September is Marketing and Branding Month at Inman. Tips for better branding and in-depth features on how to take advantage of marketing tools provided by Zillow, Redfin and other platforms are all in the works in addition to insights from experts. You’ll find it all at Inman, as well as our two-day virtual, flagship event, Your Playbook for the Fall Market, in October.
If you are creating content, you’re also spending at least some of your time choosing your next topic. While my favorite form of content marketing is my blog, I know that isn’t for everyone. I am 100 percent sure that these topics will work on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or even in a direct mail or email campaign.
Most of these topics are very green and will work in any type of market. It isn’t hard to find or take a picture to go with each idea and a person could write a script and create a podcast or video on any of these topics.
One of the best ways to market to homebuyers is by having an inventory of houses to market and sell.
If you’re creating content geared toward homesellers, here are some of the topics that they will be searching for:
- How to select a real estate agent.
- How to declutter a house in anticipation of putting it on the market.
- How to sell, donate, recycle or dispose of unwanted items.
- When is the best day, week, month or season to put your house on the market?
- Staging tips.
- Popular paint color combinations.
- How to paint an exterior door, including what color and what kind of paint work best.
- How the price of a home is determined.
- The dangers of overpricing your home.
- Advice about locking up valuables and prescription drugs before holding an open house.
- Keeping your children safe by removing items from your home before the photographer arrives.
- Removing personal calendars from the refrigerator and keeping checkbooks and tax returns where they cannot be viewed by persons touring your home.
- The truth about open houses.
- How to prepare for showings once your home is on the market.
- How to choose a closer or title company.
- How down payment assistance programs work.
- How many showings to expect before there is an offer (I have data that I use that shows averages)
- The average and the median number of days on the market in your market area by neighborhood.
- The average and the median number of days on the market in your market area by housing type.
- The average and the median number of days on the market in your market area by price range.
- The importance of having your home listed on the MLS.
- How to sell your parents’ house or a house you inherited.
- How to help elderly parents sell their home.
- Packing and moving tips.
- Realtor isn’t a job title.
- Tips on handling multiple offers so that you choose the best one without losing the second-best offer.
- Information about advertising a home for sale and fair housing rules.
- Common deficiencies found by city housing inspections. (Many municipalities require inspections)
- Pros and cons of having your home “pre-inspected” before putting it on the market,
- The ROI of replacing kitchen appliances before putting your home on the market.
- How to keep your lawn and gardens looking their best while your home is on the market.
- What to do if your home is listed by a Realtor and someone knocks on your door and asks for a tour?
- What you should and should not say about your home, and your motive for selling it on social media.
- The importance of photography, videography and virtual tours in the home selling process.
- Pros and cons of selling a vacant home vs. a furnished home.
- Keeping the home well-lit during the shortest days of the year.
- A list of reasons buyers may not like your home.
- Old carpeting vs. old hardwood floors vs. new carpeting: Which will result in a higher sale price?
- What is disclosure and why is it important and what should be disclosed?
- What to do with pets while your home is on the market.
- Should your home be listed as “Coming Soon”?
- Can you get multiple offers that are all below the listing price? Why does that happen?
- Does the seller have to accept any of the offers?
- Understanding different types of financing.
- Understanding broker reciprocity and how it works.
- Understanding agency and dual agency.
- Does real estate company size matter to homesellers?
- How to sell your home without a real estate agent.
- What happens if I change my mind about selling my home after it is on the market?
- What happens if the buyers back out after all contingencies have been removed?
- What happens if the buyer or the seller die before the closing?
The topics are designed to showcase expertise and experience and to build trust. They cover topics that homeowners often ask about. There are also some topics that homeowners should ask about but they usually don’t and many of the topics will speak to homebuyers as well.
As we head into fall and what could be a slow season for home sales it is the perfect time to start creating content and building a content library, whether it’s in writing, video or maybe some infographics and pictures.
The content you put in your library can be used over and over and repurposed from one platform to another. The list is a starting point and can be tailored to fit your local market and current conditions in that market.
Teresa Boardman is a Realtor and broker/owner of Boardman Realty in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is also the founder of StPaulRealEstateBlog.com.
