Case Study: Success for the First Time Home Seller
Getting the Right Real Estate Results for Thais and Alexandr
Aug 18, 2017
Real estate is a fast paced and constantly changing business – time sensitive offers, counter offers, presentation details, and target marketing, are all done to attract buyers who have unique expectations. Yet most REALTORS® often spend time relying on just curb appeal and basic marketing techniques – which means that most of the critical, but unobvious tactics, are not getting done.
One of our best real estate teams successfully completed such a challenging sale for their client. Known for thinking outside of the box, Ashley Smith and Thu Pham of Klein Group Royal LePage have utilized unique residential marketing, home sale and real estate positioning strategies on a host of properties, that exceed expectations on the delivery of sales in record time – all the while, getting offers well over the home’s listed selling price.
The Clients
Meet Alex and Thais, both are Vancouver residents who work in postsecondary education as marketing professionals. They both live active lifestyles completing Ironman competitions, running, cycling and enjoying all that the great outdoors has to offer.
“We went to Vancouver Island on a trip and fell in love with the area – the ease of lifestyle, the beauty of the area, and the type of place we could afford, made it feel like home,” said Alex. “All of this added up to a host of life changes and questions about how we could turn our dream into a reality. I was worried about the short ownership record, especially considering we had only been there for several months before we needed to consider our move.”
The Challenge
Their unit was on the top floor, with an outside entry. At the same time, their home had a feel similar to that of a townhouse. Overall, the size of the property was just over 1,000 sq. ft with an efficient layout. There were lots of windows which let in natural light, two full bedrooms and bathrooms – its unique feature was a place where no one was above you, and no one was below you. This was a great opportunity to own a unique property.
Alex, a real estate investor in his own right, had some concerns about the property including the length of ownership and how the listing might look to potential buyers. With the heightened pressure of moving to a new location, the ingredients for a challenging sale were about to take place. “We were looking to move to the island and had already found a property in Nanaimo – at the same time I needed the help of a team that could deliver the right results, in a quick timeframe,” said Alex.
The Solution
Whenever our team takes on a new listing, one of the first things that they do is a walkthrough with the clients, understand their perspective, consider all market factors to deliver the strategy. It gives our REALTORS® the details and emotional connection the owners have with their property, what the sellers have loved about it, and how the marketing could showcase these sentiments and features through event activation. After completing the walkthrough and some research, Ashley and Thu quickly formulated a multi-faceted marketing plan. This is what we like to think is where the magic begins.
Curb appeal is a thing of the past and REALTORS® need to utilize more unique solutions to fit the needs of any particular situation. Here is what they did for Southpoint:
- Professional and High Quality Photography was a Must
In the case of Alex and Thais’s property, the professional photography selected took a lot of care in shooting the property and if photos are done properly, expectations for a higher offer can be realized. “In this case, our photographer spent time getting an idea of the lighting and balancing the unique aspects of the property – the outcome was better than expected,” said Ashley Smith, a Klein Group Royal LePage REALTOR®, who specializes in Vancouver Luxury Residential.
- Unique Visual Staging and a Transformative Open House
Everyone has been to an open house where the home has been staged and REALTORS® accompany clients for a walkthrough, and while this is the norm, to get better value, there is more than can be done. The staging itself needs to be different and more time needs to be spent on accentuating the features and enhancing the shortcomings of any home properly. This means bringing in tasteful art pieces, furniture that matches, removing elements that don’t word, all the while making each room unique and desirable – all of these are important things to consider to properly balance the home.
- Marketing the Property in the Right Way
Klein Group’s industry-leading residential real estate agents are complemented by a strong support team of marketing and communication professionals. Together with the REALTORS®, a digital plan was put in place, one that utilized the latest in online trends to target and capture the target buyer groups for the property. “Our team targeted a lot of its efforts around mobile-based micro-moments – to catch people as they were searching for properties in the area, or in the neighborhood they frequent. Then we worked on using Facebook Canvas ads to increase our engagement, and bolstered that effort with a targeted email newsletter to the marketing mix. Based on the use of these different platforms and the high-quality photos, our target audience was drawn into joining the events hosted at Southpoint Way,” stated Thu Pham, Klein Group REALTOR® who specializes in Luxury Residential Sales & Investments.
The Results
With the implementation of the marketing strategy and tactics within the plan, Ashley and Thu delivered significant results within the short required timeframe. The property sold for over $100,000 above asking with 15 offers and one accepted back up offer on the books in case the first one fell through, and the accepted offer was completed, with all subjects removed, within 10 days of listing.
Remember, you’ve looked at your home and have read countless listings and looked at numerous photos and now you are ready to make the move. Whether selling your existing home or buying the next home will be one of the largest and most important transaction you’ll ever make. That’s why Klein Group is the number one trusted resource in Vancouver for Royal LePage, and is the most recognized real estate company in Canada. By providing the best people, great insight, and marketing support, we can help you achieve your specific objectives.
“We were introduced to Ashley and Thu who made our real estate sale a great success. They put a great team effort together creating an effective marketing strategy that drew in many buyers. All communications and negotiations were done with an ease and immediacy that was unrivaled and this ensured we got the results we did. They exceeded our expectations in terms of service and selling price,” – Alexandr.
It’s your home, we are here to help you find it or sell it.
Key Topics:
First Time Home Buyer
First Time Home Seller
