Selling by Owner? Use These Creative, Affordable Ways to Maximize Your Marketing Budget
Making the decision to sell your home without using a real estate professional can result in a significant amount of savings at the closing table. However, without access to a broker's marketing expertise, networking skills, and use of the multiple listing service, it can be difficult for owners to attract qualified buyers and compete with other homes on the market. Homeowners who decide to sell by owner can help maximize their exposure, while still keeping marketing costs low by utilizing the following three creative, yet memorable forms of advertising.
An Easy-to-Share Web Presence
The Internet can be a frugal home seller's secret weapon, when used correctly. Begin by creating a blog that showcases all the best points about your home and the community. Use separate pages on the blog to include information that prospective buyers will want to see, such as
- photos of the home, both interior and exterior
- photos of the street, neighborhood and community
- maps of the community
- room and lot measurements
- list of appliances and other items that you plan to include in the sale of the home
- list of improvements made to the home and information about the condition
- general info, such as type of heat, flooring, wallcoverings, etc.
- list of utilities and city services that the new owner is likely to need
- any interesting facts or trivia about the home or area that would be interesting to a buyer
- information about schools, employers, churches, civic organizations, health and dental care providers in the area
Once you have created this type of informative blog, share the link with all your social media contacts and ask them to share it as well. Place the web address to the blog in each ad that you place online or in print advertising.
Convenient Marketing Materials
Another convenient, yet affordable way to market your home is to create business card-sized ads that you can print from home or have printed at your local office supply store on cardstock designed for business card printing. Place an attractive photo of your home on the front of the card, along with the web address for the blog and put your contact information on the back. Get in the habit of handing the cards out to strangers, leaving one at the cash register in stores and coffee shops, and pinning them on any bulletin boards you find.
Attention Getting Ads with Lasting Visibility
Another very effective, yet low cost way to create long lasting advertisements for your home is to use a company like Absolute Screen Printing order screen-printed t-shirts with a photo of your home and the web address of the blog emblazoned on it. Ask friends and family members to where these t-shirts when running errands or attending casual functions. To gain even more visibility, consider sponsoring youth soccer, t-ball or little league teams in your area and using your screen printed t-shirts as official team shirts uniforms.
Not only will this allow your marketing message to be seen by every person in the stands, it will also ensure that your ad is noticed by each team member's parents, who may know someone who is searching for a home like yours.