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I had an idea about marketing my mom's house. It is really a perfect house for older people (single or couple) who need/want to "downsize". It's 3 years old, all living space on one level, clean, new appliances, easy to clean for someone with limited mobility or stamina, has central A/C and humidity control, yet has a reasonable amount of space (master bed/bath, two other small BR, shared full bath, reasonable kitchen and an open-plan LR/DR). It is, in my view, perfect for someone who wants to (and can) remain in their "own home" but can no longer take care of a bigger or older place, with stairs, etc.
It also has a HUGE unfinished (but dry, and easily finish-able) basement.
So here is what I think. For many older folks who are thinking about downsizing, one of the toughest parts is getting rid of all their 'stuff', making those hard decisions, etc. If they buy mom's house, they can live more simply, but still keep all the furniture and other junk (you know, old photos, knick knacks, kids' old kindergarten artwork) that won't fit in their living space, in the basement! Move today, make those decisions tomorrow. Especially if someone has to get out of a house they just can't live in (e.g., they're allergic to mold or mice and live in the country, they can't do stairs), it can be a real boon to be able to stash stuff and worry about it later.
I talked to mom's agent about this, he thinks it's a great idea, and is going to start thinking about it as an alternative to his current strategy, which is marketing to families or young professionals, as a 'starter home', with the "finish the basement into a great family room and/or office" suggestion (I think the upstairs living space is NOT suited to families, bedrooms are too small, place is just small overall).
My question is this: where do you think would be the best place(s) to advertise or seek buyers of this type? I have thought of local social services agencies, hospitals and rehab places. Anybody have any other ideas about how to run with this marketing idea?
If a buyer is looking for a home with an agent, the agent will find the house through the mls and match it up..............most downsizers use an agent to buy........the first place we look is the mls ...if your agent uses print, then he could advertise in some retirement publications... I do not nor have I ever done flyers and put them out in the open, everything has come via the internet or print, although print is getting old or is old I should say
Good idea! The switches are low enough, I think and it would be simple to install a ramp (there's only one small step, the front door is basically at ground level, and there's lots of room out front to work with). The master bath has a walk-in (not roll in, though) shower, with a grab bar. I think we need to mention these things.
Very interesting idea for marketing your mom's house. Maybe your realtor can put one of those post cards together mentioning the possibility of the ramp and great for an older couple looking to downsize. What about doctors who specialize in older patients? There may even be a blog out there. I know my mom still doesn't have a computer, put most her friends are pretty savvy. Craigs list might work. I've had wonderful luck selling some of my more specific items. I even sold a boat lift in 2 days. Just choose great keywords and you can post more than once so you can have different keywords.
Hope this helps-
I finally convinced them to drop the price down into the next 'range' ($200-225; they dropped it to $224) - YEA!! - I am hoping that will help. It was overpriced, now is well-priced. I hope the 'false start' doesn't hurt too much.
I like the "great start or retirement" idea. I think I'm going to post it on Craig's and see if I can generate any interest from the 'retirement/downsize' angle. I might contact someone at the local rehab unit also.
leave it at $225K. that way you'll catch both ranges (those looking up to $225 and those looking from $225 on up). you don't want to lose buyers over a thousand dollars.
The MLS is important, but that's sort of like saying bread is important to a sandwich. There's so much else out there, online and off, in the way of marketing possibilities, that hopefully your Mom's agent is taking advantage of in getting the house sold.
And I agree, it should be at $225,000, the price point break for searching online. Since such a high percentage of folks start their search online these days (upwards of 80% last I heard), paying attention to those point breaks is important for getting the widest exposure.
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