By the time the marketing campaign for 57 Goldsmith St, Elwood, was complete Chisholm & Gammon Managing Director, Torsten Kasper, says the property “had its own fan club”.
One of the last Spanish mission homes in the bayside Melbourne suburb, Torsten says the property started out quite plain, before an epic renovation saw the once tired home blossom into an architectural masterpiece.
“It was one of the few Spanish mission homes left in Elwood but it really was an ugly duckling,” he says.
“Its original life was as a simple three-bedroom home, but the vendors turned it into a magnificent five-bedroom home with an incredible sense of timelessness.”
A forgotten gem shines again
Crafted by award-winning C.Kairouz Architects and completed in 2023, the exquisite home blended contemporary luxury with nods to its heritage and Art Deco elegance, including a sun-drenched kitchen, living and dining zone framed by double-glazed, arched, steel windows and bi-fold doors.
This space flowed seamlessly through to an undercover alfresco featuring dining and lounge areas, an outdoor kitchen and fireplace all surrounded by tall arches.
Tactile textures, stunning natural stone and marble-clad bathrooms were other standouts in the home, while herringbone parquetry floors, Venetian plaster, vintage light sconces and a Sonos music system created a home that pleased all the senses.
“The home itself just created this sense of warmth and people that spent time there felt better for having visited it,” Torsten says.
“When you were there you couldn’t help but feel inspired.
“It’s one of those rare homes that truly touched people.”
Crafting the perfect campaign
Torsten, and his sales executive Carolyn Clarke, knew that a property this special required a marketing campaign that was equally as impressive.
He says that while other agencies thought the property would sell for about $4.5 million to $4.6 million, he knew that with the right campaign, the home could fetch much more.
The perfect marketing campaign included high-end photography, drone and video, which included incorporating a marketing first for the two agents.
“We went with a slightly more informative style with the video so that all of the features, like the clay chandelier, the spiral staircase and Tibero marble finishes were able to be narrated because they were intrinsic to the entire piece,” Torsten says.
“It was also Carolyn’s debut in helping me with the voiceover.
“We wanted that male and female interaction because we felt that different genders would relate differently to the home.
“Having that combined voiceover worked really well.
“It was the first time we had done that and we had a lot of great feedback in relation to it.”
Building a property’s fan club
Torsten notes that the digital marketing campaign was equally as important and included listings on portals such as view.com.au and Chisholm & Gamon Focus, an online solution that extends and bolsters audience engagement through a comprehensive strategy that includes social, display ads and native ads to ensure buyers are found whenever and wherever they are online.
While Chisholm & Gamon agents know the product as Focus, it is powered by view.resi’s off portal performance product called Acquire.
A white label product, Acquire can be customised with the agency’s brand, to keep its presence at the forefront of its marketing efforts.
Torsten says the marketing campaign worked, with more than 100 people going through the property during its 28-day campaign and more than 140 at the auction itself.
Three main buyers were interested in the home and while it passed-in, negotiations with the highest bidder quickly proved successful, with the property selling for several hundred thousand above where others had placed it.
Torsten notes that inquiries came from far and wide, including interstate and country areas.
“We also had people from all parts of Melbourne come to see it,” he says.
“It literally had its own fan club.”
The perfect buyer match
Torsten notes that while the property would have suited downsizers or a corporate couple in need of work-from-home space, it was a couple about to have their first child that bought the home.
“This home will serve their needs for at least 10 years, if not longer,” he says.
As well as receiving an email with details of the property as part of Chisholm & Gamon’s database, the buyers also saw the property through the Focus element of the campaign.
“We knew they were looking, and they were part of our database,” Torsten says,
“But interestingly, what was nice was that at the first appointment she said she also got a social media tag as well.
“So it was good that both ends (of the marketing campaign) were working well together.”
In addition to attracting those active buyers on the hunt for their next home, Torsen says Focus is able to zero in on, and attract, more passive buyers and motivate them to engage with a campaign.
He also notes that the level of reporting available is deep, including being able to tell how long buyers spend looking at the property.
“It gives you a really clear understanding of things and you can use that to guide your vendors,” Torsten says.
Torsten and Carolyn also note that while the marketing campaign used the best of modern technology, it also included one important, more traditional element when it came to following up potential buyers – talking to people.
“While there’s some systems that automate all of the text messages and emails, we tend to do it the old-fashioned way and talk to people,” Carolyn says.
“We pick up the phone or use direct SMS rather than using the system-generated ones.
“There are still a couple of system generated messages, such as reminding people the auction is coming up, but there’s still much more direct communication from us with the buyers and that’s important.”
