Nov. 18, 2005: Little white signs are tin-eared real estate marketing
You're driving through a neighborhood in Phoenix or Scottsdale, and there it is. Not the "For Sale" sign, the rider - the little white plastic sign slung beneath. There, for all the world to see, is the ultimate testament to tin-eared real-estate marketing: A house that declares in bright red letters, "I'm gorgeous inside!"
Words are simple machines. They're the means by which we transmit ideas from one mind to another. Whatever message the sender might have hoped to convey, the only translation a thoughtful mind can make is this: "I look like a dump from the street!" More fully: "Even though I look like a dump from the street, I promise to make up for it by being more than unusually nice on the inside." The worst part is, the houses usually don't look like dumps from the street, not that anyone would have to point that out.
What should the sign say? How about this: "I'm even more gorgeous inside!" A house making that claim ought to have a nice curb appeal, but here's an even better idea: Why not trust buyers to make up their own minds?
Does anyone doubt they can? Is there anyone who thinks that buyers can be swayed to buy a home where they otherwise would not if they are properly hectored by little red and white signs?
"Very Special!" "Many Extras!" "Won't Last!" "You'll Love This Place!" "Honey, Stop the Car!"
Home buyers purchase the house that best fits their lifestyle needs and their finances. When they're home, they know it. A real-estate rider didn't get them there, and it won't get them to stay in the wrong house.
Here's my ideal of a great rider: The sales price - really big - since that's everyone's first question. Day and time for the open house. And the address for the home's Web site so that potential buyers can revisit the property from their home, sharing the information with their friends. If the house is truly gorgeous, inside and out, it will sell itself.
Greg Swann is the designated broker for BloodhoundRealty.com, a full-service Metropolitan Phoenix real estate brokerage. This article originally appeared in the West Valley regional sections of the Arizona Republic.
Spread the word: Click here for a printer-ready version of this column.
Or: Steal this book: I've written over 200 of these real estate columns. They are consistently one of the most popular features on our blogs. Many of them are dated and/or entirely Phoenixocentric. But many others are timeless and generic. If you want to use any of my columns on your weblog or web site, feel free. Three rules: Don't change my text, credit me as the author and give me a link back to http://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/ with appropriate anchor text. Something like this, perhaps:
Am I link-baiting? You bet. The quid pro quo is free content for your site that pulls eyeballs and excites interest.<a href="http://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/" target="_blank"> Phoenix Realtor Greg Swann</a> suggested I share this with you:
