Download Guide 

Today, over 75% of people looking for a home start with the Internet. The Internet reaches millions of buyers and is the most cost effective way for you to advertise “For Sale By Owner.” By listing your home on a site like DwellWell.com, you’re putting the marketing reach of the Internet to work for you, reaching buyers locally, nationally, even worldwide.

Our site is designed to put buyers and sellers in direct contact with each other. And unlike other sites, DwellWell.com puts great effort into providing buyers and sellers with extensive listings of local businesses and professionals they’ll need to successfully complete the real estate transaction. These listings are not paid advertisements and they're refreshed frequently. This service is driving more users to our website every day, giving you even greater exposure.

Let’s look at some other forms of advertising you should consider using, including classified ads, which we’ll cover in detail:

“For Sale By Owner” Sign
Here’s another interesting statistic: out of all the people looking for a home, over 70% respond to yard signs. A yard sign is one of the most important elements of advertising your home. Buyers driving through actually see your home is for sale, but they’re not the only ones. People in your area and people just passing through will see that your home is for sale as well, which creates word-of-mouth, one of the best forms of advertising. A yard sign is included at no cost for the term of your listing with DwellWell.com. It displays your phone number and your DwellWell listing ID number so potential buyers can reach you directly and view your home details online.

House Flyer
A flyer that lists the details of your home and includes a picture is something a buyer can keep and refer back to. And it’s a good reminder of the features of your home. You should keep a few by the front door, and make sure there are always some in the brochure box that comes attached to your yard sign. Your DwellWell listing automatically generates a flyer based on the information you provide about your home. You can print the flyers yourself or a DwellWell representative will be happy to provide them.

Your Answering Machine
Since your phone number will appear on your yard sign and in your online listing, it’s a good idea for potential buyers to hear a brief and descriptive message about your home if they call when you’re not there. On the message, let them know that the home is for sale, tell them the size of the home and the price you’re asking, and ask them to leave their phone number. Also, give them the listing ID number and direct them to DwellWell.com so they can see your home’s details online.

Open Houses
Open Houses are the easiest and most comfortable way for buyers to see your home. When buyers are present, offer them tours of your home, have a few snacks on hand, and be sure to leave plenty of house flyers laying around. You can promote your open house on DwellWell.com for free, and you should post announcements on bulletin boards in your community.

Spreading the Word
Tell everyone you come in contact with in your daily life that your home is for sale. Word will spread quickly, and word-of-mouth advertising can be some of your best.

Classified Ads
In addition to listing your house online through a service like DwellWell.com, a classified ad in the local newspaper is a highly effective form of advertising. Check with your local newspaper to find out the best days to run your ad. Typically, a newspaper has its best circulation on Sundays, and often newspapers publish a real estate section on a specific day of the week. Some papers recommend running a 10-day ad to cover at least one weekend, and the rates are usually reasonable. One pointer: refresh your ad as often as possible. Change it so that buyers don’t see the same ad over and over. You don’t want them to think there’s anything the matter with your house.

A classified ad should contain the following information:

• Price
• For Sale By Owner
• Location
• Number of bedrooms
• A brief but intriguing description

The goal of your ad should be to attract serious buyers and to make them a little curious. Brief descriptions work best to draw buyers to your home. Some sellers don’t want to mention price in their ad for fear of scaring off buyers. If you’ve priced your home correctly, you’ll have nothing to worry about. Buyers are looking for homes within a specific price range, and since your goal is to attract serious buyers, it’s important they know how much you’re asking for your home.

Make your ad simple, direct and to the point. The best ads open with the price followed by the location, and both of these should be bold with the location in all capital letters, if possible. There are some examples below. When giving your location, be accurate, but try not to be too specific. Some buyers rule out certain neighborhoods and areas without giving them a fair chance. You want them to come to your area to see it for themselves. Besides, your house might change their opinion of the area. For example, instead of specifying Shady Village, be more general and say North Raleigh.

Place the phrase "By Owner" next. This should be bold and in all caps as well. Remember, when buyers see an ad for a home that's for sale by owner, they're drawn to it because it represents a better value.

Next, mention whether the price is negotiable or if financing is available. (See the section in this guide called Pulling In the Pros for more information on working with lenders.) Many buyers like to see that financing is available. It saves the time of finding a lender. If you’re working with a lender, you can send potential buyers to them to be pre-qualified, saving you time and keeping you from putting your house under contract too soon.

Now for the description. Mention the number of bedrooms; if there is a garage, say so; mention any remodeling, additions or renovations that have occurred; think of all the amenities your home offers and mention the top two or three, for instance, “sunny kitchen,” “screen porch,” “pool,” or “private setting.”

Finally, state that the home is for sale “by owner” and list your phone number along with the DwellWell listing ID and web address.

Here are some examples:

Simple, direct and to the point. The buyer now has all the information they need, but not so much that they have any reason to cross your house off their list. Classified ads work well in combination with your listing on DwellWell.com. Together they give you exposure to a broader base of buyers.

Next: Pulling In the Pros

Download Guide

Back to top

Home | Contact Us | Privacy Statement | List Your Business FREE | Advertise | Back to Top

Find a Property | Home Buyer Resources | List a Property | Home Seller Resources

Blog | Log In | About Us | Other FSBO Sites | Site Map

© 2003 - 2008 DwellWell, LLC. All rights reserved.
Terms and Conditions

Equal Housing Opportunity