Advertising and Marketing

Whether you are selling your home on your own or with an Agent, you will want to be involved in the advertising and marketing of it. Self sellers need to be especially well versed on this subject, since they will be competing with hundreds (or thousands) of ads and the marketing efforts of local Agents. If you are selling with an Agent, you will need to share with them what you feel to be the most important selling features of your house (who knows them better than you?) and you will want to monitor and give feedback about the Agent's marketing activity. The following are some examples of advertising and marketing.

 

 

Look through the classified section of any newspaper or one of the home sales magazines and you will see hundreds of ads...some extremely effective, some less so, and some that have no effect at all. When writing a classified ad it is important to not only grab the reader's interest with a strong headline, but to maintain that interest with colorful and descriptive copy.

 

 HINT Never use the words "asking" or "negotiable" with your selling price. Look at it through the eyes of a buyer: If you are only "asking" the price or are "negotiable" on it, why haven't you priced it right in the first place? Don't give up negotiating leverage before you need to!

 

The Internet has revolutionized real estate marketing methods. It has also made it easier for those who wish to sell their home on their own. Several studies have shown that more and more home buyers are using the Internet as their first point of contact when considering buying a house. With a few simple calls to the right agent, you can be showcasing your home to millions of potential buyers. And don't forget the finishing touches and quick fix ups before your first open house visitor arrives. Also prepare yourself for showings.

 

 

A well done Fact Sheet can be one of the strongest tools available in the marketing of your house. Every house on the market should have an effective one available. If you do not have a professionally done Fact Sheet in the house, you will be putting yourself at a big disadvantage with the competition.  Also consult sellers checklist to get "big picture" of planning.

 

    Sometimes called house brochures, Fact Sheets are one of the strongest marketing tools that you or your Agent can use when selling your house. They are the information sheets that you find attached to many For Sale signs and can also be found inside homes for sale. They give information on the property and will often answer buyer's questions relating to items such as square footage, room sizes, and available schools.

Why should you use a Fact Sheet? First and foremost, because an effective Fact Sheet will put your house above others in buyer's minds. After looking at five or six houses in a single day, a buyer's mind tends to become a little mushy--after the second or third one they no longer remember which house had the beautiful deck off the kitchen and which house had the stunning hardware or master bedroom suite. With a Fact Sheet on your house in hand, they will be able to refresh their memory when they review their day and the houses they saw. In addition, Fact Sheets attached to the For Sale sign have the capability of "capturing" drive-bys. Rather than looking for paper and pen to write down your phone number and address--and probably losing it anyhow--prospective buyers will have a record of how to contact you as well as information about your house

What should a Fact Sheet include? At the very least, it should contain all of the most salable features of your home. In addition, it should give the total square footage, sizes of individual rooms, as well as any additional information about your house that you believe important. Indicating which schools serve your neighborhood is always a good idea. (Put a note saying that school assignments are subject to change--please call to confirm). Always put your phone number (or your Agent's) on any Fact Sheet as well as any special instructions regarding showings (e.g., due to our young children, we must keep showings before 9 PM).

Where should they be placed? One set of sheets should be in an all weather box attached to your For Sale sign. Another set should be inside the house. The dining room table is usually a good location there.

   The best Fact Sheets are those that are printed on quality paper and use a glossy photo print. It actually is usually less expensive to do it this way, since printed color copies can cost as much as $1.00 apiece, while a 24 exposure roll of film can often be developed for less than $10.00. If you have Desktop Publishing software, you can make your Fact Sheets for not much more investment than the cost of the film and processing. With a glossy photo, you give your Fact Sheet a professional appearance.

 

 

                    MLS - A multiple listing service for maximum exposure.

                    Ads in the local Real Estate Book - EVERYONE reads the Real Estate Book. Everytime you come out of the grocery store, drug store, convenience store. They're everywhere. And once they find their way to a potential Buyers home, they tend to hang around forever.

                    Exposure on a real estate website - This is also a huge benefit for marketing your home. More and more buyers are going to the web FIRST, when they get ready to buy a home. On a real estate website, you can list all of the features and amenities that your home has. They will have pictures of your home. They may include a floorplan. And some will even include a virtual tour of your home. The agent will have someone come in with a video camera and do live footage of your homes areas to put online. All of these things will get your home sold faster and for more money.

                    In house tours - This is another benefit of dealing with an established office. Every week or every two weeks, these firms will select 6-10 properties and take each and every agent in the firm to your property for a walk through. Every established agent always has 2 or 3 clients that are looking to buy a certain type of home. They know what their clients are looking for and have had time to show them 3 or 4 properties, and they have specific needs in mind. When all of the agents come through your home once or twice a month, you're essentially getting each and every one of them to work for you. If your home meets that criteria that their clients are looking for, I guarantee you, that they'll be on their cell phone from the moment they leave your home. Again, it's incredible exposure.

                    Open Houses - Open Houses are a chance to get as many possible Buyers through your home at one time. It will generate leads that are crucial to the sale of your home, while putting the benefits and interior aspects of your home in front of as many people as possible. You'll have everyone under the sun visit an open house, including the tire kickers and "just curious", but you know what? Every one of those curious and tire kicking people probably know at least 1 person that is getting ready to buy a house.

                    Yard Signs - 80%-90% of all serious buyer calls are generated from a sign in the front yard of the home. This is the biggest "buyer magnet" that your agent can and should utilize. There is a buyer for every house. And when that buyer happens to come by your home, you want to have the phone number right in their face. It's the perfect filter to get to the true buyers and reduce the waiting time for your first offer. They will be the one to call about your property.