Market your property

The sign

This is the first, most basic and highly important tool for marketing your home. It's time to put up the ComFree ''For Sale'' sign in front of your property.

Media

It's great to reach as many people as possible, but it's even better and more profitable to target potential buyers for your property. A targeted ad gets better results. Real estate websites and home sections of the newspaper are two examples of targeted marketing.

Something to keep in mind:

• The most active selling period is as soon as a property appears on the market. So the idea is to show your property to as many potential buyers as possible, as soon as possible.
• Remain objective in your ads. Emphasize facts and aspects of your property that everyone agrees on. Avoid subjective details.

The Internet is essential

The Internet has revolutionized real estate. These days buyers, including those who use real estate agents, are doing their own searches online as well. With ComFree, almost all of our online traffic comes from potential buyers. Our site offers a number of advantages:

• Low cost: lots of information, a long listing period, a large captive audience
• Access to statistics: number of visits, calls, etc.
• Flexibility: the information is updated whenever you want to make a change

Newspapers and magazines: to complement your ad

Classified ads in newspapers and special ''homes'' sections also offer the opportunity to reach plenty of people. However, the information isn't very detailed, much of it is similar. Your ad has to stand out. Use an original title. Emphasize the advantages of your property. Figure out which ads attract your attention and draw on them to write your own. As a general rule, short, simple text is best. Vary your ads and remember, new ads always generate more activity. Repetitive ads that appear every week end up being ignored.

Word of mouth

A property often sells to buyers who are part of the seller’s circle (family members, colleagues, acquaintances). So it’s important to tell these people that you’re selling.

Useful documents to have on hand

Throughout the selling process, you?ll have to answer questions about your property. Always have these documents handy.

• Property and school tax statements;
• Electricity and gas statements for the past year;
• Bills for renovations done in recent years;
• The certificate of location. If you don?t have one, have one drawn up by a land surveyor;
• The deed of sale or title of ownership;
• An evaluation report if available;
• An inspection report if available;
• The co-property agreement if applicable;
• Photos taken in summer showing the landscape and exterior if the sale is taking place during the winter.

About phone calls

Efforts to promote your property have a single goal: to get interested buyers to contact you! Most of them will contact you by phone. Be sure to answer!

A few tips...

• Use a cell phone.
• Use call forwarding.
• Leave your work number if you can.
• Change your voicemail message to reflect your home for sale.
• Keep a copy of your listing near the phone to guide the conversation.
• Take down the names and phone numbers of the people who call.
• Ask them which ad they saw. This will help you determine which ones work best.

When buyers call, ask for their information and tell them you will call them back at a given time. This way, you will have their name and number in hand.

Open houses

An open house can increase the visibility of your property among potential buyers. ''Open house'' signs placed at strategic intersections make it easier for interested buyers to find your property. You should also announce your open house online and in the newspapers.

Visits by appointment

• Open the curtains and blinds to let light in.
• Turn off the television and turn on background music at a low volume.
• Set the temperature to a comfortable level.
• Get pets out of the house.
• Put your valuables away.
• Make sure that the property is clean and orderly.

Greet visitors and put them at ease by offering to answer any questions, and then let them visit alone. Don't give detailed explanations of the qualities of your property. Adapt to their rhythm. You'll quickly see whether or not they are interested.

When they're done, ask them how their visit went and whether there is anything they need clarification on. If the property doesn't match their criteria, they will thank you and move toward the door without asking any questions.

If they are curious, ask to see a few rooms again and ask lots of questions, then you have potential buyers who are interested. Don't be afraid at this stage: be direct and suggest that they buy your property!

You have to keep in mind that the people who call to visit your property are potential buyers.

• They have seen the property on the web and several photos of the inside.
• They know the asking price.
• In general, they have already come to see the outside.

If a potential buyer hasn't followed up after three or four days, call them back to see whether they've made a decision. Ask them politely for details about what they liked and didn't like. Their comments will help you correct little things in preparation for the next visit.

If you can't change the things they don't like (for example, the area around your yard or the location of your property), you can adjust the price to reflect what buyers are prepared to pay.

Reading on the topic

• 4 Types of Mortgages You Can Get
• Why have an Open House?
• 6 Marketing Mistakes Home Sellers Should Avoid
• 3 Tips to Sell your Home Quickly
• 4 Reasons to Have an Open House
• 5 Most Powerful Words in a Home For Sale Listing