Nearly 80% of those who bought a house last year started searching online. An online For Sale By Owner (FSBO) site is almost a must if you’re selling your own home. According to realtors, most people who browse FSBO sites will view at least one house they first saw online – and about half will purchase a home they found online by selling their website. Knowing that, how can you not take advantage of all the new selling techniques available to those selling their own homes?
What selling techniques are available to you if you’re selling your own home online? Depending on the site, you can have a 24/7 open house without opening your front door. With photographs, multiple listings, virtual tours, and floor plans, you can allow prospective buyers to tour your house without ever leaving their own homes.
There are several ways to sell your own home through an online FSBO website. Your best option is to contract with a local real estate agent for a flat fee listing, which will give you the right to post your home on a multiple listing service. With a flat fee listing, you pay a local realtor a flat fee of a few hundred dollars for the single benefit of listing your home with the Multiple Listing Service. Once your home is listed, you can post it on MLS websites, where hundreds of real estate agents and thousands of prospective buyers will see it.
Another way that you can get your house listed on an MLS site is by contracting with a real estate agent with an Exclusive Sale Contract. You agree to pay that agent 2-3% commission if any realtor sells your house when it is listed through him – but reserve the right to sell the house yourself without paying any commission. Again, since you’re selling your own home, your main aim is to get the house listed on multiple listing sites.
Several FSBO sites will allow you to list your home for a fee. Shop for the best deal – they range in price from a single flat fee to a 2% commission when you sell your house.
Tips for Selling Your Own Home Online
– Upload at least one picture of your house that shows it in its best light. If you can, have the photograph taken by a professional photographer.
– Has your home got a gorgeous fireplace? A great view of the city? Make sure you get a photo of that posted – the best way to sell your own home online is to make it look its best.
– Give buyers the info they want to know. Put information about the school system, the neighborhood, and the local stores into your online ad. The more they know, the more likely they’ll be ready to buy when they come looking.
– If your home is priced in the high range, consider investing in a virtual home tour so prospective buyers can get a total time of time our home online and fall in love with it before seeing it.
– Use your listing page to print out flyers with photographs and descriptions and post them locally.
The internet gives you new tools for selling your own home. Take it online, and see how far you can go with a few pictures.
by B Shelton
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