If you've ever trawled through hundreds of estate agent's particulars when you're looking to buy your next home, you're probably all too familiar with hearing terms like, 'imposing', charming', 'well presented' and 'delightful'.  And that's before we bring in all those cringe-worthy estate agent phrases like, 'must be seen to be fully appreciated' and 'viewing highly recommended'!  It can almost feel like the estate agent has just copied and pasted a set of words for one property and applied them to another.  It never ceases to amaze us how often we see a very lovely property that has had a few pictures snapped with a phone camera, some cursory details cut and pasted and then stuck up on Rightmove to 'see what happens.'   It's no wonder estate agents have such a poor reputation generally.

Every home is unique, so why settle for generic, dull property marketing?  These days nearly 99% of home buyers start their search online, so it stands to reason that your home needs to really stand out against the competition.  It's a bit like online dating - with hundreds of homes to choose from, what's going to make your perfect buyer stop scrolling and click on YOUR home to request more details, a brochure and even a viewing?  The answer is of course, bespoke property marketing.

We believe our industry needs a serious shake up when it comes to marketing property professionally.   So if you're thinking of putting your home on the market, here's our advice to ensure that you don't settle for 'same old' photos and brochures, and don't have to hear the words: "Let's stick it on Rightmove and see what happens" from your estate agent.

The key to standing out online is creating excitement for the potential buyer by using originality and imagination when marketing your home for sale.  If your agent can create a bespoke marketing strategy, tailored specifically to your home, even better!  If you want to stand out from the competition, we believe it's vital that your estate agent can provide you with the following elements:

1: Lifestyle Photography

"A picture says a thousand words" - and no-where is that truer than on the online property portals.  A compelling property photograph can literally stop a buyer mid-scroll, making them think, "I simply HAVE to see that house!"  Conversely, a terrible or even mediocre photograph is pretty much guaranteed to ensure that a buyer will scroll past your home every time they look on Rightmove, even if you have a gem of a home hidden just behind the initial photograph!  Some estate agents may have their own quality camera and will offer to do the photographs themselves, but we believe that an exceptional home deserves exceptional photography.  Even with the best cameras, there is no substitute for professional lighting, composition and skill.

2: Create A Brand For Your Home

If your home was a supermarket, what would it be?  Waitrose or Sainsbury's?  M&S or Lidl?  If your home could drive, what car would it own?  An Audi or a Ford?  Creating a unique  brand for your home can really help you focus your mind on your ideal buyer, and target your property marketing to appeal to them.  Think about the brands you like, and also about the things that made you fall in love with your current home.  Chances are your next buyer will have similar tastes and aspirations.  Take inspiration from a favourite room, a piece of family history, a quirky fact or a family hobby that you enjoy.  We've given homes unique brands ranging from a Spitfire logo for a former RAF pilot, to a bumble-bee for an enthusiastic amateur apiarist.   Once you've chosen a theme for your home, the logo and visual brand can be woven through all your marketing, from your brochures to your 'For Sale' boards.  It all adds up to a compelling and unforgettable experience for the potential buyer, who will feel like they are buying into a lifestyle and not just bricks and mortar.

3: Bespoke Property Descriptions By Professional Copywriters

Let's face it, us estate agents aren't exactly known for our literary skills - and as far as we know there have been no Booker Prize winning estate agents to date.  But the right descriptions can really make a home come to life in the mind of a buyer.  If you don’t believe us, take a look at this recent email we received from a lovely local solicitor near our home in Wantage, who was commenting on a brochure we had recently sent him:
“I feel compelled to say that your write up in the brochure is sublime.  Rarely (ever?!) have I seen writings that capture the essence of a home so well and show how a property might be lived in without veering too far into the fanciful.  The writing you have used is beautiful.  The sellers are very lucky to have used you for their sale as it is entirely possible that the sale has turned on how well you have produced this brochure. It really is quite something and I see lots!”

There’s no doubt about it, the right words can really make a home come to life on the page, they can invite you into a home and entice a potential buyer to want to see more.  Beautiful words take the buyer on a journey where they can see themselves living in your home, so we implore you not to settle for ‘estate agent’ speak!  Ask your agent who will be writing the description for your home. Do they use an in-house marketing team or do they outsource it to a professional?  If you’re not inspired by your agent’s writings you could commission your own description from a professional copywriter for a relatively modest fee.

4: Bespoke, Magazine-Style Brochures

One of our lovely clients said to us recently, “My brochure looks like an issue of Homes and Gardens!”  We couldn’t have been more thrilled as that is exactly the feeling we were trying to emulate with the brochure for her gorgeous property.  If you have a unique and special home, we believe it deserves a unique and personal brochure.  If you think about some of the biggest luxury brands in the world, such as Land Rover, Tiffany, or leading five star hotels, all regularly produce glossy, high quality and beautifully produced brochures.  We believe that as a home is probably one of the biggest financial investments someone can make, that an incredible, bespoke, magazine-style brochure is entirely fitting.  We recently sold a home for a lovely client in Lambourn which is near our home in South Oxfordshire.  He and his wife have moved no fewer than 14 times during their 25 year marriage, and he has carefully filed away every single set of property particulars dating back to the 1980’s!  It was fascinating to look at them and see how times have changed since the days of typed descriptions and photos stuck onto sheets of A4 paper with glue.  Whilst the words ‘property particulars’ are very quaint, we don’t use them here at the Stowhill Estates office, and your agent probably shouldn’t too now that we’re into the 21^st Century!

Ask your agent to prepare you a quality brochure, at least 12 pages long (not the standard folded over 2 sheets of A4 or even worse…a sheet of paper printed out on the office printer!  Shudder!)   You should be looking for carefully curated photographs next to descriptive words that bring your home to life.  The more attractive and aspirational your brochure is, the better it does its intended job.  Will your brochure pass the ‘dinner party test’ where your potential buyers take it back with them after a viewing to excitedly show their guests around the dinner table on Saturday night?  And don’t believe your agent if they tell you that there’s no need for a brochure because everything is done online.  Even though it’s true that the majority of searches start online, there’s something uniquely compelling about holding a lovingly crafted, physical brochure in your hands instead of looking at pictures on a computer or phone.  We think brochures are worth their weight in gold!

5: Personalised ‘For Sale’ Boards

“We don’t want a board” is a refrain we hear very often from our clients. That’s until they see our unique Stowhill Estates bespoke For Sale boards!  Most people (rightly) think that all a For Sale board does is advertise the estate agent rather than the property itself, and we tend to agree.  That’s why we decided to create bespoke For Sale boards that are unique to every home.  Not only do they help you stand out against the competition, they can also help potential buyers catch a glimpse of a room or a view from your house that would otherwise not be seen from the road.  We’ve created boards with pictures of the owner’s river cruiser on the Thames at the end of the garden, images of a beautiful country home at twilight, or the fabulous kitchen of another home.  They are a real talking point and a compelling tool in our successful property marketing.

We hope that you are able to use some or all of the advice in this blog to help you present your property in the very best light and hopefully achieve a sale for the price you want in the timescale you need.  If you would like more help or advice with marketing your home,  check out our Home Saleability Checklist which we have created to help you discover how to attract the right buyer.  You can click here to download it.  Let us know how you score!