Hi Everyone, has anyone got any Tips for writing Ad’s, Tips on how to sell yourself, stories etc?
REDWING
“Money is a currency, like electricity and it requires momentum to make it Effective”
Count The Currency With This Online Positive Cashflow CalculatorHave a look at how the real estate agents are marketing similar properties in your area, and make sure you cover the same ground. Certain buzz-words – while cliched – are effective because buyers know what the terms mean. E.g. “character” means the place is a bit of a hardsell/run down. “renovator’s delight” means the place is an utter dump. “Nothing to spend” means the place is fully and tastefully renovated.
If you’re doing a sizable ad, highlight anything that stands out as a bonus – such as an extra large block of land, a pool, close to schools etc.
Photos sell! (if you can afford it).
And don’t forget the essentials. Address, number of bedrooms, price range etc. You’d be surprised how many private ads forget these essentials. The buyer usually has a price, house size and suburb in mind and their first glance is just scanning to eliminate places that don’t match these basic needs. If you haven’t got that in your ad, you may not even be considered.
Info right at the house helps, as people often walk/drive thru an area that they’d like to buy in, and they notice For Sale signs. Even better if the sign has detailed info (number of bedrooms, ph no, open house times etc). A stack of brochures (whether professional or b+w info sheet) that they can take one of is useful – either by getting a waterproof holder, or by putting in your letterbox with a “please take leaflet” sign (and hope no one helps themselves to your mail while you’re at it!).
Brochure drop to other houses in the area – someone might be renting and thinking of buying. Also, neighbours might turn up for a sticky beak during open house so it looks like you have more interest than you really do.
[chill]
When we sold our last property we asked several agents to come through and give us a quote, most of them did up a nice folder for us with all the right wording, even some took photos, they wanted our business.
use this to your advantage and when they phone back to ask how your going say you went with someone else.
also you can get helpful packages from “for sale by owner” copanies for a very small outlay.My two cents:
Always indicate a price.
Always have at least one photo, though you should have at least 3: Kitchen, bathroom, street frontage. If you have a view, include it. When I scan I don’t bother with any ad that doesn’t have these until I’m right at the end of my selection process.
Always include a contact name. If you have a hard name to read or pronounce use your middle name or write in phoenetically. People may be intimidated if they can’t use your name.It’s alot easier when it’s your PPOR.
Very difficult if it’s rented out.
A nice looking sign out the front with just one number is much more powerful than ads in the paper – local buyers only to start with, but word of mouth spreads like wild fire.
Don’t have home opens….you are only looking for one really high priced buyer – not 60 sticky beaks who want to trapse thru.
Cheers,
Dazzling
“No point having a cake if you can’t eat it.”
Originally posted by Dazzling:It’s alot easier when it’s your PPOR.
Very difficult if it’s rented out.
A nice looking sign out the front with just one number is much more powerful than ads in the paper – local buyers only to start with, but word of mouth spreads like wild fire.
Don’t have home opens….you are only looking for one really high priced buyer – not 60 sticky beaks who want to trapse thru.
Cheers,
Dazzling
“No point having a cake if you can’t eat it.”
We are selling a Duplex at the moment with a nice
clear sign and adds in the local paper, we have had far more calls from the sign than the adds.
Also we have it on the net with a free listing nothing from the net add as yet.
We like to keep our adds short and to the piont,better than getting long winded we feal.
Regards
[biggrin]The best wording on a signboard when selling privately is…
PRIVATE SALE
PHONE: XXXX XXXXSay it is a 3 bedroom house, I would suggest…
PRIVATE SALE
3 BEDROOM HOME IN ??SUBURB??
PHONE: XXXX XXXXPeople jump all over private sales because they think they can get a better deal. Nothing more need to be written.
The Mortgage Adviser
http://www.themortgageadviser.com.au
[email protected]
Essential LinksMy 2 cents as well – Hire a licensed real estate agent.
Pick a good one – they’ll earn their commission and you could end up in a far better position than if you privately sell.
Some of the problems with a private sale you may be likely to encounter are: lack of exposure, unable to tap in to investors agents already know, you may not be a skilled negotiator, running the risk of ‘bargain’ hunters making unrealistic offers blah blah blah the list goes on… It’s not worth the endless hassle.
If you hire a real estate agent you will pay them a commission (which is negotiable) but they will be bound by law to achieve for you the highest price possible in the given market. They should also be fully informed as to the local market conditions.
That said I’m sure others will chip in negative comments on agents. Some probably substantiated.
Luke Woollard
Licensee
Pacific Lifestyle Property
http://www.plproperty.com.auLuke,
I believe if you took your “flog at all cost” private business interest blinkers off and actually addressed Redwings post – you’d see just how non-sensical your suggestion is !!
It’s like Redwing asking for healthy tips on running faster in preparation for a big race and your proposal is to take a dodgy clapped out bus ??
Maybe I’m off the mark…please correct me if you think so, but that suggestion from an agent is pretty bog standard…they teach you that at REA school on Day 1. I think alot of the forumites here are a little to savvy to be swayed by that and deserve a far more thought out response.
Cheers,
Dazzling
“No point having a cake if you can’t eat it.”
dazzling – there’s no need to be rude and I am not ‘flogging’ anything. lighten up.
redwing – you could try reading a David Ogilvy book
See: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/039472903X/104-3247275-2174330?v=glance
Luke Woollard
Licensee
Pacific Lifestyle Property
http://www.plproperty.com.aucomments made are general information only. you should seek professional advice for your particular circumstances.
Redwing,
As you can see I am a new forumite.
I offer you my experience of selling a property privately. It is not hard to do if you are in a position to have the time to dedicate to the selling period. I believe the most important factor is establishing the right asking price. Get apraisals from agents, minimum of three. Eliminate any ridiculous apraisals by agents simply trying to get a listing, it’s a competitive market! Find the median price then look at marketing at that price or even deduct a portion of what you will be saving by selling privately. List too high and risk losing genuine buyers at the start of the campaign. Then if on market too long may have to reduce below a reasonable price just to get buyers interested. It’s a fine line to tread. Be wary that it will cost you time to sell it yourself & time is money. I believe home opens do not work to your advantage. You get sticky beaks and tyre kickers who are complete strangers going through your home. Results come from serious buyers, the ones who see your advertising campaign and are serious enough to make an appointment for a private viewing. Have a good settlement agent who can guide you through the contract of sale right through to settlement.
If you think your property may be suitable to investors get three Rental market appraisals done. Obtain sales evidence for comparable properties in your area and have the results typed up to present to prospective purchases. It’s all about instiling confidence in the purchaser that your property is good value for money. Presentation is everything when selling, first impressions are the ones that last and you have to get them to want to look inside your property and fall in love with it. Or atleast see the potential!
Brush up on your negotiation skills as this is critical.
Mimic successful agents advertising campaigns.Well thats my experience. Hope it helps and good luck.[thumbsup2]
Dave
Redwing,
Despite messages to the contrary I have just read…I know of, and have assisted with hundreds of private sales. Especially in the major metropolitan areas, you can do a great job selling privately!
Good looking, well thought out advertising and marketing is the key.
Some tips:
Sign: Large, large phone number, attractive relevant photo (not the one of the front of the house! der!), about 6 feature points.
Advertising: Use domain.com.au, good value advertising at $195 per month. Realestate.com.au doesn’t allow private sellers [angry2].
Use local papers if it’s necessary for your suburb (in some suburbs the local paper is the bible, in others the SMH or the AGE are enough). Put those real estate agents’ proposals to good use: Look up the prices of the ads in the local paper and try to get the paper to give you the same rate as the real estate agents, otherwise they’ll quote you twice that amount and it becomes uneconomical very quickly.
Tip: Don’t let the local paper “design” your ad for you. They usually look tacky and unprofessional. Ask a “graphic designer” friend or phone up a local graphic artist and get them to do it. It’s worth the extra hassle and small expense to make it look great!
Try appointments first, they certainly get the more committed buyers. However some suburbs operate best on open for inspections:
Don’t do your own opens. It works better if a friend/your secretary does them for you. The friend should ask the exiting person if they like the property, if they’re interested, if they’d like the owner to phone them to discuss the price/make an offer.
The negotiation shouldn’t be difficult if you stick to your game plan and have done your research properly. Just be your natural self and be happy and polite to speak to. If you’ve priced the house correctly, everything should proceed smoothly.
There’s plenty more tips, so let me know if you want me to post more.
Best of luck to all private sellers – vive le revolution!
Cheers, Kate
Kate,
Excellent post. Revolution indeed. I believe as vendors become more savvy through education and experience, REA’s will not be able to hoodwink people into their overpaid ‘services’.
One point you missed, to be successful in selling, a salesperson has to know their product inside out and back to front. This is where the vendor selling privately really streaks to the front of the pack. Who knows their house and all the intricate details better than the owner ?? No-one of course.
Deals are closed on minute details and the finer specifics of the property. This is where the REA’s very often flounder.
How many people in the past have approached REA’s and asked detailed questions about the property and they simply have no clue. They picked up the listing 2 days before and literally know nothing about what they are selling. I have seen potential buyers get very frustrated and walk when every answer to their question is “I don’t know, but I’ll get back to you”.
With the growth of private sales rapidly eating into the REA’s traditional market, expect to see in the near future alot of agents go the way of the dodo…bring it on I say. [biggrin]
Cheers,
Dazzling
“No point having a cake if you can’t eat it.”
Private nice way to go.
http://www.owner.com.au/phototour/listing_phototour.cfm?listingid=21772http://www.owner.com.au/phototour/listing_phototour.cfm?listingid=20440
These where free.
regardshi Redwing
I just sold my PPOR in Mandurah using housemart.net.au. For $750 you get 8 ads in the paper of your choice, internet listing, for sale signs, all the relevant docs and they are very helpful at teaching you the best way to sell your home and get the price you are looking for.
When I decided to sell I got four local real estate agents to give me appraisals. The REA’s all told me that no house in my suburb had ever sold for more than $300,000. They then valued my house between 320-330,000. Housemart can also give you an estimate of what they think you list your house at. I listed mine for 325,000 and accepted a cash offer of 320,000. The best thing about all this is that the REA’s wanted between $12-14,000 commission for doing the same job as I did myself in three weekends.
Regards
FITZExcellent Fitz72,
And your next move is ??
regardsYour agents were ripping you off!!! I would slap any agent who tried to hit me up for a 4% commission!!!
That aside, how do you know that a good agent could not get you $10,000 or $20,000 more than you got?
The Mortgage Adviser
http://www.themortgageadviser.com.au
[email protected]
Essential LinksNo slaping Agents but.[blush2]
You can get “24” 80×60 2 colour adds in the Property lift out (South Western Times) For $732.
List you property on the net for free.
Have 2 good sized signs made for $90. (Reusable)
2 Open home signs $50.(Reusable)
All the paper work from your Settlement Agent free.Regards [biggrin]
I know it is cheaper to do it yourself. Back to my question, how do you know a good experienced agent could not get you a better price?
I love dealing with private sellers. I find it very easy to negotiate better deals with them.
The Mortgage Adviser
http://www.themortgageadviser.com.au
[email protected]
Essential LinksOriginally posted by The Mortgage Adviser:I know it is cheaper to do it yourself. Back to my question, how do you know a good experienced agent could not get you a better price?
I love dealing with private sellers. I find it very easy to negotiate better deals with them.
The Mortgage Adviser
http://www.themortgageadviser.com.au
[email protected]
Essential LinksI agree with you friend [fart] we have no idea if an Agent could not get a better price.
In fact I can tell you if we were to list the unit with an Agent they would be listing it above 200,.
At the end of the day a good price for any thing is what you’re happy with.
Fitz72 was pleased with the sale in Mandurah and that’s good, made some cash and will stay in the game and that’s even better.
Seen any thing in Australind lately?
I just know you would be a STRONG negotiator [wacko]Regards
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