Sellers' Resources

6 - Marketing Your Home

Multiple Listing Service

The Multiple Listing Service, or MLS, is a computerized database of virtually all the homes for sale in a specific area. By listing your home in the MLS, you're showing it to a large number of real estate agents representing a large number of buyers.

But not just anyone can list a home in the MLS. Real estate agents have access to it, but "regular folks" have to pay hundreds of dollars to use the service. This is yet another benefit to having a real estate agent.

"For Sale" Sign

The yard sign is one of the oldest but most reliable forms of home marketing. Home buyers routinely drive through the areas they want to live in. So a well-placed sign in front of a house that appeals to them almost always leads to a phone call.

Make sure your agent puts the sign in a location and angle that maximizes its visibility. Try driving down the street, as a potential buyer might, to see if the sign is readable. Can you read the phone number clearly enough to write it down?

Signs are great at generating phone calls. They also tend to get the neighbors talking, and this unleashes the powerful word-of-mouth marketing machine. And that brings us to our next point...

Word of Mouth

Don't underestimate the power of neighbors talking. Word of mouth can often lead to sale. Your neighbors might have a friend or family member who'd love to live near them. Best of all, you don't have to do much to create word-of-mouth. Just put a sign in the yard!

Flyers and Brochures

If you use a real estate agent, he or she will likely help you prepare a flyer for your house. Your flyer should include the basics, such as price, square footage and the like. But it should also go beyond those basics to promote everything that's great about the house.

Whether you're creating your own flyer, or having your agent help, there are some things you can do to improve the end product. Try making a list of everything you like about the house. Is it located in a cul-de-sac with no through-traffic? Is it conveniently close to shopping or schools? Are there certain architectural features you enjoy, like a deck or pool? Does it have a great view?

Take this information and create a "Top Ten Reasons You'll Love This House."

Be sure to include an attractive, full-color photo on the flyer. Place the flyers somewhere prominent in the house, where visitors can easily find them (perhaps near the entry). Chances are, your agent will handle these details for you. He or she may even put the flyers or brochures into a tube or box attached to the yard sign. That way, people can get all the details even if they don't come inside.

Your Agent's Advice

Perhaps your greatest marketing tool is your agent's experience and insight. Agents sell houses for a living, so most of them strive to learn everything there is to know about marketing a house.

How to Take Great House Photos

If you've ever shopped for a home online, you've seen them. You know ... those house photos that are dark, blurry, fuzzy, grainy or any combination of the above. Or what about those photos that show the roof of the house with everything else blocked by trees?

You're left asking: "Why bother? Why waste my time driving out to a house like that?"

Never underestimate the power of pictures. Home shopping is as emotional as it is analytical. Sure, buyers will scrutinize the price, conditions, location, etc. That's the analytical side. But the emotional side comes first. After all, who would waste their time reading property details if the property itself doesn't get their pulse racing.

In other words, the property photo is one of many forks in the road on the path to a sale. It either continues the process (if they like the photo) or terminates it (if they don't).

This is both natural and necessary. If the photo shows a ranch-style house and the buyers want a colonial, the photo will terminate the process — and rightfully so. It would waste everyone's time if they came out for a visit.

But here's where photo quality comes in. If the photo shows a two story colonial, and the buyers are looking for a two story colonial ... they're faced with a different decision. Are they looking for that two-story colonial? Is it worth their time to read the property details and possibly pay a visit?

The answer to this question lies within the quality of the photo. It will either drop them off or move them forward.

The Home Screening Process

Maybe you're taking the photos yourself. Maybe your agent is going to take them. Regardless, there are things you can do to enhance those photos ... which in turn improves the overall listing ... which in turn brings more prospective buyers to see the house ... which in turn increases the likelihood of a sale!

Prep the Property

I call this part the "low-hanging fruit," because it's an easy fix that can make a big difference. We're not going for major overhauls here. Rather, we're looking for simple, low-cost items that can improve the home's appearance for photos (and for general curb appeal).

Some of these low-cost fixes include:

Wait for the "Money Shot"

Every property looks best at a particular time of day. You almost always want the sun behind you. This puts the sun onto the subject and out of the photographer's eyes.

So if you're shooting the front of a house that faces east, you may want to do it in the morning. On the contrary, if you're shooting the front of a house that faces west, you may want to wait until late afternoon. You want the sun to enhance the house, not eclipse it. Have you ever seen property photos with that "spotlight in your face" effect? Those are people who did not wait for the money shot.

The east / west approach is a general rule. To find out when your house looks its best, go outside at different times of the day and judge it. It will be obvious.

Use Photo-Enhancing Software If Possible

Notice I didn't say photo-manipulation software. Most image programs, like Photoshop, can either enhance or manipulate a photo (and just about anything else you could want to do). But the point is not to change the photo in a misleading way, but to improve the photo quality by adjusting brightness, contrast, size, etc.

Of course, if you take a knockout photo to begin with, you can probably skip this step entirely.

Conclusion

Remember, photos represent a critical step in the sales process. The initial impression from the photo determines whether or not the buyers read the listing. The listing description determines whether or not they visit the property. And their visit determines whether or not they make an offer. Each step is critical, so each step must be optimized. Photos included!