buyers, the first showing happens online. They may spend only moments deciding whether a listing deserves a closer look, so the visual presentation needs to help them understand what’s appealing about your home without creating expectations the property can’t meet in person.

I’ll help you consider which visual tools genuinely add value to the presentation. Depending on the home, those may include:

  • Professional-quality photography that represents the rooms accurately and attractively;
  • Aerial images when the property, lot, views, or surrounding area deserve additional perspective;
  • Video or virtual tours when they help buyers understand how the home flows;
  • A floor plan when it provides useful context about room placement and layout;
  • Realistic editing and presentation so the home buyers see online is the same one they experience when they arrive.

COMPLETE PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
Good photographs may earn the first look, but buyers still need enough information to decide whether your home could be right for them. The description should highlight the property’s important features, improvements, layout, amenities, and other characteristics that help buyers understand what they’re considering. The goal isn’t to make every buyer interested. It’s to give the right buyers enough accurate information to recognize that your home deserves a closer look. 

SELLER INCENTIVES
Finally, sometimes you can make a home more attractive without changing the home itself. The terms surrounding the sale may solve a problem or provide an advantage for a particular buyer. Depending on the market, the offer, and what works for you, it may make sense to consider options such as:

  • An agreed contribution toward allowable buyer closing costs;
  • A negotiated credit or allowance for a repair or replacement;
  • A home warranty when it may add value for the buyer. “3 Sound Reasons Why You Should Offer a Home Warranty” provides more information;
  • Flexibility with closing or possession when another timeline works for you and is valuable to the buyer.

The important thing to remember is that none of these decisions stands alone. Price affects interest. Marketing helps buyers find your home. Presentation gives them a reason to look closer. Accurate information helps the right buyers recognize a possible fit. And the terms can sometimes remove the final obstacle. My job is to help you understand how those pieces fit your home, your market, and your priorities so you can make thoughtful decisions with good information behind them. If you’re considering selling, I’d be happy to start with a complimentary CMA and a conversation about what you want your sale to accomplish.