Targeting the right market when selling a house

Successfully selling your home in Calgary requires targeting the right market in the right way. "The fastest way to find buyers when selling your home is by figuring out who would want it," says RE/MAX First Realtor Justin Havre. "There are target markets for anything that is being sold in today’s society and the same is true for real estate."

Take a good look at your home, advises Havre, and decide who would most likely enjoy living in it. "Market directly to that demographic," he says. Targeting a segment of the population that is unlikely to consider buying your house could be a waste of time and money. "A family of four is unlikely to buy your one-bedroom condo, so why seek them out?"

But how do you go about targeting the right market? "Today’s market is dominated by social media and online outlets," explains Havre. "Ninety-four per cent of buyers begin their property search online. Personally, I haven’t done print advertising for clients in over five years. I use MLS for sure, but also blogs, websites, and social media."

Facebook is a particularly powerful tool for selling a home, with its ability to segment a population by age, gender, and even interests. This makes it possible to directly appeal to the perfect demographic. "This really narrows down your target market," Havre says.

And sellers are no longer limited to just using photographs of their home. Today’s savvy seller is likely to make use of technologies such as video tours of the home or even the community. "Buyers want to know the living conditions in the community when they are considering buying a home," says Havre. "A video tour showing the types of houses, schools, community centres, or parks in the area could help a buyer narrow their search down to your neighbourhood."

Havre notes that there are always exceptions to the rule. "Different types of people and families may want to view your home, which is great, but that doesn’t mean that you should directly advertise to them."

Marketing your home in an efficient and effective way by targeting the ideal demographic will see your house sold in less time and with less effort.

Photos by: The Howard Team Blog, eventplanner