We’ve already talked about two of the ingredients that go into successful property marketing in our first two blog posts this year: great pictures and stellar ad copy. The next step is all about making sure the property is presented in the best light when the buyer first visits it.
When people first see a property, it’s like they’re going on a blind date. First impressions make an enormous impact and people go to great lengths to introduce the best versions of themselves, making sure to primp, preen, and perfect their look. They want to accentuate that special feature that makes them shine.
However, when someone shows up looking like Oscar the Grouch and comes off as rude or offensive, chances are their date is not going to keep mining for that heart of gold. Their date is just going to leave.
Let it Shine, Let it Shine
The same is true for buyers who feel like a property they’re potentially interested in is giving off Grouch vibes because its best features are hidden behind thick overgrowth. This has only become clearer to Tom over his 17 years of experience. When he was younger and less hands-on, he would sometimes show 20 listings in a weekend because buyers would blow through more than half of the properties without spending more than a minute on each.
If there wasn’t something that immediately sparked their interest and called out to them about the land, they wouldn’t bother exploring the property. This is a pity because every property in Western North Carolina has something special to offer the right buyer—it’s just not always clear to them at first.
Seeing Is Believing
This brings up the third ingredient in our less-than-secret formula for successful marketing: Great staging.
“If I know there is something in a property, I will go out of my way to show it in the best light,” Tom says. “I’ll put on my hiking boots, trudge through the mud, cut back bushes, and stage the property in a way that invites buyers in.”
In one instance, Tom showed a couple a property that he knew had expansive Eastern views, but the bushes hadn’t been trimmed in at least a season. After they walked away without feeling strongly about the property, he advised the sellers to cut back the bushes to reveal the view. When the buyers returned a few months later, they had an entirely different experience and decided to make an offer.
What Tom has come to recognize is that buyers want to feel a connection to the land. They want to envision a place that they can call home. Even if they are expecting to build a rustic sanctuary miles away from civilization, buyers need to see something special that makes the property shine upon first impression. If that spark isn’t immediately there, they’re probably going to look elsewhere.
It’s only through Tom’s willingness to lace up his boots and explore the property that he can share and best frame the land’s most stunning features. As Tom says, “The way to the heart is through the feet.”
The LandCrazy Experience
The value of working with Tom is that he has learned the WNC landscape property by property by exploring them and learning their views, topography, buildability, infrastructure, and proximity to landmarks both natural and manmade. By walking a mile in his shoes (or at least alongside him), you will see Tom’s talent for knowing what features deserve a spotlight and how to reveal that heart of gold hidden beneath even the grouchiest of properties.