Some reality TV shows are getting into the real estate marketing business these days. The “Date my house” show on TLC helps homeowners to “dress up” their homes and invite the potential buyers to have a “date” with the house. Then, things like a dinner party or a friend and family gathering will be held so the buyers can really get a feel about doing these fun things in their potential future homes. “Sleep on it” on HGTV goes even further. In this show, a potential buyer can actually spend the night in the house to finding out more about the property and the neighborhood.

If you think about it, creative marketing strategy like these does make a lot of business sense. Today one can return almost anything back to a store if the goods is not satisfying or he(she) just simply changed his(her) mind. Why not having a trial period on a house too?

By spending a couple of days and nights in a potential future home, buyers should be able to find out more about:

• The property.
• The neighborhood and its surrounding areas.
• The actual noise level throughout the day and night.
• The commute to work since most people don’t really “test drive” on this.

I believe some serious potential buyers wouldn’t mind paying extra for a couple of days and nights staying in a house just to get familiar with the properties they are interested in and to see if they are indeed what they want.

Of course, there will be details or arrangement needed to be worked out for this kind of “date” to cover any risks and liabilities to the property. Similar contracts used by hotels may be used for this purpose. And a real estate agent will be an excellent facilitator for this to screen out potential buyers.