Introduction

This case study illustrates the dedication and expertise that Harlem Lofts, Inc. applies in our cutting-edge approach to our listings, using as an example our recent exclusive, 19 West 120^th St, a boutique two-family townhome in the Mount Morris Park Historic District.

Here, we will discuss the stages of the listing process for this boutique property, which progressed from launch to signature of contracts in just 38 days in September and October of this year.

Stage 1: Preparation for Sale

Subsequent to signature of exclusive listing agreement and reparatory to launch, Harlem Lofts Inc. coordinated with the owner of the property to ensure that it was in optimal condition for sale and conducted extensive due diligence and research on the history and architectural and design features of the house:

• Harlem Lofts created an extensive database of the architectural and design features and due diligence for the house, which was used to produce a detailed description of the property for the listing, and a gallery guide and marketing folder containing property information including floor plans, tax valuation, Harlem Lofts Upper Manhattan Real Estate Report, and additional property documents.

• The house was professionally staged for launch, with Harlem Lofts selecting the best concept from amongst multiple submissions from top professional staging companies, to optimally highlight the unique features of the property.  With the permission of the owner and Harlem Lofts, the staging company later created a video for the property to highlight their staging services: https://vimeo.com/366086478

• Harlem Lofts created a virtual walk-through tour video for the listing which buyers were able to access online. This is the latest approach to experiencing a property walk-through virtually. This approach allows Harlem Lofts to reach thousands of international buyers who would otherwise not have been able to preview the property.
• Harlem Lofts also created a QR Code for the virtual walkthrough which we placed on webpages and marketing materials so that buyers are able to scan and retrieve the virtual walkthrough on their cellphones.  Link: https://vimeo.com/360239618.
• Harlem Lofts retained a professional videographer and sound company to create a 2½ minute promotional video of the special features of the property. The video helps Harlem Lofts tell the story of the home through high-quality digital content. The video is eight (8) times more engaging than static content to website viewers, according to our research. Link: https://vimeo.com/364095779
• The house was professionally photographed to highlight its elegant façade and interior features, with the photographs including matching day/night shots of the facade.
• All of these visual and written components were then used for a boutique-quality custom listing on the Harlem Lofts website, ready for launch.  Link:  https://harlemlofts.com/harlem/townhouse-for-sale/19-w-120th-st/16198 .

Stage 2. Launch Timeline and Showing

• September 9, 2019 – The property was launched on the Harlem Lofts website for sale on. In the week prior to launch, we marketed the property to over 1,800 unique Harlem Lofts private clients, customers, and contacts via an email campaign.  We received 1,602 views on the webpage for the property between launch and October 21^st, 2019.
• Harlem Lofts sent out a physical postcard mailer to over 6,000 homeowners and buyers, highlighting all the unique features of the property and providing information on the upcoming hosted and catered showing event scheduled.
• September 17^th, 2019 – Harlem Lofts hosted the catered showing event on from 5-7 pm, which was attended by 19 buyers. There was a roast beef carving station, wine and beer provided, and a slideshow presentation featuring the 3D floorplan in the theater room.  There were also nineteen (19) laminated plaques throughout the home that listed unique features of the home including its architecture, ceramics, staircase and woodwork, theater room, finished cellar with a home gym, custom Sonos audio system, Miele coffee machine, and Japanese-themed garden with fountain.
• We secured two mortgage brokers from the First Republic, who attended the showing and spoke to potential buyers about financing, market rates, and approved guests on the spot as well.
• Harlem Lofts released the listing to the Residential Listing Service (RLS) and to all marketplaces. These included consumer-facing websites and marketplaces including StreetEasy, Trulia, Zillow, Realtor, Luxury Estate, and others.  To maximize attention, Harlem Lofts also featured the property on StreetEasy, Zillow, and Trulia for one week.
• Harlem Lofts also targeted public relations websites with our marketing materials, which resulted in 19 West 120^th Street being featured on webpages including HarlemBespoke.
• We subsequently hosted a total of eight (8) events/open houses/private showings at a rate of 2-4 per week.  At both the launch party and all subsequent showings, all guest’s contact information and their comments were entered into the Harlem Lofts buyer database, allowing us to monitor the response to the listing and our marketing program, and follow up directly. We supplied all guests with the previously prepared gallery guide and marketing folder containing property information including floor plans, tax valuation, Harlem Lofts Upper Manhattan Real Estate Report, and additional documents. Additionally, they each received an automatic thank-you email upon signing in.
• October 3^rd, 2019 – Harlem Lofts received an offer from a very well-qualified direct buyer. The buyers learned of the property via the Harlem Lofts direct marketing campaign to our database of well-qualified buyers.
• October 17, 2019 – The offer was accepted. The property is now in-contract and set to close at the beginning of December 2019.  Thus, Harlem Lofts was able to take this property from launch to signed contracts in just 38 days.
• Harlem Lofts continues to show the property to customers after the offer was accepted until contracts are signed.  In this period, we also secured a backup offer from a second well-qualified buyer.

Summary

This case study highlights the efficient, modern and time-sensitive approach that Harlem Lofts Inc. applies to preparation, launch and post-launch marketing of our listings, using a recent real-world example