Mention that you have a piece of property for sale these days, and often the first thing you’ll hear is “Oh, the market is down, you must be having a hard time.” But with a little thought, a little work, and a little can-do attitude, your answer can be “Not at all… we’ve already got a contract.” Here are some things you’ll need to know.
First, make sure the property is ready. Don’t put it on the market unless it looks good… really good. As good as you can make it look. Paint what needs painting, tidy up anything that looks untidy. Trim trees and shrubs, wash the windows, and clean out those gutters. Pick up any toys in the backyard. A little money spent at this stage is money well invested, because it can mean the difference between having your property for sale for six days and having it on the market for six months. You want it to take a good picture.
Second, take a good picture. Show off the property to its best advantage in the listings. Don’t take photos (even indoor photos) on cloudy days or at night; wait for the middle of the prettiest, sunniest day you can get before you start snapping those photos. You want everything nice and bright. Take some time to frame your pictures so they look like art.
Third, be positive. When you describe the property, talk about its advantages. If the property for sale has significant weaknesses, acknowledge them briefly in the middle of the listing and move on. Don’t focus on the negative, and don’t apologize for the property. If you send the message that you are ashamed to own it, other people won’t want to.
Fourth, get the word out. Go through channels conventional and unconventional. Make sure the house is listed in every medium where you could potentially make a sale… this includes print ads in real estate circulars, the newspaper, word-of-mouth, even the sign in the yard, and (lest we forget) the Internet. There are more real estate websites online now than you can shake a stick at, and you want your property on every one of them you can. Mashcor.com is the a free site that allows you to showcase your property to over 1000 visitors online.
Lastly, when people come to see the property for sale… and if you’ve done steps one through four, they will… do everything in person that you already did to prepare the listing. Have the property looking its best. Keep it clean, neat, and tidy. If at all possible, show the property on bright, sunny days. Be pleasant and charming to prospective buyers, and be positive. Your property has value, so treat it as though it’s valuable, and others will pick up on your attitude.