In this age of mobile apps and satellite photography, it is hard to believe that a simple “For Sale” yard sign can be viewed as so important by such a large percentage of buyers. There are good reasons, however, to have signs professionally produced (DO NOT DIY your signs on a piece of cardboard with a marker), complete with contact information that makes both the home and the seller easy to find. These signs effortlessly guide online shoppers right up and into the front door of your home. They also attract buyers who weren’t looking for a new home before stumbling across this simple and humble marketing tool.
USE DIRECT MAIL TO ADVERTISE YOUR OPEN HOUSE
While nearly all real estate marketing is done online, traditional direct mail is still a great way to spread the word about listings and open houses. Potential buyers surfing the web may miss your open house listing, but if you send a piece of direct mail to them at their physical mailing address, it serves as an invitation and you’ll increase the chance of seeing them at the open house! Again, this is something a real estate agent will do as a part of his/her contract with you, but if you are a FSBO seller, do your homework and determine your target audience. Seventy percent of home buyers will purchase within 10 miles of their current location, so you will want to target people living in adjacent neighborhoods, relatives, co-workers, or friends who might be looking for a new home or know of someone who is. You will want to target all of the homes and apartment complexes within a given geographical area. You can do this yourself, or you can hire a business that will send postcards to homeowners featuring your home. You can also buy mailing lists from professional companies to build your target audience and do your own bulk mailing. If you decide to go it alone, you will need to research, interview and select a graphics company that specializes in print marketing for real estate and will collaborate with you to create 84
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