For Sale By Owner – Marketing Tips

Once you have determined the appropriate asking price at which to position the property for sale, the second most essential element of a successful sale is the marketing of your property.

If you want potential home buyers to fall in love with your house, they first have to know it’s for sale. This is where a strong marketing plan comes into play, which not only publicizes your property but gives people a preview of your home before they get there.

Here are some proven strategies that you may find very useful as you sell your home.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Regardless of whether your home is to be featured online, in a publication, or as a paid advertisement, quality photos are a must. You must capture your home’s best qualities in each image. Take a photo of the front and back of the home, along with interior photos of every room. Try various angles and lighting situations, which give you the opportunity to choose the best shots.

Use the pictures to pique the interest of potential buyers. If a buyer likes the photos, their next step will be to schedule a tour of the home. Hence, the right photos are invaluable when selling real estate.

A “For Sale” sign

Believe it or not, one of the best marketing strategies is free. By placing a sign in your yard, you will let anyone driving by know that your home is for sale. Even if you live in an area that does not get a lot of traffic, a passerby may notice the sign and tell someone they know who is in the market for a new home. Place your sign in a visible area of your lawn.

You can also place it in your window or on your front door. Be sure to check with your local community association, if applicable, regarding placement and permission for this type of sign.

Where to get a For Sale sign:  You can obtain inexpensive For Sale By Owner signs from Home Depot (HomeDepot.com), or Lowes (Lowes.com).  They sell both framed signs that go straight in to your lawn as well as signs for hanging off the more conventional sign post.  If you prefer the more conventional sign post and panel, let us know and we can arrange to have sign post installed for you to hang your sign panel on.

Paid Advertisements

Try advertising in the local newspaper first. People looking to move into your area will likely be browsing the newspaper for real estate ads. Keep in mind that it’s not just newcomers who may be looking to buy a new home. Perhaps an empty nester is looking for a smaller abode or a growing family is looking to upgrade to a larger house, so don’t discount locals as potential buyers.

Hold An Open House

If you want potential buyers to fall in love with your home, invite them in to see what it has to offer. An open house allows for anyone to simply drop in, with or without an appointment, to tour the home. In some cases, a successful open house may result in an offer or possibly multiple offers that same day. You can advertise an open house with signs in your yard, posting a notice on local bulletin boards, and by utilizing free or paid ads online and/or in your local newspaper.

If you are still living in the home, the date and time should be convenient for you, but also a day that would be convenient for others. For most, the weekend is a good time, and most open houses are an all-day event.

Call us if you would like our For Sale By Owner Open House Kit.

Internet Marketing

Studies indicate that only one in four For Sale By Owner (FSBO) homes are advertised on the Internet.

With 94.6% of today’s buyers in our area using the internet during their home search, this is could be a costly mistake.

Without a comprehensive internet marketing program, you are dependent on drive-by traffic, classified ads and word of mouth.  And let’s face it, if your home’s exterior doesn’t grab prospective buyers, you’ll never get a chance to wow them with your stunning interior or desirable back yard.

While you don’t have access to the technology and marketing distribution systems we employ to get your home out to over 350 web sites, there are still ways you can get a broader audience for your home by advertising your home on the internet.

Visit the following sites where you can post a listing and photos of your home:

• Zillow.com
• Truilia.com
• Craigslist.com
• Postlets.com
• FSBO.com

We wish you the best of luck marketing your home and hope these suggestions will come in handy and help you sell your home quickly.

Should you decide, at any time, that you may be able to benefit from our expertise and experience in selling hundreds of homes, including selling homes just like yours, please give us a call.