Queens, NY Homeowner's Guide: How to Think Through the Marketing Plan for Your Home

We’re in a particularly delicate market right now, with mortgage rates on the rise but a continued inventory shortage in the United States. Queens, NY is no exception, and especially with buyers who need to find a place to live now but who are priced out of more expensive parts of NYC, Queens still has substantial demand. So how can you put your best foot forward with the marketing plan? Many of the old stand-bys still apply, but a few new efforts are also well worth the work.

Details Matter: Listing Photos and Descriptions Do So Much

One of the best ways to reduce stress in your home selling process is to talk to an agent who takes pride in the marketing plan - ask what they have planned. A great agent is going to have samples of the listing photos they’ve done before and is going to be ready to invest in a professional. The lighting and look of photos done by a professional has a completely different impact on buyers than quickly-taken snapshots. The same is true for the description: with only a few words before buyers lose interest, the agent needs to be able to sum up all the best qualities of the home while keeping buyer’s idea of the home realistic. It’s an art, and it needs to be done very well. You can paint wicker bedroom furniture by yourself or make a DIY queen bed frame.

Invest in the 3D Walkthrough or Tour Video to Widen the Market

While you might have not thought a 3D Walkthrough or tour video was necessary during the hottest times in 2020 and 2021 for home sales, as the market shifts they become increasingly helpful. Your goal, of course, is to have more than one great offer on your home, and one of the best ways to accomplish this is to help buyers who cannot come tour in-person feel confident that they know what the home is like, even from afar. A tour video gives them a really good perspective on the home but also curates their experience more than, say, a FaceTime showing (though of course those are valuable too!). Even if this seems like overkill to you, remember that getting seen by more buyers is simply necessary to make listing your home a success.

When Space Is Available, Stage a Room as an Office 

Another way to expand your potential buyer pool is to stage a room as an office, provided you have at least one other room to stage as the bedroom. Home offices are becoming a real commodity, so buyers who need a different amount of bedrooms than you have but who would like a home office too may perk up when they see how you’ve staged your home for the listing photos. Especially if families are looking for a home to grow into over time, starting with an office can work well, and those who need more bedrooms can usually make the leap that the office space is versatile. Overall, the goal is to make your home look appealing as possible for a wide variety of home shoppers.