May 10, 2008

Sexy, Geek Bait To Attract Seattle Area Buyers

Traditional real estate-speak includes a carefully crafted lexicon of terms designed to appeal to the typical buyer.  Read through any ad and you’ll find key words like charming, luxury, granite, stainless steel, and gorgeous  interspersed throughout the home description. These words are strategically used to lure the reader into touring the home, as well as to instill a sense of confirmation bias in the potential buyer.  Hey, these are tried and true techniques, and the house description is often the seller’s first (and only) chance to attract potential buyers.

However, in the Seattle/Bellevue area, where high-tech geeks run amuck, is the traditional real estate lingo enough? Perhaps not, and especially in these times of housing surplus, sellers need another way to stand out from the crowd, which is best accomplished by knowing your market. To do this, simply look at the work demographic. For example, in Bellevue, four of the top 10 companies, or 60% of individual employees, are in the high tech geek fields. 

Largest Bellevue Area Private-Sector Employers (as projected through end of 2009):

1. Microsoft — 7,500
2. T-Mobile — 3,200
3. Boeing — 2,800
4. Overlake Hospital — 2,200
5. Expedia — 1,650
6. Verizon — 1,500
7. Safeway — 1,200
8. Nordstrom — 1,100
9. Puget Sound Energy — 1,100
10. Symetra Financial - 900
11. Eddie Bauer — 680

Source: Bellevue Economic Development Office

Consequently, if you have a home to sell, stand out from the crowd and market what’s unique to your home that might be interesting to the geek with a wallet. Wherever possible, drop a few alluring, geek-speak terms in a subtle, but not-too-revealing font, and you’ll leave them breathless for sure!