If you’re a real estate agent or a homeowner looking to sell your home, it’s likely been drilled into your head that the most effective way to market any property is to focus on its strengths and benefits.
While this may be true in many cases, we suggest another approach: selling the negatives! Of course, we don’t mean going out of your way to point out every slight imperfection of a home. But by taking advantage of certain risks or drawbacks associated with homes in certain areas or price points, you can make them more attractive and easier to sell!
In today’s blog post, we’ll explore why embracing some properties’ “negative side” could benefit you and potential buyers.
1. Understand how to market the negative side of a home
One of the essential steps in selling a home is understanding how to market the negative aspects. Knowing how to positively present your property’s drawbacks will help you attract more buyers and increase your chances of getting a reasonable price. Start by recognizing how location, condition, or other issues may affect potential buyers’ perception of your home.
2. Emphasize positive features that can offset the negatives
With any home, there are usually some positive features that you can use to your advantage. One way to emphasize the positive attributes of a house and cover the negative aspects is to showcase how beneficial certain features can be for prospective buyers.
Is there a great view? Is it located in a desirable neighborhood? Are there energy-efficient appliances or systems? These all help balance any drawbacks and can be used as selling points.
3. Price your home correctly for its location and condition
When selling a house with drawbacks, it’s important to be realistic about the price. You want to avoid overpricing or underpricing the property, so consult a real estate professional who can help determine how much buyers will likely pay for your home.
4. Research potential buyers and their needs
Knowing your target audience and what they are looking for can help you market the negative side of a home more effectively. If potential buyers have to travel further to get to work, how much time and money are they willing to invest in purchasing the property?
Similarly, if the home is in an area with a higher crime rate, how much of that is a deal-breaker for them? Researching your target audience will help you understand how to market the property and how much your prospective customers might be willing to pay.
5. Enhance curb appeal with landscaping, paint, or other improvements
Curb appeal can be an important factor in how buyers perceive the home, so consider making improvements to enhance its appearance without breaking the bank. Landscaping, fresh paint, or even a new front door can help draw attention away from the negatives and boost your home’s value.
6. Utilize creative marketing techniques such as virtual tours or 3D walkthroughs.
In today’s digital age, utilizing creative marketing techniques can help you reach more potential buyers and get your house in front of the right people. Virtual tours, 3D walkthroughs, and video footage can be powerful tools to show off the positive attributes of a home while minimizing the negatives.
Creating a virtual walkthrough is an excellent example of using a creative marketing technique to cover a house’s negative features. You can take video footage of the home and walk through it, pointing out all the positive attributes while minimizing the negative ones.
7. Offer incentives to attract buyers who are willing to overlook drawbacks.
If a buyer is willing to overlook the issues with your home, you can offer some extra incentive or enticement that will help make the purchase more attractive. This could include a lower price tag, closing cost assistance, or an appliance upgrade.
8. Use online resources like social media and classified ads to reach more people.
You can use many online avenues to get the word out about your home, such as social media sites, classifieds websites, or even creating a website dedicated to the property.
Don’t forget that there are also offline advertising methods such as newspaper ads, brochures, or signs in the neighborhood.
9. Highlight how improvements can be made to offset drawbacks.
If the property has issues that can quickly be addressed with a few improvements, highlight how these changes could benefit the buyer. This might include anything from renovating certain rooms to adding landscaping.
Being honest and pointing out your home’s “negative sides” while giving expert advice on a quick DIY repair can significantly impact potential customers.
10. Work with an experienced real estate agent who knows how to market a house in a bad location
An experienced real estate agent will know how to market a house in a bad location and how to handle potential buyers who may not be willing to overlook drawbacks.
They can also negotiate the best price for your home and help you find the right buyer while simultaneously managing paperwork and other necessary tasks with selling a house.
11. Consider staging your property to show how it could look at its best.
Staging a property allows potential buyers to visualize how it could look if they made the purchase. This can be especially important when selling a house in a bad location, as staging can draw attention away from any drawbacks and emphasize how great the home could look with some minor improvements.
Open houses can be an extremely effective marketing strategy for selling a home in a bad location. An open house allows potential buyers to physically tour the home and get a feel for how it looks and how the layout works.
12. Leverage the power of networking to find potential buyers.
Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools available, so remember how important it can be to reach out to your contacts and ask them to spread the word about your home. You never know how many potential buyers might be looking for a home in your area and how those connections can help you get the best price possible for your property.
In a Nutshell
Selling a house with drawbacks can be challenging, but with the right strategy and approach, it’s possible to find the perfect buyer willing to overlook any issues.
While highlighting a home’s positive features when marketing its bad parts, always remember to be honest with any drawbacks and mention them. However, you can downplay them by assuring the buyers that these drawbacks are no big deal and can be quickly addressed.
By utilizing these 12 tips on how to market the negative side of a home, you can increase your chances of success and get the best possible price for your property.
If you need help selling your house, leave us a message with your property details, and one of sellmoreproperty’s real estate agents will contact you with further assistance.
Last modified: January 10, 2023
