When I was a full-time real estate agent, I found myself with an unusual niche... Vacant Homes!
I was "Denver's Vacant Home Specialist!"
I LOVED it! I could do (or not do) an open house whenever I felt like it. Show up when it suited me, leave when I wanted, no worrying about small-talking with the homeowner who was trying to get her toddler ready, her dog penned up and her lunch dishes washed at 2:20 (for my 2-4 open house). I could show my listing at any time, without calling ahead. No dealing with seller complaints about agents who showed up early... late... or not at all.
Is marketing vacant homes brain surgery? Nope. But believe it or not, marketing vacant homes IS a valid specialty!
Here are just a few of the problems I offered solutions to:
~ Vacant homes don't photograph well (bring in the home stager!)
~ Light bulbs burn out with astonishing frequency
~ Who's gonna shovel the snow?
~ Mow the lawn?
~ Clean up the dead bugs?
~ Unused toilets get nasty, fast!
If you have a vacant listing, you'll be dismayed by how quickly things deteriorate into chaos. Shower curtains fall down, lockboxes jam, sprinkler systems mis-fire. Strange smells permeate the home from any number of mysterious sources. SOMEONE has to solve these problems... why not YOU?
I fell into my niche because of all the fix-n-flip investors I worked with in the late 1990's. In response to the fix-n-flip craze, I started one of the first full service home staging companies (www.stagingdenver.com) and offered free staging to my investor clients. Ahhhh, the good old days.
But, I digress. If you're an introvert and looking for a niche suitable to your personality, think about the vacant home market. Hook up with a home-stager (who offers furnishing services, not just redecorating), pack a little tool kit (lightbulbs, dusting clothes, trash bags, etc.) for your car and put your antenna up for vacant home sellers.
They're out there... and maybe they're looking for YOU!
copyright Jennifer Allan 2007
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