You’re ready to put your home or land (house on the market as a FSBO (for
sale by owner). You’ve priced your property appropriately and gotten it
ready to show. How are you going to market it so that it gets exposure to
enough potential buyers to actually sell?
Signs
In some parts of the county, the real estate market is so hot that you need do
little more than buy a “for sale by owner” sign at the nearest hardware
store. Simply put it in a prominent position on the front of your house and
stand back.
In other areas, a great deal more marketing is needed, but a “for sale by
owner” sign is a good place to start. Directional signs (“home for sale”
with an arrow) at intersections leading the way to your property are useful,
too, if your location lends itself to that.
Classified Ads
A classified ad in your local newspaper is a good idea and is generally not
expensive. A short ad repeated a number of times is apt to be more effective
than a long ad run once, or only a few, times.
Bulletin Boards/Posters
Are there bulletin boards where you work? In neighborhood shops and
restaurants? At your church? Any place you, or members of your family,
frequent that has something like a bulletin board is a good place to post
notices of your property’s availability. If you have the use of a digital
camera and a computer, you might want to do a one-page poster with several
photos of your house, a description and contact information. Consider having
tear-off strips at the bottom with your phone number repeated on each strip.
Magazines & Community Publications
You may want to check the cost of putting an ad in “For Sale By Owner”
type magazines. Most communities have such magazines and you don’t have to
be a realtor to buy an ad.
Brochures
Brochures or one-page flyers can also be a useful method for marketing your
home. You can use the same one you made for bulletin boards or you can expand
on it a bit. Use more photos, have captions under them identifying the rooms,
garden areas, tennis court, community club, pool and other benefits to buying
your home.
There are several things you can do to get your brochures in front of the
public. You can buy a brochure holder (typically, a plastic box with a hinged
lid on a stick which gets “planted” in the ground near the curb in front
of your home) from the hardware store. Plant it in a prominent place in front
of your home and keep it stocked with brochures.
Don’t get annoyed when “noisy neighbors” pick up your brochures. Your
neighbors can afford homes priced similarly to yours. They probably have
family and friends whom they’d enjoy as neighbors who can afford this price
range, too. Smile when you see a neighbor picking up a brochure; another
marketing ambassador is on its way.
Also keep a supply of brochures in your home to give to prospective buyers who
come to look at it. People looking for a new home usually look at a more than
one property, and can get overwhelmed with too many properties. “Is this the
one with the built-in book cases or was it the one across town?” The house
whose best features go with them via a brochure with color photos and salient
information is memorable. Buyers tend to write contract offers on properties
they remember and can visualize.
Consider taking your brochures to your peers at work. After all, you find it
convenient to live in your home and work there; might your associates know
someone who’d find it a similarly pleasant arrangement? Ask them.
Internet
There are several Internet sites on which FSBOs may list their properties for
sale. Some of these permit sellers to include photos, information about
“Open Houses” they’re holding, etc. Prices for this service varies. Try
fsboamerica.org or go to your favorite search engine and check out a few.
Open Houses
That brings up the notion of “Open Houses.” In many areas, sales
frequently take place because of an Open House attended by potential buyers.
If you are in a location with good traffic, an open house can be an excellent
tool. You can promote your Open House in any, or all, of the venues we’ve
discussed above. It’s also often effective to install an Open House sign
with helium balloons tied on with bright ribbons on the day of the Open House.
Whether you use a realtor or sell your home on your own, marketing it is going
to be the key to getting a quick sale. It takes some time and access to a few
tools, but most sellers can put together a successful marketing program.
About
the Author: Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org
- sell and buy your home online. Sellers list your home for free for one
month.
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