Ideas on how to sell your Outer Banks Real Estate

I heard a show on NPR on Monday about a Realtor that burried a Saint Joseph figurine in the yard of her listing to make the home sell.  I had never heard of this tradition but apparently there is an established market for "St. Joseph Real Estate Kits".

It seems that when the Real Estate market slows - the kooks come out to play.  I would be a little concerned if my agent showed up with one of these kits and a shovel as a way to sell my home.  It reminds me of a book I read a while back - Hope is not a Strategy. 

What would I do to sell a vacation home on the Outer Banks (if I were a Realtor)?  I would focus much of my attention on existing and emerging technology - Web 2.0.  The majority of people find properties online before they talk to a Realtor (or a mortgage lender - shame on you but that is a topic for a later post).  I would imagine that the statistics for online searches on the Outer Banks Real Estate Market is even higher.  Here is my current order:

The MLS is a closed system but it is the first step in promoting your house to other Realtors.  It is a great tool but but it does little to promote your property online.

Trulia is my current favorite listing / mapping tool.   It is easy to add your listing and customize  your listing with your contact information.  For the map based crowd - it is the cream of the crop.

Zillow would be my second choice of online services - love them or hate them but they get a lot of traffic every day. 

I would also look at using Realbird or VFlyer (or both) to make custom flyers, maps and web sites for my listing.  Both services send your listing to multiple listing services online.  Some of the services one or both feed are Google Base, Edgeio, Vast, Trulia, Oodle, Backpage and Craigslist.

I would add a virtual tour or a video of the property on my website.  Stuart Chamberlain offers a great virtual tour package that is affordable, professional and can be added to any web site.  Video can be very expensive and in today's market - I would only offer professional video if the seller agreed to pick up the tab.  These services provide valuable information to the buyer which helps narrow their search of properties.  This saves everyone time and money. 

I would use Microsoft Live Maps to show the property and the proximity to other restaurants, beach accesses and services.  People can get a great idea of what is around them by zooming in on the birds eye map technology.  As of today, they really have the competition beat for Outer Banks views.  You can see an overhead from four directions at the height of one of those planes carrying the banners along the beach in the summer.  Google will be using the services of a new satellite this summer and we have seen some improvements but they have a long way to go to catch up to Microsoft.

Lastly, I would consider adding a Craigslist post - please make sure you add an s because the alternative is not safe for work.  Don't expect to get rich here.  You will be mixed in with the kooks selling the Saint Joseph Real Estate Marketing Kits but you never know where a potential buyer is looking for an Outer Banks Vacation Home.

If you have any additional ideas or suggestions, please leave a comment.

   

Comments

[OBC-Seahawk]

Will the St. Joseph Kit work for getting beach house renters too??
Kim

[Ronnie Roach]

Kim,

I don't think a St. Joseph figurine will help gain an extra week of rent. Some of the same technology used to sell a home can be used to help promote your rental property which might help. One extra weekly rental - even during the off season would be welcomed by most.

[Robert]

I saw your recent article on "How to Sell Real Estate on the Outer Banks" and was amused by your reference regarding the Saint Joseph statue. I did want to tell you that this has been a tradition for many years in the Catholic community, especially up North. I can tell you that I personally did this twice (both times in depressed markets) and it worked. I sold easily and received very close to my asking price in both cases!

I would like to add that the hyper-linked article regarding the "Saint Joseph Real Estate Kits" is not correct--it seems to be just a marketing ploy to sell "Saint Joseph Real Estate Kits." There are no "spells" that are performed and no special oil or candles are needed. All that is needed is a small statue of Saint Joseph to bury in the yard, a sincere prayer asking Saint Joseph for his intercession, and most importantly, faith. Burying the statue isn't really necessary--it serves only a
physical expression of faith.

I don't think it would work for real estate agents to routinely do this though. It should be done by the homeowner--provided the homeowner has the faith to believe his/her prayer will be answered.

By the way, I read your articles each week and find them both well-written and highly informative.

Kind regards,
Robert