Attention For Sale By Owners: You should keep these advertising tips in mind, which will in turn save you time, money and peace of mind.
The best way to attract buyers is to advertise on the internet as today most buyers first look online before they consult a broker or agent. There are many classified sites that would allow you to advertise for free. You just simply type "for sale by owner" into your Google or Yahoo search bar and on the first page you will see a bunch of options. For more exposure and better presentation some sites may ask for premium upgrades and these may be a good idea, of course it all depends on the urgency of your specific situation. If there is no rush you can avoid these and only advertise on the free sites without spending any money.
The goals of a majority of sellers are the same regardless of whether or not they list with a real estate professional. A quick sale with the highest possible price and the least hassle is what they prefer. For all houses for sale by owner it is imperative to have the right things in the advertisement so that they are able to attract the right kind and the highest amount of buyers.
In any advertisement, the most important part is the headline. Experts say that it account for about 80% of the effectiveness of the advertisement. I always like to use the stand alone test. If you place only the headline and a phone number in a newspaper, will the phone ring? Take a look at the ads that are in the newspaper or wherever you are thinking of advertising. Which ones catch your eye? Don't feel bad about copying what they do. It's easier than starting from scratch.
Do not forget to add photographs whenever possible. Take a bunch of photos and use as many of the best ones as allowed. You don't need to hear too much about how to take photos so I won't belabor the point. Just remember that when you are looking for houses the ones with the best photos get looked at first.
One must also ensure that the price they ask for the house is a fair one and leave, at the very most, ten percent room for negotiation. Brokers/agents and some websites can help you determine the asking price of the property. Zillow.comes to mind right away. Along with marketing and exposure, pricing is one of the most important aspects of selling a home so don't just go to one website that tells you the "value" of your home and use that price. Do your research. What have comparable homes in the same school district sold for in the past 3 months?
I definitely know that selling a house can no doubt be a long, gruelling undertaking. My one piece of advice would be to stress that one should not put their home on the market unless they are prepared and ready to do so. A huge majority of buyers will come to look at your home in the first 30 days. If you put your home on the market and get off to a shaky start, it won't be long before your listing becomes "stale" and buyers simply pass it over even if you decide to reduce the price later on.
Another option for all you fsbo's out there. You may want to look into renting your house with an option to buy. This is usually a win-win for everyone. For more info visit: Rent to own. If you would like to learn more about Lou Cardillo's home sale guarantee program visit his site: Mahopac Real Estate.
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