Private Property Marketing and Selling

By subscribing to a property advertising Website or placing an ad in your local newspaper you will be taking your first step towards marketing your own property. The Internet is easy for a vast amount of the population to access either at home or at work. Three other tools for marketing property that are readily open to us are “For Sale” and pointer boards, flyer drops and show houses.”For Sale” Boards You can have your own ‘For Sale’ Board/s made up to help draw extra attention to your property. Mostly you will only need one or two of these boards, depending on the size of your property. As a private Seller you will not need too much info on your boards. A white background and bold red lettering usually stands out best. If you are not an urgent seller then to start with you could perhaps just rely on advertising on a Website and a ‘For Sale’ board outside your property to test public response.On the “For Sale” board you will only need the inclusion of your first name and best contact telephone land line or Cellular phone number. The board should be placed in a visible area on your sidewalk or against the front wall of your property. Make sure that you do not obstruct pedestrian traffic as sidewalks belong to all. Also make sure that you are not obscuring any view of road traffic signs or fire hydrants. If you are on a corner then you can gain extra exposure by placing a board on both sides of your property.* When allowing potential Purchaser’s through your home that have seen your ‘For Sale’ board it is best to be cautious. Warn your children and employees not to allow anyone through in your absence. Unsavoury characters may try to gain entry by saying that they wish to see through the property or by lying that they have called you and you have said they must look through.Pointer Boards for Houses for Sale If you would like to try holding a Show House of your own then you will need to draw attention to your property and the best way is by the suitable placement of Pointer Boards. You should not really need more than a dozen or so of these boards or around 2 boards (one on each side) of a busy main road or two near your property and one on each corner leading up to your property thereafter. A couple placed visibly in front of your home should lead potential buyers to your door. On these boards you will only need the addition of a large direction arrow, the words “On Show” and perhaps your first name and number as well. You may place these early in the morning to draw attention to your street but don’t place the ones outside your property until you actually intend to let people through. Most Agents hold a Show House between 11am and 5pm on a Sunday and so the public are familiar with viewing properties during that time. Make sure that you take the boards down immediately when your Show House is over as council workers sometimes dispose of these boards if they are left out until the next morning. You may also risk receiving a fine.Many Sign Writers can help you with making up boards for you if they already provide Estate Agent’s with their standard boards as well. Although these boards are an additional expense to have made up, you can use them again in future.Flyer Drops You can place flyers in the post boxes of properties in your suburb. These could show details of your property for sale, similar to an advert as above or you could use them to invite the locals through your Show House. This could have some effect as many residents in an area would also like their family and/or friends to live nearby as well and so they may bring them through to look at your property. If you hold a Show House then the least you should try doing is placing invitations in 7 boxes up, down and across from your property by the Wednesday before at the latest.Holding a Show house If you hold a Show House then the more accessible and inviting your home looks, the more likely passing Purchasers are to enter. Here are some ways to make your home more appealing on show day:a. Dress smartly to create a good impression.b. Open all the curtains, windows and doors.c. Switch on interior lights if it is a dull day.e. Put a small amount of vanilla essence in teacups around the house in out-of-sight places. This will disguise cooking and pet smells and a lovely aroma will follow visitors everywhere.f. Put fresh flowers in the lounge, kitchen and main bedroom.Once you have placed an advert for your property in a newspaper or on a Website you will be waiting for a response. Your telephone or Cellular phone response could make or break a sale. Speak slowly and clearly while using good articulation and expression. Callers need to know that you are listening to them.A person responding to your ‘property for sale’ advertisement is a potential Purchaser calling to talk you about your property. They do not want to leave a message never knowing if it will be replied to or not. Make certain that your Cellular phone is on at all possible times. Take a message directly if you are busy, thank the Purchaser for their call and offer to call them back at a time that suits them. Follow through as you said you would or the Purchaser may call elsewhere or simply lose interest.Make sure that you can give a caller all the information about your property that they ask for such as stand size, rates and taxes or levy amount, etc. If they would like to view your property then try to see them as soon as possible.Some guides to using your phone to best effect:a. Never allow your phone to ring more than four times without apologizing for the delay.b. Know what you want to say before speaking.c. Ensure that you listen to the caller and don’t talk to others around you while the caller is on the phone.d. Answer your calls with a bright “Good afternoon” or “Good morning, _ _ _ _ _ _ speaking, can I help you?”e. Before answering any questions, ask the caller’s name and then continue to use it.f. Avoid using bad language, exaggeration or slang in your speech.g. Keep conversations short and informative without seeming abrupt.h. Adjust your conversation to the level of the client without being over technical or simplistic.When you meet a potential Purchaser for the first time it is important to not be fooled by appearances. Often flashy dressers who display trappings of wealth may in fact be ridden with debt and conversely those who are casual dressers with no appearance of wealth could be well off. One must not discriminate against any person based on appearances alone, anyone could be a good Purchaser for your property.When you allow a potential Purchaser to view your home it is best to guide them and let them walk slightly ahead of you. Don’t talk too much but rather just point out one or two nice features and look at their reaction as they walk through your property. With you right there they will ask any questions that they feel are relevant. It is important to mention any ‘exclusive use areas’ and/or servitudes.If the Purchaser has expressed an interest in your property then you should do a simple affordability check on them first (or ask them to do this) to see if they have the required finances to qualify for a home loan before entering into any negotiation about an offer on the property. Most property Websites and banks have ‘online calculators’ for conducting simple screening checks on a client before they send their application to any financial institutions. You should also make a note to question a potential buyer about any deposits that they wish to make and check to see if they have the required finances for Attorney Transfer costs, etc. Never handle any payments from a purchaser whatsoever, leave this to a suitable property Transfer Attorney.When negotiating directly with a Purchaser there are three possible options to reach agreement:1. Split the difference. For example, when negotiating the purchase price the Purchaser and Seller ‘meet each other half way’. 2. Trade-off. For example, purchase price is to increase but Seller has to include all movable pot plants. 3. Add an enhancement. For example, the Seller to have pool repaired and re-coated as part of the agreement.When negotiating with a potential Purchaser you should:a. Understand their objection.b. Understand the Purchaser’s needs.c. State your own needs as a Seller.d. Test possible solutions by asking questions and hearing responses.e. Ask the Purchaser to suggest possible solutions to involve them more.f. Confirm acceptance to prevent any misunderstanding.g. Place the acceptance aside. When tending to a few differences of opinion, discuss each one separately to find an overall solution via a process of elimination.Next you can prepare the agreement and get the Purchaser to Commit:a. Outline your proposal on what you have discussed.b. Mention the benefits.c. Mention the procedure to finalize the agreement.Now close the sale. Obtain a commitment in writing from the Purchaser i.e. get them to endorse an Offer to Purchase document. It is best to both go along to a suitable Transfer Attorney who should have the relevant legal documentation and will assist you.