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When homeowners start thinking about selling, much of the conversation naturally centers around one question:
That’s an important question. But there’s another question I think sellers should be asking:
How will my home actually be marketed once it goes on the market?
Because putting a home up for sale and marketing a home are not necessarily the same thing.
A home can be professionally photographed, entered into the MLS and appear on the major real estate websites. Those things are important, but in my opinion, they should be the beginning of a marketing strategy—not the entire strategy.
When I list a home, my goal is simple: get that property in front of as many of the right potential buyers as possible and give them a compelling reason to pay attention.
Your Home Is Competing for Attention
Think about how people shop for homes today.
A potential buyer may scroll past dozens of properties in a single evening. They’re looking at homes on real estate websites, watching videos, browsing social media and researching neighborhoods.
Your home isn’t just competing with the house down the street.
It’s competing for the buyer’s attention.
That means the way a property is presented matters.
The photography matters.
The video matters.
The description matters.
The positioning matters.
And perhaps most importantly, the plan for getting that marketing in front of potential buyers matters.
Great marketing should make someone stop scrolling and think:
“I want to see that house.”
That’s the first win.
More Exposure Can Create More Opportunity
There’s a misconception that once a home is listed online, everyone who might be interested will automatically find it.
I don’t believe sellers should rely on that.
Strong real estate marketing is about creating multiple opportunities for buyers to discover a property.
That can mean strategically using real estate platforms, digital advertising, social media, video and other marketing channels to extend a home’s reach beyond simply waiting for someone to stumble across the listing.
Not every person who sees the marketing will be the buyer.
That’s not the point.
The goal is to create enough qualified attention around the property that the right buyer has a better chance of discovering it.
Marketing Can Influence Perceived Value
There’s another reason I care so much about marketing.
Presentation influences perception.
Imagine seeing the same home marketed two different ways.
In one listing, the photos are dark, the description is generic and nothing about the property feels particularly memorable.
In the other, the home is beautifully presented. The photography draws you in. The marketing highlights what makes the property special. The video helps you imagine what it might feel like to live there.
It’s the same house.
But it doesn’t necessarily feel like the same house to the buyer.
Good marketing doesn’t change the actual value of a property, and it can’t overcome unrealistic pricing. But it can help buyers recognize the value that’s already there.
That’s an important distinction.
The Best Marketing Starts Before the Home Is Listed
Some of the most important marketing decisions happen before the listing ever goes live.
What should we highlight?
Who is the likely buyer?
What features make this home different from competing properties?
Is there something about the location or lifestyle that photographs alone won’t communicate?
How should the home be prepared and presented?
What story are we telling?
Those are marketing questions.
And because my background includes marketing and advertising, this is an area of real estate that I particularly enjoy.
I don’t look at a house simply as another listing that needs to go into the MLS.
I look at it as a property that needs its own marketing strategy.
Not Every Home Should Be Marketed Exactly the Same Way
This is important.
A luxury property on acreage shouldn’t necessarily be marketed exactly like a South Hill bungalow.
A home that’s perfect for entertaining may need a different emphasis than a low-maintenance property that’s ideal for someone who wants to downsize.
A property’s strongest selling points determine the story we tell.
That’s why I don’t believe effective real estate marketing should be completely cookie-cutter.
The strategy should begin with the home itself.
What makes someone want this particular home?
Once we know that, we can build the marketing around it.
Ask a Potential Listing Agent This Question
If you’re interviewing real estate agents to sell your Spokane-area home, there are plenty of good questions to ask about experience, pricing and the selling process.
But I’d add one more:
“What are you actually going to do to market my home?”
Listen carefully to the answer.
You should understand what will happen after the sign goes in the yard and the listing goes live.
Because there’s a big difference between an agent who can list your home and an agent who has a plan to market your home.
Thinking About Selling Your Spokane Home?
If you’re considering selling your home in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake or the surrounding area, I’d be happy to talk with you about more than just what your home might be worth.
I’ll also walk you through how I would position and market your particular property to help it stand out.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer, because your home isn’t one-size-fits-all.
And when the time comes to sell it, I believe its marketing should reflect that.
Ronda Swanson, Realtor
Windermere Real Estate
509-979-5894
swansonrealtor.withwre.com
