Marketing Your Home

You are ready to sell, and you’ve set the price for your Hawaii home. Now it is time to sell. But before buyers come running through your door, a little marketing must be done.

Effective marketing can gain higher offering prices, induce multiple offers, and lessen the chance of your house sitting on the market for weeks. Here are ten tips to effectively marketing your Hawaii house for sale.

#1 Declutter and clean before the photographer arrives.

Before you begin marketing, put in your sweat equity by decluttering and cleaning every cranny of your home. Clear countertops. Leave only essential furniture. Wash windows and open curtains. Your home will look bigger, cleaner, and more appealing to potential buyers.

#2 Take amazing photos.

Start with a photo of the front of your house, making sure there are no cars or huge plants in the way. If you have a pool, spa, large backyard, beach access, or other appealing amenity, picture that as well. A drone is a great tool for taking amazing Hawaii photos. Show your homes location from the mountains to the ocean, appealing to local as well as buyers coming from the Mainland or abroad.

Shoot interior photos of every room, trying multiple angles and trying to fit as much of the room in as possible. If you use a wide-angle lens, don’t overdo it, as distorted photos can over-exaggerate the room’s size and leave buyers disappointed when they view your house.

Real estate photography isn’t easy, so it might be wise to hire a professional photographer who specializes in shooting shots from the inside to the outside of the house. Visual images will be one of the top factors to draw buyers to your home, so a professional photographer is often worth the investment.

#3 List your house online.

Nowadays, almost everyone searches for a home to buy online. If you have a real estate agent, they will be able to list your home on the MLS, which automatically populates listings to Zillow, Realtor, Trulia, OahuRE, and our site. A strong, professional online presence will reflect the home’s quality.

#4 Generate a buzz on social media.

Use Facebook and Instagram to raise your home’s popularity across the island. Hashtags, location tags, catchy descriptions, beautiful photographs, and even paying for promotions are social media marketing tactics to make your home posts go viral.

#5 Put the for sale sign in front.

Potential buyers could be lured to your house during a drive around the island or a visit to a friend in your neighborhood. Post the sign in the most visible and trafficked spot. The for sale sign also helps potential buyers know where to look when they are searching for your home during an open house or showing appointment.

#6 Make a quick website for your home along with a virtual tour, enticing description, and incredible photos.

A good virtual tour helps buyers go room to room in your house, envisioning being inside and positioning the furniture. A regular camera can make an adequate virtual tour but cameras with 3-D high definition capabilities will produce more appealing footage.

The description should include unique amenities, like a gourmet kitchen or bamboo floors as well as information about the neighborhood and recent upgrades. Paint a picture of your house with words, while leaving out the basics that can be found in the detail section of the listing.

#7 Defend your price with the comparative market analysis.

The top space in a listing often includes the price, and the price is the foundation of your marketing plan. Assure your price is right beforehand by comparing sold home in your neighborhood with similar size, land, and features.

#8 Spread the word through the coconut wireless.

Tell friends, family, and coworkers that you are selling your house. In Hawaii, the coconut wireless connects most people on the island, so someone in your network may know someone who is looking for a home.

#9 Disclose obvious issues.

While marketing should attract buyers to your listing, try not to over embellish or leave out material defects. You will have to complete a disclosure statement saying if your home has lead-based paint, certain hazards, or any other material defect. If the disclosure statement isn’t accurate, it could cause the home to fall out of escrow, or the former homeowner to face further financial or legal costs in the future.

#10 Stage virtually or authentically.

Give an idea of the furniture and layout of the rooms. It is often difficult for buyers to visualize themselves sitting in the living room if there is no couch. Virtual staging is a cost-effective way of showing potential buys the ideal arrangement for the room through pictures. However, mark the photos saying they are virtually staged in order to have honest advertising.

Traditional staging involves utilizing furniture from your home or elsewhere to create the perfect ambiance and layout in each room. Towels on the racks, pillows on the couches, a color scheme, and more help buyers visualize themselves living your home. While staging can be expensive, some agents will offer complimentary staging with their sales services.

Those are the top ten tips that will spur buyers to present an offer. Ensure your marketing presence is far-reaching and diverse – from the MLS to social media, staging to drone photography, speaking to friends to putting a sign in front. A comprehensive marketing plan can help your house sell fast and with the right price.