A light shop I ride past on my way to work has a sign out the front:

“LIGHT SALE THIS WEEKEND ONLY!”

That’s been up for close to six months now.

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Then there are the rug shop TV commercials:

“WE’VE ORDERED TOO MANY RUGS AND THEY’VE ALL GOT TO GO AT 80 PER CENT OFF!”

Really? This happens every week! Either you’re not being entirely truthful with us, or you need to fire whoever is in charge of stock orders, because they’re clearly failing hard at their job. People see through that sort of nonsense, so just be honest with us.

Real estate marketing is no different. I still see, on a daily basis, properties marketed with impossibly perfect lawns that have been photoshopped to within an inch of their life. Back lawns that look like pool tables, when we all know that the massive Moreton Bay fig tree in the corner of the yard is going to be doing an absolute number on it.

We’re not that easily fooled. And for those that are, why disappoint them? They’re not going to buy your property if you’ve ticked them off right from the get-go.

They’re also likely to be inspecting your home more critically – looking for other possible flaws or imperfections you’ve potentially tried to mask. Don’t take the risk.

If your home needs some attention to bring it in line with your competition, address these issues in real life before launching rather than relying on camera trickery to get buyers in.

Or lower your price expectations to allow for the fact that buyers will have to spend a bit of money to get it up to how you’d ideally like it to look.

It’s the same with pricing. Buyers are armed with more information than ever before. So if you put a price on a property that’s below market value to attract a bit more interest people know. Don’t do it. Put up the price you want, or don’t put a price on at all.

The overwhelming majority of real estate marketing in this state is done really well. Don’t let your house be the one that stands out for all the wrong reasons.

As a buyer, you’d expect honesty, so make sure that’s how you promote your property.

You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make sure it’s a good one.

Stay safe, and happy househunting!