Before Officially Putting the Home on the Market
1) Property preparations: See detailed description in step 5 above.
2) Take property/home photos: Be sure to take both exterior and interior photos for websites, brochures and newspaper/television ads. For exterior pictures, make sure the sun is at your back (preferably in the morning or late afternoon but not when the sun is directly overhead). For interior photos, be sure to remove clutter, turn on all lights and use a flash.
3) Prepare property flyer/brochure: Many computer programs (Microsoft Word, Publisher, Adobe PhotoShop, etc.) have this capability. Additionally, your local office supply or copy store should also be able to help. Vflyer.com provides an excellent freee online resource for creating professional looking flyers. Be sure to use high quality paper.
4) Order preliminary title work: Contact a local title insurance company to get started and find out what services they offer.
5) Obtain paperwork (purchase agreements, disclosures, etc.): Purchase agreements and disclosures specific to your state or local area are often available online or in office supply stores. Additionally, you can sometimes obtain the necessary paperwork for free from a local attorney or Realtor®.
First Week on the Market
1) Put up “For Sale” sign: Hardware stores usually have a good selection. Local real estate boards also often sell “For Sale” signs and other marketing tools.
2) Run an advertisement: The local newspapers, internet (craigslist.org, zillow.com, fsbo.com, etc.) and television channel’s are all good places for a first ad. Additionally, some real estate brokers will allow individual property owners to pay a flat fee to get their property listed on the local MLS. Just ask!
Second Week on the Market
1) Mail postcards/property flyer to neighbors: This will help get the word out about your home and possibly bring a buyer if one of your neighbors knows of someone who might want to move to the neighborhood.
2) Schedule an open house for an upcoming weekend: Be sure to advertise the open house with an internet ad, newspaper ad and a yard sign.
Ongoing
1) Show property to prospective buyers
2) Review price and marketing strategy based on buyer input, activity and market conditions
