Are you a secret lemonade drinker?

A backyard with outdoor rattan furniture with a glass top, a violet flowering plant, and a glass pitcher of lemonade with two glasses of it.

So many times our clients tell us they don’t have a For Sale board outside their home; why? we ask incredulously.  In this difficult market, if you are serious about selling your home, why would you not utilise a free marketing tool? In short, why would you keep the fact you are selling your home a secret from potential buyers?

There’s a current trend in my sleepy, commuter belt, Surrey village at the moment; estate agents have started sponsoring local school events and its become apparent that this is quite a clever marketing move. The way it works is this; schools approach the agent to sponsor say, their school ball, the agent gives them a sum of money (giving them the opportunity to “contribute to the local community”) and in return the parents of the children at said school place an agent’s board in their garden with a very small sign declaring their sponsorship of the event. The point being that Mr and Mrs White then see a board outside a house they’ve had their eye on for a while, they call the agent and are disappointed to find out that in fact that particular property is not on the market. However, the agent then seizes the opportunity, while he’s got a potential buyer on the phone, to offer them something similar and…bingo! They’ve got viewings booked in with a couple of new potential buyers. Having spoken to one local agent, who tells me that they’ve sold 2 properties this month as a result of such sponsorship, surely this is further proof that boards really do work.

So don’t be like R. Whites, don’t be a secret lemonade drinker, put up a sale board. If you’re still not convinced, give us a call here at HomeTruths where we drink our lemonade with pride.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

4 thoughts on “Are you a secret lemonade drinker?

  1. Katherine Ashdown

    Great post Hellen! Indeed why would you not want people to know your house is on the market. The internet is great but there is nothing like driving round an area to identify houses on the market. You may think this is just for the older generation but in fact in my mid 20s this is how we found our own house we simply drove round the area and saw the board! I also think to not have a board sends a poor message to the buyer that perhaps you are not a serious seller and perhaps not really wanting to sell otherwise surely you would want everyone to know! Thanks for an insightful post!

  2. Lisa

    I agree Hellen! I think the ‘For Sale’ board can be extremely useful, especially for the ‘drive by’ house hunters. But only 1 board… nothing worse than seeing 4 or 5 boards up at one house, it doesn’t look good and will make buyers suspicious. So maybe what I am saying is, drink one brand of lemonade loudly and proudly, and sip the other brands in private!

  3. northants estate agent

    Spot on post, 1 board only and it is essential

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