Selling a cookie-cutter house can be a challenge because you’ve got to go the extra mile to make it unique enough to stand out from the rest. But what about when your home is so unique and quirky that buyers find it downright strange?

A unique property can definitely come with its own set of challenges when it comes to selling. A home that’s unique is one that is unlike any others in the area. Whether it’s the exterior elevation, the interior layout, or the flamboyant fixtures, a unique home can be tough to market successfully.

That said, there are still some things you can do to effectively prep and market your home to make it more attractive to buyers looking in your area. While it may take a little more time to sell, there’s no reason why you can’t find the right buyer who will appreciate the rarity of your home as much as you do.

Here are some tips to marketing and selling a unique home.

1. Hire an Agent Experienced in Selling Unique Properties

First things first: get yourself a seasoned real estate professional. Selling a unique property on your own is highly discouraged, as takes a certain amount of skill and expertise to effectively market the property to attract the right type of buyer. In fact, it’s extremely important to work with an agent regardless of whether or not the home is unique.

2. Understand Your Target Buyer

Unique homes typically attract a much smaller pool of buyers compared to traditional style homes, and as such, it’s critical to identify exactly the type of buyer who would be interested in making on offer on such a property. Once this demographic is identified, the next step is to come up with an effective strategy to market the property specifically to this group of buyers.

Knowing precisely how to reach these buyers is essential, and your real estate agent will know exactly how to target them.

3. Go Crazy With Home Staging

Professional home staging has been known to help homes sell faster and for more money, but this process is even more important when it comes to selling a unique home. Buyers of unique homes are obviously looking for more than just your average home decor, so give it to them.

For instance, adding an element of Feng Shui or “Vastu” can up the ante in your home staging efforts, which are ancient Asian interior design systems that are meant to maximize the flow of energy (“chi”) through careful spatial arrangement and orientation. After all, it doesn’t hurt to have some good energy flowing to make a prospective buyer feel more at home.

4. Throw in Some Lavish Goodies

The design of a unique home already provides some sort of a ‘wow’ factor, so why not continue that trend with some extravagant extras to throw into the deal?

These days, any incentives you can offer buyers can go a long way at the negotiating table. Sellers are topping up their deals with all types of freebies, such as all the furniture, 6-months’ worth of mortgage payments, and even vacations. If you can swing it, throw in an unexpected and highly valuable goodie to entice buyers to take a step closer to putting in an offer and sealing the deal.

5. Use High-Quality Video and Aerial Photography

Having a professional photographer come in and take shots of your home is extremely important to attract buyers. But when it comes to a unique property, you’ve to pull out all the stops. Many homes are unique because of their setting or where they are located, so having an aerial shot of the property and surrounding area can works wonders at highlighting the majesty of the property.

Having a video taken of the property is also very helpful, and in fact, it’s come to be expected from buyers. This is especially true if the unique home is considered a luxury property. In this case, a high-quality video is an absolute must.

6. Make Your Open House a Festive One

Instead of holding an average open house, infuse some energy into it and turn it into a party. Vamp up your open house by having live music, food, wine and spirits, and other elements that go into a festive gala. Advertising a shindig like this will certainly get buyers’ attention and can generate a lot of interest in your home.

7. Give Buyers a Trial Run

While an unconventional tactic when marketing real estate, you may want to be open to allowing buyers who have expressed serious interest in your home to actually spend the night. This will give them the chance to really get a sense of what life would be like for them if they lived in the home. If a certain buyer is on the fence about buying, perhaps spending 24 hours in your home is enough to nudge them in the direction of sealing the deal.

8. Give it Time

It’s important to understand that selling a unique home will almost certainly take longer to sell compared to your average home. With a smaller pool of buyers to depend on, you can expect the property to sit on the market a little longer until the right buyer comes along. Keep that in mind to prevent you from becoming discouraged if the home is not sold as quickly as would have hoped.

The Bottom Line

Selling a unique home is certainly unlike selling a conventional property and definitely calls for some out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to effective marketing. In today’s housing market, it takes a lot more than just planting a For Sale sign on the front lawn and throwing up some photos on the internet to attract the right buyers, especially when your home is unlike any other in the neighborhood. Be sure to hire a real estate professional who is well-versed in the art of selling unique homes and follow their advice in detail.

Luxury homes are loaded with plenty of over-the-top amenities, but one that has become a staple in these expensive properties are lavish outdoor kitchens. More and more homeowners are spending an increasing amount of time in their kitchens preparing meals and entertaining guests, and outdoor kitchens have simply extended that useful space beyond the interior walls.

From whipping together a gourmet sit-down meal to enjoying a quick and simple wood-fire oven pizza, today’s luxury outdoor kitchen can create the most amazing backyard paradise.

Here are some features of luxury outdoor kitchens that are common among the rich (and often famous).

Variety of Cooking Stations

Forget about just having a solitary barbeque to do all the grilling and cooking. Today’s modern outdoor kitchen offers plenty of options when it comes to preparing various dishes.

Many luxury outdoor kitchens feature not only grills, but also pizza ovens, meat smokers, deep fryers, griddles, and gas cooktops. Many of these pieces come in different designs, including countertop, built-in, and freestanding models that can serve as a piece of art on its own.

Complete Kitchen

The outdoor kitchen spaces that are being designed for today’s luxury homes are not just limiting the features to the cooking station(s). These days, luxury homeowners are asking to have the whole shebang complete with all the frills one would expect an opulent kitchen to have. Many of these outdoor kitchens rival some of the best indoor spaces around.

Cooking appliances, extended countertop space, full-size refrigerators and coolers, built-in barbeques, sinks and faucets, garbage disposals, dining room tables and chairs, and credenzas create a complete kitchen in the backyard. There’s no reason to have to go indoors to prepare and enjoy and meal, nor to have to clean up afterward – it can all be done surrounded by Mother Nature’s best.

Extension of the Living Area

Many homeowners love the idea of seamless flow from their interior space to the outdoors. This is typically done by bordering the indoor and outdoor spaces with floor-to-ceiling windows and glass sliders that lead to an exterior space. An extended roofline often follows to allow family members and guests enjoy the outdoors without being exposed to the elements.

In addition to the outdoor kitchen itself, the exterior space can also be decked out in elements that would typically be found inside. Homeowners are creating outdoor areas that are mirror images of the indoors, including living spaces that accompany the kitchens themselves.

Sofas, recliners, coffee tables, fireplaces, movie theaters, fire pits, lounge seating, and bars are just some of the luxury features that extended outdoor living spaces boast. Add a pergola over top and some ambient lighting and you’ve got the most intimate and comfortable living area that many indoor living areas often lack.         

Ice Machines & Wine Fridges

No need to lug the portable cooler out to keep your favorite beverages cold on a hot day. Today’s modern outdoor kitchens come with built-in ice machines that can keep ice frozen in outdoor temperatures as hot as 115°F. Not only do they store ice cubes, they produce them too.

Complementing these high-end ice machines are wine fridges to help keep your prized Pinot Grigio or Baco Noir chilled to perfection. While wine fridges are nothing new, today’s models are much more innovative and are able to maintain consistent cool temperatures, even if the outside hits as high as 90°F. Older models would have conked out at outside temperatures that high.

Built-In Heaters

The outside temperatures can dip in the evenings during the winter months, especially in northern parts of the state. Built-in heaters can come in really handy during these chilly nights.

Overhead heaters are especially popular, as are heaters along outdoor kitchen walls. Some homeowners are taking things even further by installing heated floors in their outdoor kitchens for the ultimate in coziness.

Draft Beer on Tap

You don’t have to visit your favorite local bar to get a pint of draft brew, nor drag a keg to serve all the guests at your backyard bash. Luxury outdoor kitchens are increasingly being equipped with beer dispensers that serve cold ales on tap. Just stock it with your favorite brands and you’ll be sure to keep yourself and your guests happy.

Wi-Fi Smart Grills

Forget about having to check on the grill every few minutes to check on the temperature. Now there are wi-fi-compatible grills available that allow you to check on your steaks without having to step outside or get off your lounger.

With these wi-fi grills, you’ll have remote access to controls that let you not only keep an eye on the grill temperature and the status of your meat, but you can even fire it up and shut it down all from a handy little app on your smartphone or tablet.

Entertaining Countertop

In addition to the prepping and cooking countertop space, many luxury outdoor kitchens have either extended the countertops or created a separate countertop space specifically for serving dishes or for socializing. Parties most often wind up in the kitchen, so having a separate countertop area specifically for this purpose frees up the sink area for clean-up only.

The Bottom Line

The sky’s the limit when it comes to creating the most luxurious and opulent outdoor kitchen spaces. For homeowners who have no issue with their budget, there are seemingly endless ways to put a lavish spin on their outdoor kitchens to match their equally opulent interiors.

We’re officially smack dab in the middle of the fall season and are inching closer and closer to the holidays. While you’re busy making your list of ingredients for your holiday dinner and running around picking up gifts for your loved ones, there are plenty of things that need to be done if you’re planning to sell during this season.

Prepping your home for the market is always a critical component to a successful sale, but there are things you can do to tweak your home and it’s listing to cater specifically to autumn selling.

Gauge Your Market

While this suggestion is not necessarily dedicated solely for fall listings, it’s a critical one to mention nonetheless. Before you put your home up for sale in the fall, it’s imperative that you understand the current market in your area before you determine a listing price and come up with an appropriate marketing strategy.

Your real estate professional will be able to guide you through the listing and pricing process and will have their finger on the pulse of the local market in your area. From there, an appropriate listing price and marketing plan will be devised to ensure the right pool of buyers are targeted and a sale is made in a reasonable amount of time.

Make Any Necessary Repairs

Before you even list your home on the market, be sure to take some time to make any repairs that you’ve been putting off until now. As a homeowner, there are plenty of components that require regular maintenance throughout the year, such as changing the HVAC filters, cleaning the ducts, clearing out the gutters, and so forth. If you haven’t managed to stay on top of these, now’s the time to pay a little attention to them.

Make sure all the home’s major systems and appliances are in good working order. If not, you’ll need a professional to come in and bring them back up to par. Fix any leaky faucets, chipped tiles, and burned out light bulbs. Make sure your pool and/or hot tub are functioning properly and the water has been cleared of any debris.

Tend to Your Home’s Exterior

You’ve probably been too busy enjoying the summer holidays to bother spending too much time and effort tending to your home’s landscaping. Sure, you may have cut the grass and watered the flower beds, but what about the bushes, hedges, and trees? It’s highly likely that these could use a little trimming to keep them looking neat and tidy.

Once you’ve done that, take a look at your gutters to see if they’re clogged with leaves and other debris. If so, give them a good cleaning to make sure they don’t end up creating a water dam that could wind up causing water damage to your home. Rake all those leaves off the lawn, weed the grass, get rid of any loose sticks and twigs, and clear out the front yard of any garbage, kids’ toys, or any other items that should be tucked away.

Decorate With Autumn Accents and Colors

One of the best parts about the fall season is the bold, vibrant colors that are associated with it. Brilliant reds, vibrant yellows, and bright oranges can make any space look beautiful and feel welcoming, so be sure to embrace these hues when decorating and staging your home for the autumn market. Infuse these colors in flowers, throw pillows, candles, door wreaths, tablecloths, and any other accent piece you can think of.

Use Seasonal Aromas

Some people may be turned off by the potent aroma of scented candles, like vanilla or coconut. But for the fall months, you might be able to get away with some scented candles of the season. Stick to candles that bring in the aromas of sweet juniper trees, cinnamon spice, and warm apple pie.

If you want to go with something more natural, consider leaving cinnamon sticks in jars in various spots around your home, as well as clementines decorated in cloves for a fresh and pleasant scent that will easily waft throughout your home’s interior.

Lighten Up Your Home

As we near the end of the calendar year, the days continue to get shorter and shorter. With fewer daylight hours comes a lot more darkness, which doesn’t always fare well for a home that’s listed on the market.

What you want to do during this time of year is brighten up your home as much as you can. Open all the drapes, turn on all the lights, and use spotlights both inside and out. Don’t leave your home in darkness, and instead make good use of lights to make your home feel welcoming and showcase some of the best features of your home.

Extend Your Marketing Reach

Marketing to local buyers should always be part of a prudent marketing strategy, but you don’t have to limit yourself there. Consider broadening your reach of prospective buyers by targeting out-of-towners who may be looking to relocate to your neck of the woods.

Put together marketing materials that highlight all the great things about your area and your home to get as many eyes on your property as possible throughout the season before Christmas arrives.

Consider a Flexible Closing

Many buyers may want to close on a deal and move into their new home before the holiday season hits, so consider whether or not a fast closing is doable for you and your family.

On the other hand, some buyers may want to wait until well after the holiday season dies down before making a major move, even though they’ve decided to start house hunting early on. Either way, being flexible with your closing date can open the doors for you if it’s something that you can comfortably work out.

The Bottom Line

The fall can be a fantastic time to sell a home, as long as the proper measures are taken. At the end of the day, anything you can do to improve the look of your home and solidify a sound listing and marketing strategy can boost the odds of selling your home quickly and at the price point you’re aiming for.