Selling your home? Tell a story.

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Selling your home? Tell a story.

Selling your home? Tell a story.

A Realtor who kindly mentored me once told me that when I was writing about a listing, "Tell a story." I didn't get exactly what he meant until I started keeping up with what he was writing about his listings.

Home Seller's Journal

Now, I give my Sellers a questionnaire of sorts to fill out. What do you like most about your home? What will you miss most? What are your best memories here?

You would be surprised what Sellers write, and they do write from their hearts. I can write all day long about the hardwood floors, high ceilings and updated electrical. But, I don't know your house like you do.

Yes, Buyers will enjoy reading that your family picks 3 bushels of pecans from your pecan trees each spring or that a certain type of bird that you can see from your back patio visits each May. They'll enjoy knowing that family meetings were held in the kitchen where you could snack and debate and seat everyone involved. Out of state buyers will be relieved to know where you go when under a tornado watch.

Selling your home? Tell a story.

I also include information the new home owners will need such as which days the trash and recycle are picked up and where to vote, where the school bus stops and where the neighborhood association meets.

I think ONE key of attracting home buyers is making them feel welcome -- letting them SEE themselves living there, making memories similar to those you've enjoyed.

So, don't be afraid to get personal. Tell a story about your home for sale and your fond memories there.

Lori is a residential Realtor with Chinowth & Cohen Realtors serving the greater Tulsa area, and specializing in midtown Tulsa real estate. Please visit Lori’s web site, LoriCain.com or call 918-852-5036.

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Lori is a residential Realtor with Chinowth & Cohen Realtors serving the greater Tulsa area and specializing in downtown Tulsa and midtown Tulsa real estate.

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Posted by Lori Cain - Midtown Tulsa Real Estate www.tulsahomeforsale.net 918-852-5036 on 07/01/2010 09:18 AM

Comments (72)

Selling Your Home? Tell a Story. in the Home Selling Channel

home selling, home features, home selling tips, attracting home buyers

Originally posted at: Midtown Tulsa Real Estate - Lori Cain: Selling your home? Tell a story.

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Post is included in group: BananaTude
Post is included in group: Selling Soulfully
Post is included in group: Diary of a Realtor
Post is included in group: Advice for Sellers
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72 Comments on Selling your home? Tell a story.

JUL

2010

So true Lori, sometimes the best salespeople are the sellers who can write why they chose their home and what makes it special to them! ~ Susan

In my residential days, I would sometimes incorporate a seller's narrative into the marketing effort. You, however, have taken it to a new level. Obviously, some sellers express themselves better than others, but I suspect you can generally find something to use. Good going.

And I've had a few Sellers hand me their filled-out questionnaire with tears in their eyes, "Why are we leaving this wonderful home?" ;=)

Lori, what a great idea! It puts more into the sale than just bricks and mortar.. and really personalizes the home making it move inviting. and I`m sure the home owners love being engaged in such a way and having input on what they love about their home to pass it on to others.

Thanks for sharing! i will try this!

Have a great day!

Lori, that's a great idea! And having grown up in Tornado Alley, I would really want to know where the tornado shelter is! That would be my first question if I were buying in Oklahoma!

Lori,

What a wonderful idea. I am in the process of selling my mom's apartment and the narrative would make this stand out in addition to the brick and mortar stuff. I will definitely put this into my marketing material. Great post.

Yes, the Sellers do enjoy being engaged and being part of the process.

And Pat, when out of state buyers ask me where we go when tornados come, they always look at me in horror when I tell them we take our cameras to the front porch! LOL!

David - good luck selling your mom's apartment!

Gloria - it will add something special to your listings!!

I generall ask sellers to tell me what they liked best about living in this home and neighborhood. But your way takes it just a bit deeper. Good stuff!

Lori, this is a wonderful idea. While I've asked sellers many of the questions you mention in your post, I've never asked them to put pen to paper. I think that it will not only add to the depth of the listing info, but will keep the sellers engaged in the process.

I agree that a personal touch is crucial. When shopping for their next home, buyers want something extra, something special. This is a great way to keep a particular property from getting lost in the shuffle. Excellent suggestion...can't wait to implement it! Thanks!

Hi Lori -- I loved this post, and thank Mary Kay for sending me to it. I've now subscribed so I don't miss more gems!

I give my sellers a questionnaire form, but I think I need to share your post so they fully understand the "why." And if I don't get the form completed, I should sit down with them, get them talking, and take notes. Time for me to ramp it up.

Lori: What a terrific idea... having your sellers write "how they feel about their home!" I love this!

Congrat's on the feature!

I do have one questionnaire that I share with Sellers as a "sample." This one Seller wrote paragraph after paragraph about what she loved, best memories, how she did the faux finish on her fireplace, why she knocked out a wall to open up the living area and favorite neighborhood block parties. It was amazing. So, if other Sellers don't understand what type of information I'm looking for, I give them Katy's sample to use as a guide.

Hope you all find this useful! Thank you for the many comments!

Wow.. great little tid bit.. I will have to see about doing on my next lsiting ;)

Thank you and all the best!

This is wonderful - thanks for sharing!! I have occasionally either had sellers who have written a letter to future possible buyers and left it on the counter, or seen that when showing a home - but never took it the next step & incorporated it as a regular thing I could then use in marketing a listing! (Now slapping my forehead & saying why didn't I ever think of that? )

This is great -- some of my colleagues and I had this very discussion this morning. Buyer's LOVE stories and information.

Wow, What a great idea! I want to start doing this.

Lori:

You are so right every seller has a story, and I think the idea of a questionaire is great. I often use the info I get from the seller to incorporate in the ads that I write. It helps to personalize. Love the pecans story.

Lori - I LOVE this post and this idea. I will "steal" this one. Very good stuff, my friend.

My listing wrote a story yesterday. Won't link to it here but it is posted on AR.

Great idea....we get jaded, don't we, because "lovely brick fronted four bedroom colonial with gleaming hardwood floors and a gourmet kitchen" sounds exactly like the thousands of other houses.

I'm, putting in a listing today -- I'll try to get some extra comments from the sellers. Thanks for the inspiration.

Hi Lori: You have the most wonderful ideas....I always learn something from you. Thank you for posting this....it's a wonderful idea.

Ohh Lori, this is such a beautiful idea the questionaire. The personalization of the listing comments are great too, it brings a personal touch and makes the house a home. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Lori, wonderful post, thank you.

I alos think, that this info is very important to the buyer who is actually buying that particular home.

I will kake sure I do that, weather I'm buyers' or sellers' agent.

Lori,

What a great idea! Like others I have always asked what they like best and will miss most, but those personal details that you mentioned...the memories? They can't be expressed except by --- the owner.

Thanks, I do believe I will steal your thunder, too!

Lisa

What a clever idea....

I love this idea it is so personal and I bet effective. I personally would like to hear what the seller had to say about the home rather than our usual fabulous,fantastic, open and airy scenario. Great idea, I am going to use it.

I will be stealing this one as well, i love it!! It will truly help home buyer's see themselves in the home as well!

Thank you all for your lovely comments - I hope this works well for you all!

Jason, you can steal my stuff anyday! ;=)

Lori - this is a terrific idea. I usually ask sellers to tell me about what they liked adn didn;t like about their home, why they bought it, etc. but I sure don't do enough with that information.

I also wonder, now that you got me thinking, about using photos showing good times or other features of the property that really stand out for the sellers, provided they are OK with that, of course.

Jeff

Lori, thats a great post. I love the idea and will start using it.

This is a great idea. I'm certainly going to add it into my 'bag of tricks' soon.

you are so correct, thank you for sharing, I have a hard time with my words. but this will help

It really does help you sell the home when you understand what first attracted the sellers. Understanding what they liked and why they purchased it will help you position the home in your marketing.

I agree with you completely! I actually ask my sellers to write a letter to the buyers. They are able to put into their own words what they LOVE about their home. After all, buyers buy based on emotion and justify it by logic. Thank you for the great post!

Keep smiling,

Karen

Lori, I'm with Jason...I love this idea and I am definitely going to use it.

Very cool! I've used this concept for years during my listing appointments and have found it to be a treasure trove of information in the marketing of my listings. I let my clients know that the reason they bought the home is often going to be the impetus for the next sale!

I love this! I always have my sellers write a list of the 10 things they love most about the home -- but I like the idea of adding "what they will miss most" and "favorite memories". Buying a home is an emotional experiece for most, and telling a story can really make a difference.

Lori, I LOVE this idea! I always have them explain what attracted them to their home when they bought it but this really takes it to a different level.

Great advice! People buy with their heart, not their heads. They make an emotional decision and then use their heads to justify it.... then call it logic!

It might be a good idea to put that in the home materials that you leave at the home. I think that's a great idea.

BRILLIANT! Thank you so much! I'm going to start asking these questions right away. I'm really grateful that you shared this with me.

What a great idea! It makes buyers look at a home from a more personal perspective.

Love it. I just bookmarked this blog and added to my to-do list to come up with my own such questionnaire. This is neat!

Lori this is a sensational idea. It will set my listings apart from the others. Thanks for the tip.

Ann

This is a great idea. I always ask about the top ten favorites but this takes it to another dimension.

Love Love Love this Lori! I've done it in the past but the last few years the stories have been a bit sad with folks dealing with shorts etc. I so look forward to doing it again very soon!

Featured in BananaTude!

This is a great idea, Lori, and I am bookmarking ready for my next listing presentation :)

Super good idea. I remember a listing I took for a teacher/principal. Boy did she re-write what I said about the home. That was a hard one to overcome but I like what you say here.

Lori,

What a lovely post. And a wonderful idea. Thank you for sharing it with us.

So how does this story get communicated to potential buyers?

I like the idea. Thank you for sharing this post.

This is a fantastic idea.. I wish that more agents would discuss this with the sellers.

Several people have asked how this is communicated to potential buyers.

Our MLS description is limited to x number of characters. So, I include this verbiage in postlets, which is syndicated. I include it in flyers, and I also include it in my Listing Presentation Book (see linked blog post). I also include it in a personal domain (123MainStreet.com) and any other venue that doesn't limit my characters - such as a blog post on AR. Hope this helps.

Thank you for your lovely comments!

JUL

2010

I've been doing this for years and sellers usually love doing it. I always tell them it helps buyers picture themselves living there. The things owners love about their home and neighborhood resonate with buyers and make it more personal.

Lori, What a great idea. I typically go for the nuts and bolts of the home … repairs done, upgrades, utility costs, etc. Adding the personal touch … telling stories about the pool parties or how many children were raised in the home give is more “life.”

I think there are a lot of great ideas that can come out of this concept. I have a few things to contemplate from this. Thank you.

Lori, wonderful idea, I agree telling a story in your listings is great. It humanizes the process to the buyers, real people lived and worked and loved here.

Lori - What a great post. As a mortgage gal, I don't read listings all day long like you Realtors but knowing about a property would certainly appeal to me if I were a buyer.

JUL

2010

Great idea, and if you want to know my story from my 2 houses see my blogs, "My house went through airport customs", and "Romeo, Romeo, where art thou?". Thanks for your blog!

Lori,

Love this suggestion! I try to share as much as I can figure out, but great questions to ask the sellers to get even more info to share!

I'm off to tell a story:-)

All the best, Michelle

JUL

2010

Lori - this is brilliant and what a big help to those of us that blog about our listings!!! It get boring writing about stainless steel appliances and granite countertops :)

Thanks,

Betsy

Great ideas for helping see beyond the building. Thanks for the post.

That is a great idea - often times that is what will sway a buyer towards a home that is filled with good karma.

Lori - We do a "Top Ten Favorite Things about Your Home" to share with potential buyers. You are so right about the seller being the best marketer for the home.

So true. I have a new listing where part of their story is their beautiful new kitchen cabinets were custom built from trees on their own property!

Hi Lori -- Such sage advice. I once took a CRS class that showed a real-life example of a single-property website that told a LONG story so incredibly well that by the end of the story that all the students had read up on the big screen, we were all clamoring for that property.

Best idea of the day! Give yourself a gold star. Thanks very much!

What a neat idea, Lori! It makes perfect sense for the seller to provide the unique insight that would make a house a home, and it is a way to directly involve the seller with the marketing of their property.

Thank you all for your lovely responses! I hope it helps SELL your listings!!

JUL

2010

Lori, Such a wonderful idea. Thanks to you and your mentor for another great tool! Enjoy your summer. Gloria

JUL

2010

Lori, I was hunting thru older blogs for some ideas and came across yours. I usually ask my sellers why they bought the home for the same reason you state here - it gives me a great idea on WHOM to market to, but I like the idea of giving them a form to fill out. The sellers usually like to know that a buyer is going to take care of their home as well as or better than they did and this would be one way to make them feel like that will happen. It probably would make a nice gift to the buyers, also to know how the home was used before!

I've already created some forms with those type of questions on and plan to use that from here on out!

Thanks for a great post!

Sharon

Thanks, Gloria!

Sharon - I gave my Sellers the form to fill out at a Listing appointment last night. They said, "your home stager just told us to neutralize our home, and you're telling us to personalize it!" We laughed about it. They understood. Good luck to you!

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Lori Cain - Midtown Tulsa Real Estate www.tulsahomeforsale.net 918-852-5036

Tulsa, OK

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