How to Sell a House on Instagram

Real estate marketing (done well) can be extremely challenging: building trust takes time, especially because buying a home is one of the most important decisions most of us will ever make. As realtors, we’ve been working hard for over 5 years, to prove to our followers that we are the local experts in design-led, quality homes, no matter the price point. Here are a few ways we do it:

Truly knowing our audience

This allows us to share unique properties with people who are most likely to understand their value. Our education and marketing expertise in combination with laser-focused targeting is how we’ve been able to quickly sell luxury, design-led properties to buyers who weren’t even planning to move! Some homes are better suited for families, some make great bachelor pads: knowing who your buyer is likely to be, helps us be more direct with our marketing, resulting in fast, uncomplicated sales with happy buyers and sellers.

2. Using high-quality, art-forward photography

We have the city’s best, in-house photographer (Emma Davidson) and we invest more in photography than any local real estate team. Some may think it’s overkill or that, in a fast-paced market like ours, it really doesn’t matter how good a house looks online in order to sell it. While it’s true that most homes sell (even when the photos are taken with their realtor’s flip phone) but there’s no way to know if you’re getting the absolute best price for your home unless it looks beautiful enough to stop the proverbial scroll. Most of us social media users have come to expect a certain aesthetic when shopping online, why should a home be any different?

3. Telling stories

Most of the homes we sell have a special history. Some were designed by a famous architect, others have undergone extensive renovations or have simply been cherished by one family over generations. We love to share details about things like hand-made custom railings or where hardwood was reclaimed from. Every home has a room that’s best for reading in or a surprising backyard retreat; one of our listings even had a secret sauna room! We work with the current owner to highlight all the best attributes of their home and make sure every prospective buyer knows how special it really is.

4. Restyling

Thankfully, some form of staging has finally become a standard for many “with it” local agents. But our approach to staging, which we’ve dubbed ‘restyling’, is something a bit different. The one-size-fits-all approach (where the same Pinterest-perfect furniture is dragged from house to house) is becoming too recognizable and frankly, isn’t creative or exciting. In fact, many homeowners already have great pieces that reflect a personal style that may help the home to stand out online. Oftentimes, we work to repurpose these special pieces into new focal points after decorating with our collection of one-of-a-kind art, accessories and furniture.

With all of this being said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we have a solid portfolio of listings, resulting in multi-million dollar sales, that have sold straight from our Instagram – even before they were picked up by realtor.ca and the local MLS.

So, if you’re on the fence about selling but haven’t committed yet because you haven’t gotten around to furnishing that spare bedroom or hanging all of your art, book a discovery call with us to learn how we can help style and sell your property to someone who will truly appreciate it. Because at the end of the day, we can confidently say no one knows how to sell a home on Instagram the way Border City Living does! We can’t wait to hear from you!