Selling your home successfully often depends on effectively communicating the home’s best features. Rather than emphasizing key features that are most likely to generate buyer interest, some sellers give those features equal billing on lists with other features that don’t add significant value. Since most potential buyers will remember just a few facts about each property they visit, giving them just a few key benefits to remember can make your home memorable. Let’s look at how we can highlight signature features that can help you sell your home faster and with better price and terms.

Identify Features That Attract Potential Buyers

Look at your home through the eyes of potential buyers. Given the location and general characteristics of your home, what could be important to them? If located in a scenic area, view could be important. If in an urban location, buyers may want to be within walking distance to shopping, restaurants and public transportation. Review recent sales in the area with your broker and see what features appear to be gaining the most attention and best offers from buyers. Write down those features and see which one’s your home provides.

Identify Three Signature Features

Make your home easier for buyers to remember by focusing their attention on just three signature features. Why three? Buyers often have just two or three must-haves that pertain to the property itself after they consider the home’s location and size (number of bedrooms and square footage). Those could be updated kitchens or baths, open floor plan, flooring type (e.g. wood versus carpet), age and type of built-in appliances, noise-reducing windows, swimming pool, storage or view. Pick out the top three and make them your signature features.

Focus Upgrades on Signature Features

Tag signature features during scheduled showings and open houses to draw attention to them. This kitchen had new appliances.

Unless you’re doing a total remodel prior to selling your home, fix all the problems identified in the initial home inspection report and then focus upgrade efforts, if needed, on signature features. Prioritize items per your upgrade budget and selling schedule. Upgraded kitchens and baths frequently attract buyers and can be easily improved with new appliances, counter tops, flooring, paint and storage space. Confirm that planned upgrades have the potential to provide a commensurate increase in buyer demand and the selling price.

Highlight Signature Features In Listings, Flyers And At Showings

Give signature features top billing in descriptions of the home that appear in your broker’s MLS listing, on flyers and at showings (see flyer example below). When holding an open house, tag signature features with signs like the one on the refrigerator (see photo). You may also want to ask your broker about setting up photo opportunities in front of signature features to remind open house visitors of the property later when they get home (see my article: Photo Op Home Seller Strategy).

Spiral staircase near entry, built-in book shelves, and golf course/ocean view from back patio are features highlighted in this flyer.

In Conclusion…

Make it easy for potential buyers to identify and see the value of signature features when selling your home. Give those features priority when doing pre-sale upgrades and communicate them clearly in all your marketing materials. The result could be a faster sale at a higher price.

Have questions about highlighting signature features or selling your home? Drop me a line: Contact Us.

About Real Living with Broker John™

Each week Real Living with Broker John™ provides innovative tips and information regarding all aspects of owning, buying and selling real estate. John Souerbry is Broker/Owner of Cordon Real Estate, a full service brokerage in California’s San Francisco Bay Area (CA License 01370983). Contact John with questions or comments regarding Real Living or real estate in Wine Country, East Bay and Silicon Valley.

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