What is the best way to sell a unique or unusual property?

Not all properties are created equal, and when it comes to selling a home that’s not like the others, it’s often hard to know the best way to approach it.

Experts say the key is to hone in on what makes a property unusual – be it architectural style, size, or historical significance – and leverage it to engage a potential buyer’s interest.

How to attract the right buyers

Getting the attention of the target audience is the key to selling a unique property, according to Melbourne buyer and vendor advocate Wendy Chamberlain from Amalain.

She said the choice of agent is very important, and dependent on the type of property.

“You need to attract a certain buyer that loves that wow factor,” she explained. “There are brands that are seen as more boutique. Those agents will have those kinds of buyers on their database. Not every agent will.”

“You’ve got to really ramp up your social media presence,” she said, adding buyers could be targeted based on their interests.

For prestige properties, she suggested VIP or invite-only inspections could attract buyers to while nurturing a sense of exclusivity. “People love to be made to feel special,” she said.

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What makes a property unique tends to depend on the area, according to Monique Dower, of Belle Property Balmain.

She sold a home in Balmain this year, which was unique in that it was freestanding – relatively rare for the suburb – and had one bedroom in the house and another with external access.

“The big thing was having the gum tree in the middle of the entrance,” she said. “Some people love trees, and some people saw it as an obstacle.”

She said marketing the property online was effective, using social media to target a specific buyer audience.

Setting the price for a unique home

One-of-a-kind homes could be harder to price, David Bird from Kohler Bird Valuers, as there are fewer comparable properties on the market.

“With something unique, a valuer has to take a wider view,” he said. “What value would the market put on those features of that unique property? In some cases they can be unwanted by the market.”

Mr Bird said a property with eight or ten bedrooms might not be worth much more than a four or five bedroom house if there were no buyers interested a home that large.

But ‘good’ unique properties – with a larger-than-average land size, or with a huge basement garage – may be in demand.

Ms Chamberlain said buyers often dig a little deeper for rare types of properties. “They’ll stretch a bit to win something quite unique,” she said.

Scarcity attracted buyers for a rammed earth home in Kinglake, north of Melbourne. The property, which featured featured handmade kitchen tiles and a recycled barn door, had 32 parties come through and five serious buyers.

Agent Donna Wilson from Mason White McDougall Hurstbridge, said many similar properties had been destroyed in the devastating bushfires that struck the area in 2009.

Very few homes were rebuilt, and the shortage meant the property proved popular. “We ended up getting a great result in a quick timeframe,” she explained.

To stage or not to stage?

Ms Chamberlain said in most cases, staging is a good idea, as buyers find it difficult to visualise how an empty space will look when furnished.

For unique homes, she said the key was styling the home in a way that was sympathetic to the type of property.

“If it’s a retro space, use retro furniture. Or for a warehouse conversion, you go for something a bit edgier.”

In the inner west of Sydney, Jack Parry from BresicWhitney Balmain recently sold a one-bedroom original apartment with some decidedly vintage features.

“It was kept in its original condition, all we had to do was clean,” Mr Parry said. “The bones were good, it had a great retro vibe. And the presentation, even though it was a renovator, it was really cool.”

“A lot of people would have suggested updating or removing some of those cool quirks – but our agency is one to try and capture that, and try and use it our advantage.”

He said that for quirky, original properties, it was best to avoid adding furniture that wouldn’t showcase what the property actually offered.

“Some properties you need to add, but you can add to their style,” he explained. “We’ll bring a stylist in the complement these pieces and showcase the space in a good way.”

For the Kinglake property, Ms Wilson said styling wasn’t common in the area, or at that price point, and strong buyer interest meant dressing up the home wouldn’t affect the price.

“It was so unique it sold itself,” she said.