Since sellers are relying on you to create a high-quality listing that sells their home fast and for as close to their asking price as possible, knowing exactly what buyers are looking for is the key to making a swift sale. Even if you know how to network, having a listing that is on-trend can do a lot of the heavy lifting in your real estate marketing strategy.
However, what qualifies as an effective luxury real estate listing changes over time, and if you’re not keeping up with trends, you’re selling yourself and your clients short.
Although there are a few key elements of a listing that will always stay the same—such as leading with lifestyle, writing descriptive copy that tells the story of a home and including high-quality photography—other elements lend themselves to a bit of variability as styles change and real estate marketing evolves to meet buyer demands.
If you’re looking to stop a luxury real estate buyer in their tracks right now, here are three trends you can’t afford to ignore in your next luxury real estate listings:
1. Video Home Marketing
In luxury real estate, visuals are everything. Compelling images are a given, but only recently has video home marketing become expected. This visual medium is especially helpful for your real estate marketing strategy because it allows prospects to “tour” a property without having to leave their couch—an invaluable convenience for out-of-town or international buyers.
Many of the Institute Members who are featured in our Monthly Member Spotlights swear by video home marketing, and have yielded impressive returns on their investment with this new and exciting strategy.
Institute Members Carl and Christine Battista of The Battista Team are two major advocates of video home marketing, and reveal how they implement it successfully in their real estate marketing strategy in the latest episode of the Estate of Mind Podcast.
2. Neutral Colors and Natural Touches for Staging
Neutral colors have been a staple for open house staging and listing photography, but today’s luxury buyer loves to see them paired with natural, earthy touches. Clean, minimal decor in neutral sage greens, greys, whites, creams and even some muted blues combined with indoor plants and organic textures are all in style.
Bold prints and other strong accents should be used sparingly, as neutrals allow potential buyers to easily picture themselves in a listed home. Beyond that, one glance at popular high-end restaurants and stores affirm that this particular demographic is currently more interested in “subdued luxury” than anything blatantly lavish or loud.
3. Lifestyle Photos
Another popular trend emerging in luxury real estate listings is lifestyle photography and video. Agents hire models and professional photographers or videographers to stage short films or storyboard-like photos at an available listing with the intention of giving prospects an idea of what a day-in-the-life in the home would feel like.
These listings are similar to fashion magazine spreads, or short fashion films. Models may be staged having a dinner party, lounging at the pool, or posing in front of an impressive car collection in a home’s ample garage or courtyard.
This strategy is especially helpful when amping up the appeal of big, sprawling luxury estates that tend to sit on the market longer, or in secondary cities where luxury real estate is just starting to take off. Giving the prospect a way to clearly visualize themselves in a home greatly increases the chance that they will actually make it to the viewing stage.
Beyond helping prospects picture themselves in the home, taking advantage of this trend can also catch the eye of other luxury sellers who want this level of creative real estate marketing for their own listing.
Want More Ideas for Improving Your Luxury Real Estate Marketing Strategy?
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Our expert trainers blend instruction with stories from their own experience working in the field; this is considered the best course available for anyone looking to successfully break into luxury real estate or enhance their existing career.
Take a look at our Luxury Live Schedule now.
Diane Hartley is the president of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, a premier independent authority in training and designation for real estate agents working in the upper-tier residential market. Hartley brings her passion for luxury marketing and more than 20 years of experience growing and leading businesses to her role as president of the Institute.
