Promoting a neighbourhood you work within should be a core part of your local marketing strategy. Potential buyers you’re working for aren’t just interested in properties – they want to learn more about the area they’re potentially moving into, as it’ll become their new community.
As a result, you’re likely going to receive a tonne of questions about the local neighbourhood from interested buyers, and it’s your ability to provide accurate and fair information that could be the make or break of the deal.
Fortunately, there are some common questions you can expect to receive from most buyers. Read on to find out more:
1) How Does Living in the Neighbourhood Feel?
The cliché “Agents don’t sell properties, they sell lifestyles” is a cliché for a reason, and it should be the starting point for your local marketing plan. Understanding the lifestyles and demographics of people within your neighbourhood, as well as lifestyle choices of buyers, will help you bring offers in.
You should also be able to create an insightful description of your local area to make it seem unique, including a throwback to recent history and look forward to future developments.
2) Does the Area Have a Strong Sense of Ownership?
Areas that have higher rates of homeownership tend to be safer, more prosperous, and therefore more appealing to young families. This is because homeowners tend to take more care of their properties/neighbourhood and give more back to the community than renters.
3) Does the Neighbourhood Have Good Medicare Bulk-Billing Services and Schools?
The hunt for better education is a principle driver for families moving from one neighbourhood to another. As a result, it pays to know everything you can about local schools, as these will help you to upsell your listings.
In lower to middle socionomic areas, access to bulk-billing medical services is a quiet often a must, especially for young families. Knowing what medical services are available in an area will help you when dealing with those types of buyers, looking to settle their family in a new area.
4) Will There be any Community Association Rules to Comply with?
Community associations often have the final say on what individuals can and can’t do within an area, such as painting the exterior of a property pink or keeping a bike out on the street. Occasionally, community associations will also gather fees for community needs.
As an agent, you should find all of this out so you can give your buyers accurate information.
5) What Taxes Should I Know About?
If your buyers are moving from different cities or municipalities, understanding tax can be hard. So, when they ask detailed questions about their obligations, don’t get caught out by not knowing the answers.
6) How Walkable Is the Area?
It’s not uncommon for Australian neighbourhoods to have such strong infrastructure that cars aren’t really needed. If your buyers can walk to shops, restaurants and other facilities such as libraries in minutes instead of hours, they’re going to look favourably upon a neighbourhood.
Less cars also mean more bike lanes, less pollution, less noise and wider sidewalks.
7) How are the Noise and Light Levels?
Whilst some people like to live amongst sweeping city lights and noises, others don’t. As a result, you should be prepared to answer a wide variety of questions from buyers relating to light and noise levels.
8) How Prominent is Crime in the Area?
This is a common question with an easy to find answer. Take a look at the websites of your local authorities to find recent figures. Don’t forget to make comparisons between your area and neighbouring suburbs.
9) What’s the Restaurant and Nightlife Scene Like?
Discuss any local breweries, restaurants, bars and clubs with your buyers to give them a sense of the local culture and community vibe. Understandably, this will be much easier if your area has a bustling nightlife scene.
10) What Outdoor Opportunities are there?
If your neighbourhood is bustling with parks, hedgerows, tennis courts, swimming pools and other areas for outdoor activities, you’re onto a winner. As with local restaurants, if you refer your clients to facilities in the area such as gyms, they’ll be likely to return the favour.