When listing a unique remote property, one agent had to employ a non-traditional sales strategy, leveraging social media to generate exposure for Australia’s smallest town.
It is not often that an agent gets the opportunity to list the beating heart of a remote community like Cooladdi, described as Australia’s “smallest town on its longest road”, with a population of just two.
The Foxtrap Roadhouse, nine hours west of Brisbane, offers a four-bedroom residence, campgrounds and a commercial site equipped for numerous uses.
The site serves as a post office, pub, motel, restaurant and general store for nearby farmers and freight drivers, and is listed for just $400,000, less than half the price of a unit in Brisbane.
Before getting the listing, Charleville Real Estate’s Becky Jeisman said that the property had already been privately listed, with no luck on the sale front.
While used to regional sales campaigns, Jeisman told REB that she had decided to take a less traditional approach this time to ensure the unusual listing would be seen by interested parties, focusing on social media.
“It was more about increasing public awareness, because it was something that wasn’t going to be searched for,” Jeisman told REB.
“No one is going to search for ‘I’d like to buy the only thing in town’ or ‘I would like to have a six-in-one business in the outback.’”
Jeisman said the social media campaign included an informational video about the property, which received more than 10,000 views and garnered interest from numerous media outlets.
She said the campaign had been a success, and the property was receiving an “intense” amount of inquiries for the home and business.
“I’m still personally getting around 20 enquiries a day,” she said.
The rural difference
Jeisman said that with more eyes on the property, it was more difficult to distinguish genuine buyers from those with passing interest.
To help her pivot her focus to interested buyers, Jeisman said she started each inquiry with a non-disclosure agreement, as it was a quick way to determine whether buyers were serious about the property.
Jeisman said that the majority of the interest she had seen in the property came from well outside the local area, with empty nesters and young groups making up the bulk of the inquiries.
“We have a couple of couples who are looking to come out and do something different away from where they have raised their family,” she said.
“The other interest is from young groups in their mid-twenties who are able to buy something, run a business together and add on to it through tourism events.”
Jeisman said it was essential to sell buyers not just on the property but on the lifestyle, with the new owners needing to fill several essential roles in the local community.
“You have to lean into the uniqueness of a listing like this, because that’s not just the sales pitch, it is the reality of a property like this, and you have to advertise that, otherwise the lifeblood of the community falls over,” she said.
“You need to make sure you frame it in a way that it is an opportunity whilst also being the reality of the situation so that buyers don’t walk into a situation that they’re not prepared to deal with.”
Jeisman said one of the biggest pitfalls agents encountered when selling a rural property was failing to be completely transparent about the property’s flaws, which can sour relationships with potential buyers.
“Before somebody puts the time and effort into coming out to see the property, show them the warts and all, then see if they still want to go ahead.
“Otherwise, the deal is just going to fall over, and then everybody’s time is wasted,” Jeisman added.
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