SELLING A HOME IN LAS VEGAS THATS GREEN IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
Selling a Las Vegas home quickly and for a good price means attracting the broadest range of qualified home buyers. That can depend on identifying as many appeal points as possible, and then showing them off through an energetic marketing program. One increasingly prominent marketing point is one that used to be an unexploited side issue: green features. Just watch some of the latest TV commercials, and you’ll see what Madison Avenue’s researchers have decided—today’s consumers increasingly respond to eco-friendly product features. Selling a home in Las Vegas can benefit by incorporating the kind of green features that just a short while ago used to be underplayed (or overlooked entirely). But today’s buyers also tend to be a sophisticated crew. It’s no longer enough to simply sprinkle buzzwords in a listing or tear sheet. Here are some tips gleaned from successful appeals to green home buyers: Focus on the Numbers Typical green home buyers aren’t just thrifty—some studies conclude that saving money is their primary focus. The NAR finds that heating and cooling costs are at least somewhat important to 85% of today’s home buyers. Selling to value-minded home buyers in Las Vegas means that listing and supplementary materials should emphasize concrete data on the savings to be had from the property’s energy-efficient features. The way to do that? Gather the manufacturer’s information for operating cost saving projections. Green is ‘green’ in more ways than one! Be Specific What’s called “green washing” by marketers has left buyers more willing to dismiss vague environmental benefits that are more sizzle than steak. Use precise information to break through the marketing fog of green buzzwords—to make a pitch that resonates with sophisticated prospects. A little research will yield specific eco-friendly details: for instance, when listing features like doors and windows, using technically precise terms like “low-e glass” instead of “energy saving windows.” Likewise, rather than promoting “efficient appliances,” cite the “Energy Star-rated dishwasher.” Provide Documentation To demonstrate that a home’s green pedigree is more than just sloganeering, making available copies of the original documentation of eco-friendly materials and appliances can be a difference-maker. If possible, haul out the old energy bills to demonstrate “before and after” utility consumption figures. Energy certifications, performance specifications and environmental ratings provided by manufacturers can quash objections from even the most sales resistant green home buyers. I like to set up a small display with those kinds of materials during open houses for my clients whose Las Vegashomes sport valuable green attributes. If your home has strong eco-friendly sales points—or if you are in the market for one—give me a call today! 0
LAS VEGAS HAUNTED HOME FOR SALE WHY NOT
Regardless of whether you believe in “hauntings” or not, a frightening past can affect how potential buyers react to a home for sale in Las Vegas. Depending on timing, an agent may or may not be obligated to explain that a death or other dramatic event took place in the house—or that the current owners believe it to be haunted. However, even a supposedly haunted Las Vegas home for sale may attract a flock of buyers, given some fearless (and creative) marketing! If the stories about the house are intriguing and widespread, there’s almost no choice but to turn that to the sale’s advantage. A listing headlined as “Las Vegas ’s Haunted House” couldn’t help but draw curiosity. There are also national possibilities through listing on sites for people who are specifically on the hunt for a haunted house for sale (their listing forms are a little, uh, different, featuring questions like “Do you feel cold spots?”; “Moving objects?”). Haunted houses draw a diverse group, ranging from the dedicated to the mildly curious. Prospects may simply have a vague curiosity about ghosts or family connections to the home—or might even anticipate hosting a location for one of the paranormal reality shows. Some buyers are bound to feel a spiritual connection to a home for sale, even when they know nothing of its past. Such a buyer was blogger Craig Schaible: “We were walking out of the attic, and my wife said, ‘Any ghosts?’ And the [agent] said, ‘Well, yeah.’ We were like, ‘Cool, tell us about it.’” It can be a positive. Consider the hotel industry, where an old, beautiful building connected to a few ghost stories is an exciting draw for tourists. Why not for a full-time home? If the house is large, one marketing appeal could be as a possible haunted bed-and-breakfast—a true tourist destination. If it were fortunate enough to have architectural features that could be considered appropriately “creepy,’ film and advertising production crews would want to know about it. In other words, a haunted house doesn’t have to be a drawback. With an innovative and creative marketing approach, the right buyers could be walking through the creaky floorboards sooner than you’d think! And in case you’re thinking of buying or selling a non-haunted house this winter, call me today to discuss the best plan for you! 0
AS VEGAS HOUSES SELL FASTER WITH A BIT OF STAGECRAFT
Almost every Las Vegas neighborhood has one or two houses that go all out at Halloween. Their owners suspend sheet ghosts up in the trees, plant cardboard tombstones on the lawn, broadcast loud spooky sounds out into the street—then prepare a surprise or two to jump out at any mini-goblin who’s brave enough to knock on the door! It’s all great fun—but now imagine living in a haunted house. Everywhere you look, you see evidence of the previous owner: little reminders that the spirit of the place remains enthralled by someone other than you and your family. Believe it or not, some Las Vegas houses for sale wind up conveying just that feeling to prospective buyers! When Las Vegas houses are sold, it isn’t just a matter of closing deals and handing over keys. It’s also a transition from one group of occupants to the next. If prospective buyers can’t visualize themselves living in those houses, firm offers won’t be forthcoming. Las Vegas houses filled with personal mementos might as well be haunted houses, with the would-be sellers the ghosts! Fortunately, the solution to de-haunting a Las Vegas house doesn’t require the services of the Ghostbusters (or an exorcist). Basic home staging does far more than make houses look fresh, clean and attractive–it also deliberately plants cues that tilt toward an ‘unoccupied’ look. Since the majority of Las Vegas houses are still occupied by their (very many alive) owners, that can take a little stagecraft. But it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition: houses that are properly staged are simply furnished without the individual personality in their furnishings that would make them look ‘lived-in.’ Prospective buyers can easily imagine filling them with styles of their own. How does anyone depersonalize their home? First job is to identify an area (a large area!) where items can be stored out of sight. If that involves renting a temporary storage space, the cost should be minor compared with the value that can result. In it will go that black velvet painting everyone thought was so funny; the gathering of hand-painted ceramic pigs; the hard-fought weekend warrior trophies; the family pictures (remember: this is only temporary)… For houses built and furnished many years ago, the décor may also need updating. If necessary, repaint in neutral colors—sometimes even when a bolder choice works well (that’s always a judgment call). Last but not least, properly staged houses are those from which signs of everyday habitation have been removed: things like toys, newspapers, mail, magazines, and tonight’s main course thawing on the kitchen counter. Staging a home succeeds best when the result creates a beautifully blank canvas for the next owner. De-haunting your own Las Vegas house can mean a quick closing at the right price. If you are ready to make this winter your prime selling season, a call to my office will help make that happen!
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