Selling Luxury Homes: An Art
Ever wondered how those crème de la crème realtors sell those flying-off-the-shelf luxury miramar house for sale? Well, surely not just by hooking that fancy sign on the lawn. It’s an art of finesse, and with a better realtor, it gets perfect.
But let us talk about photography-no smartphone snap here! This is the work of world-class photographers when each nook and corner is shot down with precision lighting and angles that flatter each room’s architecture. These photos alone can’t just show a house; they will convey a story.
Of course, there are virtual tours. Agents literally have technology at their fingertips, creating the ability for an immersive experience; thus, allowing your would-be buyers to walk through homes anywhere in the world without stepping foot in them. It’s like giving someone VIP service before they’ve ever shown interest.
It goes so much further than clichés-forget newspaper advertisements or simple online listings. It could be anything from social media campaigns targeting high-net-worth demographics to video walkthroughs posted on YouTube Channels with thousands of subscribers to features in luxury lifestyle magazines read by people that could actually afford such opulence.
This game is just hugely colossal as far as networking is concerned. The best agents rub shoulders with influential people: celebrities, CEOs, international investors-just name them. They’ll be attending high-class events just to casually mention the latest listing over champagne flutes clinking together at sunset parties or charity galas under glittering chandeliers.
Word of mouth within those circles is gold. And when any one of them speaks in favor of a particular property, that property assumes a certain aura no amount of advertisement can ever achieve; it’s almost a royal seal of approval.
Nor the open houses – save from the cookie cutter Sunday afternoon affair replete with cookies and coffee. Most of these events happen in very private settings; most of them have reservation-only access, affording buyers the very life that they would live if they were the owner of that home: coming into the foyer with live music, hors d’oeuvres prepared by a top chef, and perhaps even a sommelier offering wine tastings from an extensive cellar.
The best agents intuitively know when to ring the urgency bell without being a pushy agent. Nobody knows more about the market than they do-from emerging trends to timing. If there’s buzz-be it a particular neighborhood, an architectural style, or whatever-then they use that buzz to position listings as must-haves before everybody else catches on.
Communication skills also form a keystone. The really good agents are always listening, never talking, because the more they understand what their clients really want, the better the agents can match people with homes that fit like Cinderella’s slipper-perfectly snug yet luxurious enough for royalty.
Now, let me sprinkle it with a pinch of humor, as who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh? Imagine this: one fine day, one agent called to say he sold a mansion because his client loved the lighting above the bathroom mirrors. “If I look this good here,” she said, posing like she was about to grace the covers of Vogues, “I’m buying it!” Often, those quirky moments can actually close the deal!
How Top Agents Sell Luxury Properties with Exclusive Listings
The very cream of real estate agents around sells luxury property, period. What is the magic ingredient herein? In one word, exclusives. What really gets these A-listers going? Let’s get into their playbook and find out how these guys pull off such high-stakes deals.
First of all, exclusives put an agent in a very enviable position. Imagine going to a very classy party at which there is only one bottle of vintage champagne; everyone wants it because it’s so scarce. The very same thing happens here: by controlling the access to some properties, the agents make certain properties so exclusive that the high-net-worth buyers just can’t resist them.
Good agents intuitively know what exactly the clients want, sometimes without having to spell it out. This sixth sense tells them, even without seeing the property, what will make a “yes” likely to pop out. Mind readers, minus the crystal ball.
Utilizing elite circle connections would be another trick up their sleeve. You see, the selling of a multi-million-dollar mansion doesn’t just involve putting up an online listing and then waiting for the bites; it is more about who you know than what you know. For the most part, such agents know influential people who are able to afford that kind of luxury or at least know someone who can.
Let me tell you a story: I once knew an agent named Lisa who sold a penthouse suite faster than hotcakes on Sunday morning, and all she did was chat with her Pilates instructor during class! As it would turn out, her instructor had another client looking for that type of property-a heaven-made match, courtesy of casual conversation.
And here comes the marketing magic: these pros don’t depend on cookie-cutter strategies; oh no! Their marketing plans resemble Grandma’s intricate quilt patterns sans itch factor. Think of drone shots that show every nook and cranny from angles that are just but jaw-dropping. Alternatively, think of virtual tours where one could have sworn he was seated by the edge of that infinity pool, sipping his mojito.
And then there are those slick, luxury brochures, quite frankly, resembling nothing so much as a cross between a coffee table book and a real estate listing. These aren’t pamphlets so much as artworks for the indoctrination and hypnosis of prospective buyers into love. It catches everything: the Italian marble on the counters, the chandeliers custom-ordered from Paris.
The best agents intuitively know just how to make this showing an irresistible experience: walking into the mansion, hit by the smell of just-baked cookies, soft jazz wafting from the stereo, pure sunlight coming in through sparklingly clean windows. All of a sudden, it is almost as if one had entered some sort of dream from which one could wake up and find oneself really living.
Of course, there is sorcery in social media. Top agents use sites like Instagram and Facebook-not just for selfies, but as killing tools to show properties with stunning visuals that tell engrossing stories. One well-placed post, or quite possibly an interesting story, could generate hype a lot faster than wildfire. Finally, there has to be faith in such deals.
For the deal to come through, clients have to trust that the agent will act for their best interest-not commission chases, but actually on the lookout for the right palace or getting their rightful value for that palace.
