The marketing difference: why presentation and strategy sell homes faster

Two similar properties in the same suburb can achieve very different results. One may attract a steady stream of enquiries and sell within a fortnight. The other may sit, get discounted and eventually sell to whoever is still looking.

The difference often has little to do with the properties themselves. It comes down to how each one was presented, how the campaign was planned and how well the agent kept buyers moving through it. Vendors have the most obvious stake in getting that right, but a well-marketed listing is also easier to buy than a poorly presented one.

First impressions start before the inspection

Most buyers form a view of a property long before they walk through the front door. It happens while they're scrolling, which makes the photography, the styling and the description the first inspection rather than the second.

That doesn't mean renovating before you sell. The changes that lift a listing are often small:

• Decluttering and depersonalising each room
• Improving the lighting in the main living areas
• Fixing the faults buyers notice, such as chipped paint or a sticking door
• Tidying the garden, driveway and entrance, since the exterior is almost always the first image

Strategy turns attention into offers

Presentation earns attention. Strategy converts it. The latest figures from the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia show 7,565 properties advertised for sale across the Perth metro area in the week ending 13 September – more than two and a half times the number available a year earlier. With that many properties competing for buyers' attention, how a home is presented and marketed becomes increasingly important.

A family home, a coastal apartment and an inner-city townhouse appeal to different buyers, so marketing them the same way makes little sense. The pricing, the method of sale, the timing and the advertising channels should all follow from who is most likely to buy.

Communication keeps that strategy moving, and modern campaign tracking makes it measurable rather than anecdotal. Houses sold in a median of 23 days across Perth in August, 12 days slower than a year earlier. That makes early feedback particularly valuable, helping vendors understand how buyers are responding and whether the campaign needs adjusting.

What good marketing gives buyers

A well-run campaign isn't only working for the vendor. Clear photography, a proper floorplan and an accurate description let you rule a property in or out before you spend a Saturday on it, and an agent who returns calls tells you where you actually stand.

A bigger pool of listings helps too. There's more to choose from, and buyers may have greater negotiating room on some properties. REIWA president Suzanne Brown says nearly half of all Perth properties sold for less than the asking price in July.

Don't assume a polished campaign puts a home beyond reach, either. It tells you the vendor is serious, not that the price is fixed. It's worth asking:

• How long the property has been on the market
• What feedback other buyers have given
• Whether the price expectation has shifted since the listing went live

Read the headlines carefully

Brown points out that while some coverage talks about prices 'plunging' and 'crashing', the actual falls have been small in dollar terms. Perth's annual median house sale price was still 18.5% higher year-on-year in August at $960,000.

Buyers holding out for a large correction should keep that context in mind. More listings and longer selling times may give you more scope to negotiate, but they don't necessarily mean prices are about to fall sharply.

There's no single formula for selling well or for buying well. Both come down to understanding the property, the buyers most likely to want it and what the local market is actually doing.

Thinking about your next move? Whether you're preparing a home for sale or looking for the right one to buy, the ModernRE team can talk you through what's working in your suburb right now. Get in touch today, email us at admin@modernre.com.au or call James on 0433 464 339.

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