Planning on Selling Your Second-Home? Check out the following tips to sell your Ohio vacation home more effectively:
A good Virtual Tour is a MUST!
More than any other property you should have a quality virtual tour with views of the surroundings, key development or area highlights (marina, lakefront, pool, beach, etc), and the home and grounds. Buyers need to be able to visualize the property more so than primary homes. Often they must schedule a trip from out of town just to see the second-home. Don't waste your time or theirs.
Stage your vacation home!
Sellers frequently forget to stage their vacation home. It's their place to relax - and sometimes housekeeping is put on the back burner - and THAT'S OK! You should relax on vacation. But now it's time to sell so lets get down to business and stage your home as if it were your primary residence. Use table clothes, fresh flowers when possible, and make it sparkle! Wash outdoor furniture, patios and decks and stage their placement. Fresh paint is a plus. Keep the lawn and gardens trimmed and plant plenty of flowers. Eliminate clutter. Think of it as a vacation rental - and stage it as you'd expect to find a home you were spending money to rent.
Property also a Rental? Include an income history.
Make sure it is available if not included in the marketing material. Buyers may want to know if they can get help with the payments or even property improvements through rental income.
Include the Furnishings
Some buyers will want to purchase everything from scratch, but many want to be able to move in and enjoy the property THIS SEASON. They may want to replace some or all items - but on their own schedule and within their own budget. Make it an option, and let us know up front what items are definitely NOT included.
Post lots of photos
The Hisey Group posts a large number of photos. We take high quality photos using a 35 mm camera. Pocket cameras and disposable cameras are ok for initial pictures but the final pictures for your home or property should be of high quality. I handle all of our final photography and photo editing, and I can take as many as 350 pictures of a larger home. I look for the best of the best to post online, on fliers and in advertising. Often Internet sites require us to reduce the quality prior to upload - but we always use the highest quality permitted. Vacation property is often purchased from a distance so pictures are very, very important. We've actually sold several lakefront properties from the pictures and virtual tours alone.
Write a great description
Vacation Property descriptions should include more info regarding the area than most primary residence descriptions. Often the location is even more the reason the buyer is purchasing the home. We try to include local hot spots such as amusement parks, water parks, fishing, wineries and microbreweries, and restaurants. Describing the view is often included. Buyers of second-homes are looking for an escape, and we use language that supports that desire and the properties attributes. Pool, boating, biking, tennis, fitness facility? Include them in the description.
I hold my "Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist" designation as a Realtors®. If you are listing in Northern Ohio give me a call! If you are listing in another part of the country contact me and I can get you in contact with a Second-Home specialist. Second homes generally take longer to sell so be prepared. Contact me today at 440-315-6000 or LeeHisey@HowardHanna.com for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment