Marketing From Start to Finish

The good news about the economy is that buyers are becoming less frightened and venturing out to look for excellent deals.  The downside is that a large influx of properties is also hitting the marketplace, but this is an easy merger for Homemakers thanks to a very specific marketing program that makes our properties stand out and become sought after.  They have incredible attention to detail, the right living elements and are priced right to capitalize on the marketplace demands.  It’s important to remember that there is no guarantee as to how long a property will take to find a buyer, but there are some marketing tools that can assist in giving any property the best exposure to accomplish this goal.  Here are some of the elements we use to accomplish a sale:

True Marketing Begins At Time of Property Evaluation

Part of the Sherwood preliminary evaluation process is to assess the location, resale-ability and level of renovation required on any property considered for entry into the program.  We look for structural issues, surrounding neighborhood safety, and more. 

Seamless Renovation

Properties must be seamlessly renovated to be move-in-ready rather than applying patchwork repairs.  This means attention to all of the details and issues, and then nicely finished to make the house feel like a brand new home.  A formal estimate is created with special attention paid to providing options that fit within the overall budget and profit margin goals of the particular property.

Attention to the Esthetics - The house needs to feel like a home. We can’t say that sentence enough times.  It’s a huge psychological factor that comes into play the moment a potential buyer walks through the front door. Our on-staff interior decorator adds a bit of décor in the form of custom color palette selection, drapery, artwork accents, bath and kitchen setup, etc.  Adding color and fabric softens the effect of a empty/stark house, and creates the feeling of “home.”  This is important because most home buying decision-makers are women, and how a house “feels” will greatly affect whether or not it is selected for purchase.

Minimum Listing Checklist - Once it is ready for sale, all of our program properties are required to follow a minimum checklist for listing and having the property professionally represented in the marketplace.  This includes professional signage and realtor services, appropriate listing on the MLS and Realtor.com; and computerized tracking lock boxes with follow up to showings.

Professional Photographic Representation

As the internet has become the primary resource for the search and selection of properties for purchase, one of the biggest mistakes owners make is to display poor quality, or no photography with their online listings.  A second mistake is to list properties with pre-renovation photos that show the properties “issues” prior to upgrade.  Making a positive impression on potential buyers who may be scanning hundreds of listings can be the key to getting the house shown and eventually sold.  Professional photography is a key element we use to market each of our properties on website listings, flyers, etc. 

Take a photographic tour of a few of our Project Samples.

The Personal Touch for House Showings

Each of our properties is given the opportunity to “meet the neighbors” and potential buyers through a “welcome home” initiation of open houses and what we call our hospitality on arrival program.  Multiple open houses are scheduled for each property with hundreds of hand delivered flyers, and later postcards sent out in a succession that starts with the immediate neighborhood and spirals outward by zip code.  Open houses include free hot dogs and drinks for guests at the neighborhood debut, and then each house is stocked with cookies and drinks in the refrigerator for individual showing guests brought in by realtors beyond the open houses.  Taking care of guests in this way makes a lasting impact when potential buyers come for a visit after a long, hot day looking for the perfect home.  They always are greeted with refreshments, beauty in décor, and air conditioning at our front doors!