Selling your home online provides the greatest amount of exposure and can locate a buyer more quickly than traditional methods. According to a study performed by Google and the National Association of Realtors, 90 percent of home buyers consider the internet their primary resource for locating a home. Potential buyers can view information about the home without being physically present. This decreases the number of showings for uninterested parties and reduces stress on you, the seller. The number and types of sites available to help sell your home offer countless options. You can post photos, videos and slide shows and benefit from SEO optimized pages. Many allow you to write your own property description as well. However, before you begin posting advertisements for your home online, there are numerous preparations to be made.
Getting Prepared
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Before you begin marketing your home, it should be made move in ready for the new owner. Take care of any needed repairs such as plumbing leaks, squeaky hinges or broken light switches. Give it a thorough cleaning and remove any clutter. Pack and remove any belongings you are not using to give your home a more spacious appearance. You may also consider replacing outdated appliances and freshening up the walls with a new coat of paint. Properly stage the home to create a welcoming atmosphere. Ensure the lawn is mowed and the yard nicely landscaped to provide curb appeal.
Real estate transactions also involve legalities such as contractual agreements, disclosures and title transfers. Therefore, whether you sell your home yourself or through a real estate agent, you will require the services of a title company and/or a real estate attorney, depending on the state in which you live. A real estate attorney will draw up and review contracts for the sale. Real estate laws change quickly, and it’s beneficial to consult an attorney to avoid exposing yourself to liabilities.
Research comparable home sales and listings online to determine an appropriate listing price for your home. Alternatively, you can have a professional appraisal completed. Assemble any documents that may be needed to verify information such as the original survey, property tax bills and utility costs. If you have completed any home improvement projects, gather contractor receipts and permits.
Producing Marketing Materials
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Once your home is cleaned and staged, have some high quality photos taken of the interior and exterior. Real estate listings with more than six photos are twice as likely to be viewed by potential buyers as those with fewer. You may want to record a virtual tour of the home as well to include on video sharing sites. If you would like a more novel approach, some real estate marketers have taken to the skies with drones to gather video of unique and interesting features in and near their neighborhood. You can save time by writing several versions of the property description in advance. This will ensure you have included all relevant information and allow you to simply copy and paste it into fields. Some online marketing sites allow a lengthy description where you can include information about schools, transportation and entertainment. Others are relatively brief.
Free Advertising
There are numerous free advertising sites available online with a variety of features. Sites such as Craiglist.org, Backpage.com and Kijiji (E-Bay classifieds) offer high traffic, local classified advertising, including real estate. Craiglist.org receives 7,615,443 visitors each day. Adpost.com offers free classifieds for over 1000 cities worldwide and Wantedwants.com provides classifieds, a storefront and allows you to set up auctions. Other high traffic classified sites include: Classifiedads.com with 174,931 daily visitors and Locanto.com with 45,470 daily visitors.
Paid Online Listings
When paying for listings on the internet, the primary focus should be on exposure. Research the site’s number of daily visitors and Alexis ranking to determine how effective it might be at bringing targeted traffic to your listing. The number of Web 2.0 real estate websites has profusely populated the web and offer widgets to explore neighborhoods and schools and get property information. These can be great tools for generating traffic. Additional consideration should be given to supplementary services, for example, some “for sale by owner” sites include signs, contracts and attorney consultation.
Social Media
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Social media networks are plentiful, but two of the best for marketing real estate are Facebook and Pinterest. Pinterest allows you to create multiple boards where you can pin images. While the quality of the graphics is important, they should also link to valuable content such as articles or blogs. These boards provide an outstanding medium for showcasing your home and neighborhood. The ability to pin images to other boards with the click of a button makes them easy to share. Facebook is the most popular social network and shouldn’t be overlooked as a marketing tool. In addition, Facebook allows you to set up individual pages for marketing. Here, you can post images, videos and links to blogs or newspaper articles. You can also boost your posts for more exposure, and analytical tools are available to track your performance.
Auctions Sites
If you need to sell your house quickly and desire a cash settlement, auction sites provide an ideal solution. Auction sites eliminate showings and lengthy negotiations. Your home is exposed to a large number of pre-qualified buyers and you know exactly what day it will be sold. Most auction sites are simple to use; you upload your photos and enter a property description. On the day of the auction, buyers compete to purchase your home by placing bids. Auction sites usually employ an aggressive marketing campaign. As a result, your home is highly visible.
Online Newspaper Ads
Over the past several years, newspaper subscription rates have fallen, and many local newspapers are now found online. Most offer online classifieds which are typically less expensive than print ads. In addition, you can upload more photos and gain greater exposure. Online classifieds can usually be ordered through a form on the newspaper’s website.
