Follow a few simple guidelines, and marketing your own home can be easy. And it will save you thousands.
The recent property boom has a lot of people thinking of selling.
Unfortunately, the costs of selling can really eat into your profit.
There’s nothing we can do about stamp duty, but one cost we can avoid
is real estate agent fees. By selling your house yourself rather than
paying a real estate agent, you can save you around $20,000 on a
$500,000 sale.
So what’s involved in a do-it-yourself sale? The two main ingredients
are time and advertising. A quality ad and a couple of hours each week
fielding phone calls and managing inspections can mean the difference
between a healthy profit and disappointment.
Many people are intimidated by the marketing aspect of selling their
home. But there’s really not that much to it. You just need to write a
description of your property, organise photography, and place an ad.
Simple!
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when organising your own
sale is you’re not selling a building - you’re selling a home and a
lifestyle. Here are 10 Tricks of the trade to get you started…
1) Jot down your favourite spots in the house and what you like to do in them.
2) List your favourite local restaurants, cafes, and beaches – especially those in walking distance.
3) Note any pleasant fragrances – plants like jasmine and gardenia, or evening sea breezes.
4) Mention your favourite spot for a morning coffee, an afternoon snooze, or an evening wine.
5) Write about 150 words.
6) Don’t include cars, garbage bins, or the road in your photos.
7) Tidy your house and remove any clutter before taking inside shots.
8) Capture colour both inside and out, but keep it simple.
9) Take digital photos and save to CD so you won’t need a bureau for scanning and production.
10) Invest in a prominent newspaper ad and make use of the Internet.
Even if you don’t feel up to the challenge of creating a masterpiece
ad, you can employ the services of a professional for far less than the
cost of a real estate agent. A professional copywriter will write an
engaging description for as little as $250. Professional photographers
do real estate all the time. Neville Prosser
(http://www.nevilleprosser.com.au) can give you all the captivating
photos you need for just $330. You can get a glossy 1/8 page ad in the
Central Coast Express Advocate for $628 or a ½ page ad $2514. And to
advertise online at Domain.com.au will only cost you $165 for a full
month.
Whether you do all the creative work yourself or employ a professional,
you’ll still save thousands. What’s more, with great advertising,
you’ll interest more potential buyers and maybe even sell your house
for more.
The most important thing to remember at every step along the way is…
Average advertising conveys a building. Quality advertising conveys a
home.
