How to Market a Property During COVID-19

April 27, 2020

With the buyer journey moving more online, it’s important to know the best way to market a property digitally. Even when restrictions are lifted, it’s likely some form of social distancing will remain in place for months. From the position of the buyer, which will become an increasingly strong position this year, what does the journey look like from start to finish? Thinking this through and acting on it, will separate the top agents from the rest.

Home Sweet Home?

Everyone is getting a lot more familiar with their homes right now – and many of them are going to find fault in it that cannot be repaired, replaced or renovated. If they can’t reno their way out, they are likely your next round of buyers. And, according to RISMedia, they are likely going to be Millennials, but there are also a good chunk of upgraders waiting in the wings. If only their house actually had wings, they’re thinking.
Start with their pain points. What are the main reasons they are looking? Are they looking for a yard, an additional bedroom, a home office space with a door? Sure, but it’s usually location first. That’s one thing that this market probably won’t change.
Identify what makes the property unique, especially when compared with similar listings. That’s a no brainer. The trick will be getting those key words into the marketing piece you use to promote the listing.

Narrowing It Down

Once the buyer has eliminated 99% of the listings on MLS due to zip code, price, and bedroom/bathroom count, she is now essentially comparing variations on a theme. How are these four bedrooms arranged? How much natural light does the home have? What style are the kitchen cabinets? These questions can be answered using photos. But what kind of photos? And just photos or videos as well?

Here are 3 ways to market a listing to make it stand out:

Photos Only Aren’t Enough

Your gut was telling you this, and now you’re hearing it from your peers. You need to do something different with your listing but aren’t sure what. You’re right. With the inability to visit a home in person on Sundays between 1-3 pm in most areas, you’ll have to provide more information to potential buyers and you’ll have use visuals to do so.

Fish Where the Fish Are

Everyone is on social media and online during the day right now. If they see an eye-catching slideshow video of a beautiful home, they will stop and watch it. Make sure your listing has a video component to support your marketing efforts. If it’s a really nice home you could even use this video to market your brand, even after the home is sold. Get those moving pictures (aka videos) out on Facebook and YouTube and give them a reason to stop scrolling and click. Enhancing these images with virtual twilight will also make them stand out on MLS.

3D Tours Are Table Stakes

All the top producers are doing 3D tours on all their listings, large or small. It’s the most immersive experience a potential buyer can have. TruFusion 3D Tours provide the most amount of information about the property – visually speaking. Users can pinch and zoom to see every nook and cranny of the home, exploring details as they would in person, such as dimmer switches, view from the living room, and tiled backsplashes.

In summary, every listing should have a digital marketing piece, an enhancement for MLS, and a virtual tour. It’s a new world in residential real estate, and savvy agents are leveraging the new tools needed to remain competitive.