I was recently asked to contribute to an article on "how to sell a house more quickly in a down real estate market by sprucing it up to specifically appeal to pet owners". During that process, this question emerged:

Should we reframe our staging standard and market homes specifically to one person?

We are always trying to suggest that houses can be all things to all people - creating the most appealing home in the Generic category. "Pottery Barn with a Neiman Marcus twist" if the home is $1 million++; "The Pottery Barn Look by Walmart" if you're in the lower price brackets and pure PB if you're in the middle.

Of course, that was when there was a different market. We were then expecting (often realistically) multiple offers. That goal of "as many buyers as possible" worked to the seller's advantage. Sellers could relax knowing that they could not underprice their home and be forced to sell at that number. The market itself would drive the price to its correct place, and the seller would do well.

Not so now. There are buyers about, but few are prepared to dive in and "part with coin" (as we say in the Olde Country!) They don't know where the bottom is, and are terrified that had they only waited the price might have dropped even lower. What if, now that there's little to no possibility of multiple offers, we take this notion of "all things to all people" off the table and "niche down"? Each house-for-sale needs only one buyer. What if we identified a target buyer with complete specificity and then "staged", and more importantly "marketed" the property looking for that one family, man or woman?

What sounds like looking for a needle in haystack is actually, in my own experience, much simpler and easier to do. It's using laser focus and mastering the smallest nice possible. It's identifying the most special aspect of a home and making sure that everyone and anyone who might want or need that feature gets to know about the property's availability and gets in to see it! Examples like:-

• perfect for dog owners (i.e.within walking distance of the dog walking park)
• absolute prototype of an American Bungalow style home
• Very high ceilings, and strangely highly placed countertops (ideal for 6' + folks)
• Strong colors in all rooms (great for renters coming off all-white apartments)

I had surprising success this January with a house that sold for $3 million after only 35 Days On the Market! An Arts and Crafts new-build that was decorated in mostly-Mission-eclectic style. We made it perfect for a specific niche, and the place sold!

The web is such a huge help here. A golfer's ideal home would be marketed to golfers online, in their publications, and in places where you would characteristically find them. Some homes look ideal as bachelor pads, and there might be all sorts of interesting places to market them! Which brings me back to "sprucing up your home to appeal to pet owners".... did you know there are 7 million dog owners in this country?

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