4 ways to Sell Properties Like Hotcakes

Now that the economy is starting to rebound and the U.S. jobs market is showing promising numbers, the real estate industry is poised to make a killing.

Recent reports show that sales have been rising since last year. In some states, home sales have reached the highest in the past several months.

In the Washington D.C. area, however, home sales remain slow, according to the Washington Post.

The slowdown in sales was said to have moderated prices and put an end to the 28 consecutive months of rising prices.

At the same time, the number of new real estate listings has been increasing by 10.4 percent from June 2013, the report said.

This means there are now more competition and less potential buyers. But that shouldn’t dampen a broker or a real estate agent’s spirit. Even amateur sellers hoping to market their own properties could find a buyer if they take into consideration the following tips.

Here are 4 ways to sell properties like hotcakes:

1. Know you customers – Who are you selling to? You should have an idea on who your target buyers are so you can tweak your marketing pitch to their liking. Is the property you are selling a small apartment for newlyweds or single professionals? Or is it a large house that can accommodate a large family? Know your client and think of why they could be interested in your property.

2. Pick the best qualities of the property to highlight – Look at the property you are selling, why is it saleable? Is it because of the location? Is it because of the house itself? If you are targeting families, you can say that the house has enough rooms and bathrooms for a growing family and that it is near schools and supermarkets. It may also have a yard where the children can play with their pets. On the other hand, if the property is in the city, you could highlight the fact that it is a walking distance to the subway or the building is inside the business district.

3. Get the news out there – Many buyers are now searching for homes online. If you have a brokerage, investing in a simple web site can be helpful. People searching for homes in your area could be directed to your page through search engines like Google. You can also avail of free or paid listing services online. You will just have to upload information and photos of the property on a listing web site.

4. Make it visual – This is perhaps the most important thing you should remember if you are marketing properties online. Buyers would want to see pictures before deciding if a property is worth checking out. Make sure that the pictures are nice and accurate.

And since videos are now becoming more and more ubiquitous, with studies saying that majority of internet activities now involve video viewing, creating one for your listings is a sure way to draw in more buyers. Many companies are now offering affordable video packages for real estate agents and brokers.  RealBiz Media Group RBIZ, for example, has online applications available that can turn listing data and photos into videos or virtual tours. RealBiz already has 350,000 agents using its video and media services. Its consumer site Nestbuilder.com now hosts 1.6 million videos. In a span of a month, its page views have increased by 196 percent.

In the end, selling and marketing is all about making a good first impression. Make sure to put your best foot forward.