With the advent of the internet comes the advent of great free advertising tools and Craigslist is one of them. For those who don’t know, Craigslist is a free online classifieds website used to buy and sell a variety of items. One area that has had great success on Craigslist has been with real estate and millions of people advertise on Craigslist daily. Due to the high level of ad share from other sellers to get the most out of Craigslist you need to stand out from the rest of the ads and get noticed.
What you need to have a great Craigslist ad is the following:
-> Post Title (aka your Compelling Headline) – You need to make your listing unique. As mentioned above, focus on your home’s features, benefits, and what makes your home unique in order to catch the eye of a prospective buyer. Your headline should be compelling enough to get people to click on your ad before others. Mention that your home is FSBO. People like to know this and on Craigslist this will give your ad more attention as people will like the appeal of non-real estate agents.
-> Listing Description (aka Property Information): Your listing and content should be short and to the point. Don’t go overboard with catchphrases and marketing language, people will pick up on that. Since your ad is a reflection of the home you are trying to sell, be sure to spell check and proofread your ad to make sure it looks acceptable. There should be an internet web link or web links from your listing that will bring a potential buyer to your property’s full information page. This web link to a full information page could be your MLS listing, Facebook listing, postlet listing, or all of the above.
Your Craigslist listing description should include:
1. Your name
2. Email and/or phone number
3. Home address
4. The title of your post (compelling title). said again.
5. Brief information about your home (eg, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, single-family or multi-family, price, square footage, parking, lot size, etc.).
6. Description of the property in a couple of sentences.
7. Property features in a couple of awards.
8. Web links.
9. Open house information, if applicable.
10. Your contact information is listed again.
Please see the ad example below to give you a better idea of how an ad is put together.
Craigslist Ad Example:
Price: $250,000
Post Title: Private Lakefront Home Near Downtown Maple Grove – FSBO
Post Description:
Mary Jane Doe | 555-555-5555 | Email address here
1234 Center Lane N., Maple Grove, FL
Private Lakefront Home Near Downtown Maple Grove – For Sale By Owner
3 bedroom single family home for $250,000
Year of construction 2000
2,150 square feet
Bedrooms 5
2 Full Bathrooms
2 floors
basically yes
Lot size 1 acre
Garage 2 Cars
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
These 2,150 square meters. foot home is in immaculate condition and has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a great view of the lake from the kitchen. The kitchen is open and spacious and has granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, porcelain tile, and cherry cabinets. The private backyard leads out to the lake, dock, fire pit, and plenty of room for entertaining.
PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS
Gas Forced Hot Air Heat, Central A/C, Gas Fireplace
Vaulted ceilings, many closets, hardwood floors, tiled kitchens and baths
Family Room, Sunroom, Dining Room, Bonus Suite, Owners Suite, Full Basement
Stainless steel refrigerator, gas range and wall oven, microwave and dishwasher
Granite Countertops, Center Island with Sink, Cherry Cabinets
Washer and Dryer, Cabinets, Mud Area
Large yard, lake, doc, fire pit
Full description of the property:
[Web Link Here]
virtual tour:
[Web Link Here]
-> Photos and Virtual Tour: Include some of your best professional photos so prospective buyers can see what your home looks like. As mentioned above, high-quality photos are a very important part of your listings. You should also have a link to your virtual tour so they can see what your home would feel like when they walk through it.
-> Call to Action: When the prospective buyer opens your ad, they should see a call to action that also compels them to call or email you. Think about it, what would make you call in an advertisement in your area.
-> Repost your ad daily: Craigslist ranks ads by displaying the most recent ads first or at the top of the web page visible to the viewer. So as more ads continue to run, your ad will continue to move up the list or on a later page. Although many potential buyers will use search terms to find a listing, it is still beneficial to be as close to the top of the page as possible because some people view homes in order of most recent date.
-> Real Estate Agent or NO Real Estate Agent – If you put in your ad “No real estate agents please” most real estate agents will not contact you, therefore only buyers without representation will contact you. I still subscribe to the theory that more exposure to a pool of buyers you might not otherwise have access to is better, however, if you really want to try and sell your home 100% commission free, you’ll want to advertise “No Realtors, please “. This can be a risky move because it will limit your pool of potential buyers, use your own judgment here.
-> Best time to post your ad: The three times of day that will give you the best possible exposure are morning, noon, and the night after dinner. Pick a moment and go with it. Your ad will only be at the top for a short time, but all helpful tips count.