How to market your neighborhood, not just your house

Sell more than just the house.

When you look at houses for sale online, you will find a detailed description and lots of pictures of the house itself. There are usually a few pictures of the exterior and, if the lot offers in-demand features like a patio, lots of privacy, mature perennials, etc., a good listing agent highlights them as well. However, what many agents don’t do is take a step back to consider what advantages the neighborhood or larger community offers. No house exists in a vacuum. My advice to home sellers is: make sure your agent is marketing the hyper local-aspects of your neighborhood that are likely to appeal to buyers.

What does your neighborhood offer?

• Access–does your location make it especially easy to get to the local schools, highways, shopping areas, parks or public transportation? Be sure to point out how nearby everything is.
• Are there neighborhood activities like a Halloween block party? Book club? Babysitting group? While they might not appeal to everyone, for those who would take advantage of them, they could be an important selling point.
• Is there particularly low turnover on your block? Make sure to emphasize how rarely homes on your street become available. Scarcity breeds demand.
• Is your neighborhood quiet, while surrounding ones are sandwiched between noisy highways? Make sure that’s mentioned in the write up.
• Does your neighborhood offer easy street parking (vs others which don’t permit street parking or have poor parking availability)? This “extra” is often important to prospective buyers, so be sure it’s mentioned!

Create marketing to draw attention to neighborhood features.

• Print out a points-of-interest map so people can see exactly what is nearby.
• Consider offering gift certificates to nearby shops or restaurants to the lucky buyer, or to entice attendance at an open house.
• Make a video of nearby attractions and have it running during showings and at the open house.
• Ask your sellers to put together a “Why we’ve loved living here” sheet that focuses on the neighborhood.
• If homes have increased in value, supply market information statistics demonstrating that purchasing in the neighborhood is a wise investment.
• Have your agent design a social media campaign to market your property that focuses the best aspects of the community/neighborhood.

Remember: home is not just your house and property.

Think about this: if your house/lot were located elsewhere, you might never have bought it. Whether you are conscious of it or not, there were location/community/neighborhood features that contributed to the appeal of the property. Because you don’t just live in your house–you need to commute to work/school, shop, have access to entertainment, etc. Just as certain characteristics drew you to the property when you bought it, the same holds true for prospective buyers (especially those less familiar with the area), so be sure to highlight them!