The Solution
When a property doesn’t sell (including narrow boats, there’s no difference!) it’s always for one of these three reasons: Price, Presentation or Promotion. The first thing we always do is look at these three aspects:
Price
The first thing we did was to evaluate the current asking price. By comparing it to other narrow boats that had sold recently and researching the narrow boat market, we soon confirmed it was a competitive and fair asking price. Interestingly, we find price is rarely the main reason a property doesn’t sell.
Presentation
With narrow boats being relatively ‘snug’ it’s important that the space is maximised – the same as with any small house or flat. That’s where ‘home staging’ comes in. What is it? It’s all about presenting your property in the best way to achieve the best price in the shortest amount of time. It’s something we are passionate about and so offer it free of charge to all our sellers.
Promotion
So that leaves promotion, or in other words the way the property is being marketed. We found a few issues here that needed addressing and this is what made the biggest difference and got us such a quick result.
Property Presentation
Narrow boats are not exactly huge inside so we needed to think about maximising the space. There were areas of the boat that needed addressing in terms of the presentation and the owners also had a cat on board which could also have been putting off some potential buyers. Being that the original photos looked extremely dark it was important to stage the property in a way that kept it looking bright.
Solution:
To maximise the space within the property we offered a free home staging consultation. This included advice on moving furniture, personal items and cat related clues that might put off some buyers. Unfortunately not everyone is a pet lover and some may even be allergic so we moved bowls and litter trays out of the way and made sure not to include the cat in the photos. The best bit is that they didn’t need to spend a single penny!
Photography
Believe it or not, the original photos used to advertise the boat, arranged by the original agent were taken on no less than a smart phone camera! Not only do they not have a wide angled lens but it’s almost impossible to keep the phone totally still or shoot at the right height. The original photos made the boat look small, dark and dingy (which it isn’t).
Solution:
We took some lovely new photos of the boat that showed it to be spacious, light and homely. We also used some ‘lifestyle shots’ which are photos that ‘reveal a story.’ I included some beautiful shots of the river and even a couple of photos from on top of the boat. The thing that made the biggest difference here though was simply switching on the lighting. I put on every single lamp and light I could find so that it looked bright and inviting.
Description:
The original description for the online advert was more of a technical specification than a property listing. It listed endless details about the engine size, age of the boat, make of the boat and a load more technical details that to this day I still don’t understand! It definitely wasn’t ‘selling’ it to anyone.
Solution:
As we knew we were trying to appeal to a buyer who may want to live on the boat, it was no different to any other property listing. I wrote a brand new and engaging description selling the lifestyle of living on a narrow boat and pointed out the benefits of this particular one. Phrases like ‘ever dreamed of taking your home on holiday?’ all captured buyers’ attention from the word ‘go’!
It’s all about presenting your property in a way that’s going to attract and not repel potential buyers! When selling your home you need an agent who takes the time to think about the best way to present your property, how to market it to the right kind of buyer and getting the maximum number of viewings with an attractive listing.
As you can see, we provide quality marketing materials and our free home staging service gets you results.