{"id":11015,"date":"2018-08-07T08:16:49","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T14:16:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.virtuance.com\/?p=11015"},"modified":"2018-08-07T08:16:49","modified_gmt":"2018-08-07T14:16:49","slug":"5-home-selling-tactics-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/blog\/5-home-selling-tactics-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Home-Selling Tactics That Sizzle During Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Liz Alterman | Source Realtor.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Summer is peak season for home selling\u2014but also for barbecues, vacations, and long, lazy beach days. In other words, there are lots of things to distract even the most diligent would-be buyers. And that\u2019s not even counting those dog days when it\u2019s too hot to even venture out to view homes.<\/p>\n

But for home sellers who are eager to drum up an offer before Labor Day, having their sale sidelined isn’t an option. And luckily, there’s plenty you can do to lure buyers through your door.\u00a0Check out these five smart tips for getting buyers to brave the heat and squeeze your house into their summer schedule.<\/p>\n

1. Embrace ‘rush hour’ traffic<\/h2>\n

Long weekends out of town are the stuff summer dreams are made of. But they’re also the reason many Saturday and Sunday afternoon open houses end up nearly empty. Choosing an alternative time frame may turn that around.<\/p>\n

“During the summer months, I’ve found holding ‘rush hour’ open houses to be hugely successful,” says\u00a0Lindsay Bacigalupo<\/a><\/strong>, Engel & V\u00f6lkers Minneapolis. “For example,\u00a0Minnesota is full of lakes\u00a0and so many residents here go up north for the weekend to enjoy time at their cabin. That’s why I hold open houses on\u00a0Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m.\u2014it creates an opportunity for buyers to view it during a time that might be more convenient.”<\/p>\n

2. Turn your open house into a summer party<\/h2>\n

Let’s face it: Heading to a\u00a0barbecue<\/a>\u00a0or pool party sounds a whole lot more fun than an open house. If you can’t beat ’em, why not join ’em?<\/p>\n

“Advertise it as a party instead of simply an open house,” says\u00a0Brett Fischer<\/strong><\/a>, associate broker at Lee & Associates Residential in New York, NY.<\/p>\n

In other words, put together a gathering that feels more like a celebration than a sales pitch. Try serving up refreshments outside like lemonade and iced tea on trays, or fire up the\u00a0grill<\/a>\u00a0to serve summer-themed appetizers or sliders.<\/p>\n

Timing can make a difference here, too: Rather than holding your soir\u00e9e in the middle of the day, wait until the evening when the temperature’s bearable and people are ready to venture out and kick back at a house party.<\/p>\n

3. Shine a spotlight on the outdoor space<\/h2>\n

Nothing’s more appealing on a scorching summer day than a backyard pool. Play up this feature and other outdoor amenities to convince buyers this is the warm weather oasis they deserve.<\/p>\n

“The long days of summer make for the perfect opportunity to highlight the exterior living spaces of the property,” says\u00a0Than Merrill<\/strong>, a real estate investor and CEO of the real estate education company\u00a0FortuneBuilders<\/a>. “Make additional effort to keep patio areas, the pool, and outdoor\u00a0furniture<\/a>extra-clean.\u00a0Incorporate tasteful props such as\u00a0cushions,\u00a0towels, lanterns, and string lights to help spur the imagination of your guests.”<\/p>\n

Mark Cianciullli<\/strong>, a real estate agent at the\u00a0CREM Group<\/a>, recalls how setting the stage paid off by getting\u00a0potential buyers to envision themselves enjoying the amenities he’s featured.<\/p>\n

“It was a hillside home that had a beautiful view of the city below, especially at night when the city was lit up. So I decided to have a ‘summer nights’\u2013themed open house where I set up bistro lights in the backyard and floating\u00a0candles<\/a>\u00a0in the pool and served wine and cheese,” he says. “It was such a charming atmosphere that the ultimate buyer wanted the house so bad so she could re-create those kinds of settings for parties or just hanging out with her family and friends.”<\/p>\n

4. Create a community event<\/h2>\n

Sometimes getting a home sold is a matter of enlisting the help of those who already live in the neighborhood.\u00a0Merrill recommends hosting a\u00a0<\/span>summer block party at the\u00a0front<\/em>\u00a0of the property, rather than in the backyard, to invite more attention and foot traffic from neighbors and others passing by.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Prepare a theme, such as a luau or a summer\u00a0barbecue<\/a>, with entertainment for kids,” he suggests. “<\/span>Make sure to design and pass out event fliers around the neighborhood days in advance.\u00a0<\/span>Consider renting food trucks, including a snow cone or ice cream truck, to help serve your guests.\u00a0<\/span>As you mingle with guests, invite them to take a tour of the property and ask them to spread the word to friends and neighbors.”<\/span><\/p>\n

This concept translates to urban areas as well.<\/p>\n

“New York City is famous for its residents fleeing the city on weekends, so real estate professionals have to get creative,” explains\u00a0Mable Ivory<\/strong>\u00a0at Engel & V\u00f6lkers in New York. “So this week, I hosted a community event called ‘Sunset Soiree in the South Bronx.’ Attendees could preview my listing, a penthouse on the Grand Concourse, while enjoying Bronx and Manhattan skyline views at sunset. We provided live music from Bronx native\u00a0Pernell Walker<\/strong>, custom-designed ‘Bronx Bomber’ cocktails and bites, and had a raffle for ‘The Bronx Rox’ gift\u00a0basket. It was more than just an open house, but a way for the community to get together and celebrate their neighborhood.”<\/p>\n

5. Advertise early, often, and offline<\/h2>\n

Spreading the word about an open house is always key to getting people in the door, but never more so than that stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day.<\/p>\n

“Summer is a crazy season, and often people become unplugged from their devices,” says\u00a0Jennifer Brownhill<\/strong>, regional marketing manager of\u00a0CLV Group<\/a>. “So advertising online well in advance will help give people the heads-up to clear their schedule for this day.”<\/p>\n

To capture more eyeballs offline, plant signs on\u00a0roadways headed toward the beach, campgrounds, and other popular summer destinations.\u00a0Add extras like balloons to draw even more attention.<\/p>\n

“Buyers know that it doesn’t take long to tour the home,” says\u00a0Alex Hubler\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>of Keller Williams Premier Realty Lake Minnetonka, MN. Advertise how your home’s just five minutes off the highway, and “people can pop in quick if they’re on their way somewhere, rather than taking the whole day to tour homes.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Liz Alterman | Source Realtor.com Summer is peak season for home selling\u2014but also for barbecues, vacations, and long, lazy beach days. In other words, there are lots of things to distract even the most diligent would-be buyers. And that\u2019s not even counting those dog days when it\u2019s too hot to even venture out to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14503,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,47],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11015"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14503"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11015"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11016,"href":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11015\/revisions\/11016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}