Market, Market, Market It to Sell It !
If you are serious about selling your house then you have to have a marketing strategy and you have to market it a lot! Below is a list of 14 ways to market your home for sale.
If you can market in multiple languages too, then do so as it gives you the greatest chance to reach the greatest number of interested and qualified buyers. If you are marketing in South Florida I would recommend marketing in Spanish and, if possible, Portuguese too . If you are not marketing in South Florida, tailor your marketing to your community.
Feel free to pick and choose from the list and do what works for you. It doesn’t matter which strategy or strategies you choose, just make sure you continually and incessantly use it or them to market to make sure anyone and everyone that can connect you to a potential buyer knows that your house is for sale.
- Word of Mouth – When you put your home up for sale let your friends, family and neighbors know so they can spread the word. Take the time to call them and send them details about the property. That way if they know someone is interested they can send them the details without missing a beat. The key is to strike when the iron is hot!
- Take Great Pictures – Take great pictures of your home. If you don’t want to do it yourself, hire a photo service. There are many photo services out there that won’t break the bank. It is an investment worth making since photos will, most likely, be the first impression potential buyers get of your home. Once you have them, remember to incorporate them into all your marketing. Share them all the time, everywhere.
- Make a video – Create a video that highlights the best parts of your home. Have some fun with it and get buyers interested in coming over. Post it on YouTube and then share it on social media. If you design a single website post the URL or QR code in the video.
- Facebook – Facebook has become a powerful tool for sharing information. You can post your listing on Facebook and/or create an ad for it to keep it front of people. Facebook allows you to choose your daily budget so that you only spend as much as you want per day on the ad. Facebook also allows you to target a specific geographic area.
- Instagram – Frequently post photos of your home on Instagram. Choose one awesome feature of the home and highlight in each post. Remember to post consistently and be creative about how you market. Use Instagram stories and IGTV as well. These features have become more and more popular with hundreds of millions of people watching them every day.
- Twitter – Tweet about your home much in the same way you would make Instagram posts about it. If you have to choose between the two, choose Instagram.
With close to 90% of people starting their home search on the internet and with billions using social media, don’t underestimate the power of social media in helping you get the word out. - Free Classifieds – Post it on as many free classifieds sites as you can. Craigslist is a popular free classifieds site. You can also post it in buy and sell Facebook Groups in your local area.
- Flyers – Create and distribute flyers to people that come to see your home, to people you know and to your neighbors. If you would like a free flyer created for you go click here. I will create a free flyer for you and have color copies delivered to your home. The design and delivery of your flyer are 100% free.
- Flat Fee MLS – A flat-fee MLS service you will expose your home to the largest buyer pool around. Buyers’ agents will send your listing to buyers and will schedule showings with you. Be prepared to offer Buyers’ agents a standard 3% commission. Prices and the services offered by a Flat Fee MLS vary greatly, do read the fine print.
- Create a Website – Use a free service and create a website about your house. Make sure you include those awesome pictures you took, the video you made and as many details as possible about the home. Make people want to come see the house! While website design has become a lot easier these days than in the days when I coded line by line (ugh!) if you don’t know what you are doing, you probably know someone who does, so enlist their help.
- Open House – Hold open houses often. Make sure to publicize it so that everyone knows about. Offer food and they will come! For some great tips about how to hold an Open House click here.
- Post it on sites like Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com. But don’t limit your marketing to these sites. These sites are great but to reach the greatest number of buyers diversify your marketing using the tips above.
- Direct Mail – Create a direct mail campaign and let people know that your home is for sale. Direct mail campaigns allow you to target a personalized list or a specific geographic area. There are many services that automate the process for you.
- Yard Sign – Last but not least, don’t forget to put up a yard sign!
This list contains 14 effective ways to market your home but feel free to get creative. If you have an out-of-the-box idea, go for it! You never know what will work unless you try it. If you do something different and it works, please share it with us in the comments section of this post or on the FSBO Facebook Group. I am sure other people that are selling FSBO would appreciate the insight.
I hope this list of marketing tips helps you successfully sell your home For Sale by Owner. Take advantage of the free resources and if there is anything in the world I can do for you, contact me. I am happy to help!
Happy Selling!
Désirée Ávila
Désirée is a licensed Florida Realtor and Real Estate Influencer committed to a high-level of professionalism and to helping others with their real estate endeavors through education. Désirée Ávila was an award winning teacher for 10 years and has a doctoral level education in Educational Technology. Désirée is a lifetime local resident of South Florida and is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian.
14 Ways to Market Your For Sale by Owner (FSBO)
- Word of Mouth – When you put your home up for sale let your friends, family and neighbors know so they can spread the word. Take the time to call them and send them details about the property. That way if they know someone is interested they can send them the details without missing a beat. The key is to strike when the iron is hot!
- Take Great Pictures – Take great pictures of your home. If you don’t want to do it yourself, hire a photo service. There are many photo services out there that won’t break the bank. They start at around $100 and go up from there depending on the size of your property. It is an investment worth making. You can also request free professional pictures here. Once you have them, remember to share them and share them all the time, everywhere.
- Make a video – Create a video that highlights the best parts of your home. Have some fun with it and get buyers interested in coming over. Click here and here to see some creative video ideas. Post it on YouTube and then share it on social media. If you design a website post it there too.
- Facebook – Facebook has become a powerful tool for sharing information. You can post your listing on Facebook and/or create an ad for it to keep it front of people. Facebook allows you to choose your daily budget so that you only spend as much as you want per day on the ad. Facebook also allows you to target a specific geographic area.
- Instagram – Frequently post photos of your home on Instagram. Choose one awesome feature of the home and highlight in each post. Remember to post consistently and be creative about how you market. Use Instagram stories and IGTV as well. These features have become more and more popular with hundreds of millions of people watching them every day.
- Twitter – Tweet about your home much in the same way you would make Instagram posts about it. If you have to choose between the two, choose Instagram.
With close to 90% of people starting their home search on the internet and with billions using social media, don’t underestimate the power of social media in helping you get the word out. - Free Classifieds – Post it on as many free classifieds sites as you can. Craigslist is a popular free classifieds site. You can also post it in buy and sell Facebook Groups in your local area.
- Flyers – Create and distribute flyers to people that come to see your home, to people you know and to your neighbors. If you would like a free flyer created for you go click here. I will create a free flyer for you and have color copies delivered to your home. The design and delivery of your flyer are 100% free.
- Flat Fee MLS – A flat-fee MLS service you will expose your home to the largest buyer pool around. Buyers’ agents will send your listing to buyers and will schedule showings with you. Be prepared to offer Buyers’ agents a standard 3% commission. Prices and the services offered by a Flat Fee MLS vary greatly, do read the fine print.
- Create a Website – Use a free service and create a website about your house. Make sure you include those awesome pictures you took, the video you made and as many details as possible about the home. Make people want to come see the house! While website design has become a lot easier these days than in the days when I coded line by line (ugh!) if you don’t know what you are doing, you probably know someone who does, so enlist their help.
- Open House – Hold open houses often. Make sure to publicize it so that everyone knows about. Offer food and they will come! For some great tips about how to hold an Open House click here.
- Post it on sites like Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com. But don’t limit your marketing to these sites. These sites are great but to reach the greatest number of buyers diversify your marketing using the tips above.
- Direct Mail – Create a direct mail campaign and let people know that your home is for sale. Direct mail campaigns allow you to target a personalized list or a specific geographic area. There are many services that automate the process for you.
- Yard Sign – Last but not least, don’t forget to put up a yard sign!
I hope this list of marketing tips helps you successfully sell your home For Sale by Owner. Take advantage of the free resources and if there is anything in the world I can do for you, contact me. I am happy to help!
Happy Selling! Désirée Ávila Désirée is a licensed Florida Realtor and Real Estate Influencer committed to a high-level of professionalism and to helping others with their real estate endeavors through education. Désirée Ávila was an award winning teacher for 10 years and has a doctoral level education in Educational Technology. Désirée is a lifetime local resident of South Florida and is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian.