Nearly 80% of those who bought a home last year started their search online. If you are selling your own home, a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) online site is almost a must. According to real estate agents, most people who browse FSBO sites will see at least one home they first saw online, and about half will buy a home they found on a home-for-sale website in line. Knowing that, how can you not take advantage of all the new selling techniques available to those who are selling their own homes?
What kinds of sales techniques are available to you if you are selling your own home online? Depending on the site, you can literally have a 24/7 open house without ever opening the front door. With photos, multiple listings, virtual tours, and floor plans, you can literally let prospective buyers tour your home without ever leaving their own homes.
There are several different ways to sell your own home through an online FSBO website. Your best option is to hire a local real estate agent for a flat rate listing, which will entitle you to list your home on a multiple listing service. With a flat fee listing, you pay a local real estate agent a flat fee of a few hundred dollars for the single service of listing your home with the Multiple Listing Service. Once your home is listed, it can be listed on MLS websites where it will be viewed by hundreds of real estate agents and thousands of potential buyers.
Another way to list your home on an MLS site is by hiring a real estate agent with an Exclusive Sales Contract. You agree to pay that agent a 2-3% commission if any real estate agent sells your home during the time you are listed through them, but you reserve the right to sell the home yourself without paying any commission. Again, your main goal, since you are selling your own home, is to list the home on a multiple listing site.
There are also a number of FSBO sites that will allow you to list your home on their sites for a fee. Shop around for the best deal – they range in price from a single flat fee to a 2% commission when you sell your home.
Tips for selling your own home online
– Upload at least one photo of your house that shows it in the best way. If you can, have a professional photographer take the picture.
– Does your house have a beautiful fireplace? A great view of the city? Be sure to get a photo of what’s posted – the best way to sell your own home online is to make it look its best.
– Give buyers the information they want to know. Put information about the school system, the neighborhood, the local stores in your online ad. The more they know, the more likely they are to be ready to buy when they come looking.
– If your home is priced high, consider investing in a virtual home tour so potential buyers can take a full tour of your home online and fall in love with it before they see it.
– Use your listing page to print flyers that include photos and descriptions, and post them locally.
The Internet gives you new tools to sell your own house. Just take it online and see how far you can go with a few photos.