The usual process of showing and selling your home has drastically changed since the pandemic. Gone are the days of open houses as Alberta realtors have been barred from hosting open houses since March of last year. While the pandemic has caused many changes and restrictions to be put in place, lives still go on, and for people selling their homes, it can be challenging to navigate, reach buyers and show their listing. Here are a few tips for showing your home to potential buyers and the best methods to do so while following local pandemic guidelines.
We Make Selling Your Home Easy and Simple —Even During a Pandemic
When it comes to selling your home, our Calgary realtors can help make the process quick, simple, and hassle-free. Our concierge services are designed to help maximize the value of your home and we can assist every step of the way, from staging, to streaming a virtual open house, to negotiating the best deal for you.
5 Pandemic Friendly Tips To Show Your Home
Showing your home can be a lot like dating, you have to put yourself out there see what you can catch and then wine and dine them while painting a picture of your life together- well what their lives could look like in their new home that is. In a pandemic, the old playbook is out the window, and the same pickup lines just aren’t going to be enough. Here’s a guide to spicing it up and reaching those prospective buyers and selling your home.
Get All Dolled Up
Without open houses, your biggest chance to make a good impression is through your photos or videos. If your home doesn’t scream, “You need to live here!” You don’t get a second date where the in-person character and charm can shine through. Make sure you stage your home strategically to create the impression of bright, natural light and spaciousness. Clear up eyesores, clear clutter from the front door and kitchen counters. Remember, less is more, let the natural bone structure of your home take centre stage. The idea is you want people to be able to get an idea of the living spaces available, the functionality, and what their lives would look like in the home. This is your cue not to show off last night’s dishes or the crowded boot room.
Invest in Quality Headshots
Equally important to making a good impression is to make sure the quality of videos, photographs or streaming is top quality. Nothing makes your home look cheap like poor image quality or a sloppy unstaged photograph with the last tenant’s garbage in the background. If technology is not your expertise, don't worry, you can hire a professional realtor to take amazing, well-lit and high-resolution photos, videos, or even streams to make the best impression possible.
Learn Some New (Tech) Tricks
Don’t Be A Technological Dinosaur. We all know what happened to the dinosaurs- they went extinct. That’s the way real estate listings without adequate technological marketing are going. In a time where everything has become digitized and in-person meetings are limited, it is no wonder that learning how to stream, use social media, invest in ads and much more is so important. If you want to show your house successfully you’ll have to go to your audience, and since they can’ come to an open house you’ll have to meet them where they are the most- on their phones and digital devices. Here are some tips for a successful online streaming tour:
Be agile: Don’t be tied down by cords or have the camera pointing up your nostrils the entire time. Show people what they came to see- your home!
Consult a professional: Take some of the DIY pressure off and treat yourself to a glass of wine while your realtor shows your home effortlessly on your behalf.
Get everyone out of the home: Show your date a good time, they don't want to meet the whole family just yet. Having people around can be noisy and distracting for you and the home buyers. It can be hard to get out of the home during COVID, so an alternative plan is to have a showing schedule and have everyone in the home on board with moving to another side of the house as you tour through. Even better, send the kids with your spouse for an ice cream run and a movie in the car; fold down the seats and make a cozy fort for an hour or two to keep everyone out of the home and entertained.
Make sure You have a stable Wifi connection: Test it out beforehand and call your service provider about ways to ensure your connection is secure and won’t drop during the call.
Swipe Right for Sold- Sell Your Home on Social Media
One of the best ways to reach buyers is on their phones through social media. It doesn’t hurt to make a post about moving and the next chapter of your lives, or even a subtle story share of a real estate listing of your home but there is a time and a place for the shameless self-pitch and you’ll want to make sure you’re catering to people who are actually interested. How can you do that? Share your listing with local accounts or hire a realtor who has experience and skill in making scroll-stopping ads. Their social media audience is made up of people who are buying and selling their homes- the perfect dating pool for you to find a match!
Hire a Realtor To Show Your Home
If you’re serious about finding the perfect match, why leave it up to chance, or risk frustration and burnout. A professional real estate agent has the expertise to not only use tech, tools, platforms and expertise to show your home but to narrow in on what the other person is looking for and help them find you. When you hire a realtor you can have peace of mind that they:
- Know the market
- Have access to a larger network of buyers
- Can virtually stage your home
- Are Experienced at staging homes to sell
- Have the tech and tools to capture your home’s best side
- Take care of the details, paperwork, ads and listings
- Can take out most of the frustrating work of matchmaking
6 THINGS YOU MUST DO WHEN SELLING YOUR HOUSE
Hassle-Free Showing and Selling Your Home
Whether it’s your first time selling and showing your home or you’re not sure how to navigate the process with the added element of a global pandemic, these tips are a great way to get started when showing your home. Whether you opt for a traditional or virtual staging, a well-styled home is critical to selling your home fast and for the most amount of money. If you're not sure where to begin, a realtor can help you not only seamlessly navigate through the process of showing and selling your home, but has the skills, team and networks to save you the headache and to do it well, and do it efficiently.
To find out more, contact us at (403) 284-6333 or fill in our online contact form.
FAQ's
What is virtual staging?
Virtual staging is a method of staging a home using graphics to create the illusion of a realistically staged space. This works when the home is empty to paint the picture of how a home can be staged.
What are the benefits of virtual staging?
Virtual staging is much more cost-effective and faster than traditional styling. It is much more convenient as it doesn’t require real, expensive furniture and can be made to suit any decor or item to fit the space. Since most things are not in-person anyways, this can be an opportunity to curate the space in a way that may be much more challenging to do in person.
Is selling/staging your home as effective as in-person?
While the simple reality is that in-person open houses are just not an option, online can be more effective for a few reasons. First, the convenience offers people more incentive to view your home from the comfort of their home without spending a Saturday running between viewings so this increases the likelihood they will make it there. Secondly, online is more accessible- meaning you have access to a larger network of websites, ads, and social media to reach prospective buyers. Thirdly, you have the opportunity to curate the best angles, lighting and impressions while hiding the messes, eyesores or problem areas of your home so buyers become emotionally invested and have a positive first impression of your home.
CONTACT US
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