Guerrilla Marketing for the FSBO seller

Some of the following advice has helped FSBO sellers get their homes sold faster and for a higher amount. These methods require very little money in your part and are very easy to place into practice.


The bad news is that with the current real estate conditions, you need to be creative and be willing to try different things. The good news is that since few people are moving away from the traditional ways of advertising, your property will stand out easily; Just be willing to put the necessary effort and you'll be rewarded.


Unique selling proposition (USP) - With the increasing amount of homes for sale, you must first decide why people would choose to buy your home over your neighbor's house. You need to differentiate yourself from everyone else: If it has a particular feature that makes it unique, make sure to include it in all of your advertisement; if you are selling for a price well below market value, make sure you let people know how far below market value; if you offer owner financing or have access to loans where people with poor credit can have a chance to buy your house, include it in your marketing. If it has a big backyard, tell people about it. Remember, you must have a USP in your marketing efforts.


Flyers - Prepare a flyer with some pictures and with a brief description of your home. Make it as inviting as possible. Of course, make your USP one of your headlines. If you are working with a mortgage broker, include some scenarios of monthly payments so that potential buyers get an idea of how much it would cost on a monthly basis to buy the house. Once you have your flyer done, place it at people's home around your neighborhood. You may also want to post them at places such as supermarkets, laundry rooms, drug stores and rental apartment buildings. Finally, you can offer a small finder's fee to anyone who refers you to your home buyer.


Yard signs - Buy some white yard signs! Be unique! Don't buy the typical "for sale by owner" signs that everyone else is using. Create about 15 of them with a short message and your USP in big letters. Please make sure that city ordinances allow you to use this type of signs (Some people place them on Friday night and take them away on Sunday night.) Place them in high traffic areas around your neighborhood. Always place the yard signs perpendicular to the street so that people can see them easily.Here are a few examples of signs that have worked well in the past:


"House For Sale / 3/2 Must Sell / XXX-XXXX"
"Guaranteed Approval / 99% Approved, Must Sell / Bankruptcy OK!!! / XXX-XXX"
"Owner will finance / XXX-XXXX"


Internet sites - Probably, the best two places to advertise your FSBO are craigslist.com and backpage.com. When writing the ad, make sure that your USP is part of the headline. Also, dozens of ads are placed in these sites in big cities. In order to keep your post at the top, you might have to repost on a consistent basis. Since you can not post the same ad more than once every two days, some people have decided to post slightly different ads or the same ad with different email accounts. However, if you choose these options you must do so at your own risk.


Your Local newspaper - Follow the same tips when designing your newspaper advertising. Usually, it's enough with advertising the property on the weekend edition. If you have the option, include the ad in the online version too. It will bring you some extra exposure.


If you want to get additional help in selling your home, feel free to visit http://www.miamimortgagehome.com .

Igor Buces is a mortgage broker certified in the state of Florida. He specializes in helping FSBOs sell their homes by using creative financing methods.