The Golden Rule of Marketing Your House to Sell

house rules sign

Back in the day, home selling was so ‘basic’.With one call, a realtor dropped by the house, walked through the property, and provided the homeowner with some pretty good info to get the house listed. Before the realtor left, the home seller had a combination of suggestions to clean, de-clutter and renovate the house, as needed. All she had to do was wait for potential buyers to stop by for a showing before the offers started pouring in. Easy-peasy.Decades ago, marketing a house seemed easier when buyers didn’t care that the house’s odds and ends were shoved into the garage. The 'man-cave' would reveal its true potential at some point after the sale.In fact, a house could be completely empty without a sign of furniture. And the big selling point was the “vast” space the buyer had to work with. No worries. If the new living room furniture set didn’t fit, the 'man-cave' would welcome the extra furnishings for some comfy accommodations.Like today, the real estate “For Sale” sign would be the typical marketing tool to appear on the home owner’s lawn. Marketing flyers rest in a box attached to the post, and only a lucky set of potential buyers would get a glimpse of the home’s interior through a few photos. If the buyers wanted to see more, they had to give their real estate agent a call.Thank goodness that’s not ‘a thing’ anymore.

What’s This Golden Rule?

Today's buyers are too picky, or too savvy to put up with ancient home shopping rules of the past. Maybe it's the home prices. Maybe it's higher standards. Or, it's years of re-conditioning home buyer expectations through the popularity of home improvement channels. One thing is certain, home sellers who get the most out of their home's sale follow the golden rule of marketing a house. Undoubtedly, there are dozens of tactics to market a house for sale. In the past decade, social media and real estate preview websites, like Zillow, have been a hot marketing tool for real estate. Believe it or not, they are not The Golden Rule to Marketing. However, they do help.When home sellers affect a buyer's head and her heart with a home's visual presentation, it's a combination that sells the house as the 'buyer's home'. When this happens, the buyer is ready to pay for the house where she imagines herself driving home to the cutest house on the block. Or, where she envisions herself relaxing in a serene, spa-like bathroom. Your buyer may find it difficult to get excited about four walls and a roof with nothing to reflect her ideal lifestyle. So, as you prep the house for sale, do what it takes to drive your buyer's emotions and your house will edge out other listed homes that refuse to follow the Golden Rule.