RentingSelling

Is There Such a Thing As DIY Property Selling and Renting?

Selling your house or renting out property can seem like a daunting task if you have decided to take it into your own hands.

Some homeowners believe they don’t need a real estate agent to get their homes sold and will be trying to go the route of “For Sale By Owner” or private sale.

Even though recent NAR statistics are quite clear with 89% of these home sellers will fail to sell it themselves and will eventually be selling through a real estate agent.

It seems that hope is considered a strategy by some!

If you do decide to go ahead and try to sell it yourself, one of the first things you ought to consider is who your target market is: if you want to lease out an apartment situated near a college, your main target audience will be students.

So, take out an advertisement in their newsletter or post it on the campus notice board. If, on the other hand, you are marketing towards young professionals or someone who has an established family, the two primary methods would be classified websites and social media.

To post on a classified website is simple, but to give you a better idea: you would create your account first, then follow the steps they lead you through. During this process, you will be asked to give details on what you are selling and to post photos.

Here are a few pointers on how to approach this: some of it may sound straightforward, but people often miss important information and end up struggling to reach the correct audience:

(1) Social media need not be intimidating, and you won’t need to create a whole new profile and identity to advertise through this medium. Using your existing Facebook account is perfectly workable.

Search for community groups and forums on which to post your advertisement once it has been created. To find these groups, try using search terms such as “people who live in…”, “property in…” or “buy or let in…” and select the “groups” filter option. If you find that your post has not gotten any attention recently, simply comment on it or repost.

(2) Photos do need to be of professional quality, so your smartphone camera won’t cut it!

  • Do make sure that the house or flat you are photographing is neat and clean, however. Something your photographer ought to know, but nevertheless, this cannot be stressed enough!
  • It is also always better to take the photos at a time when there is no furniture or moving boxes obscuring a proper perspective of the interior.
  • Try to get a few different angles of every (main) area.

(3) As a heading for your ad, you ought to be succinct and straightforward. Overly done flowery words may end up sounding suspicious.

A simple statement of size (how many rooms or what type of apartment), whether it is being sold or leased out, and in what area it is located– and there’s your headline. This is repeated in the main text, along with some additional information.

If you are selling your property, price, size, area, local routes, shops and public transport access, as well as additional features like swimming pools or fireplaces, should be included. Amenities including water and electricity billing and internet lines are also important. Adding adjectives to highlight its qualities can be used here.

(4) Who wouldn’t be tempted by a large/beautiful/well-kept garden? For a flat or apartment, the idea is the same, but the formula would be slightly different.

If you are renting out your property, follow the same rules for the heading and in the text, include price as well as deposit, what services are included in the price (water and electricity, internet, cleaning staff, etc.), number of rooms and total floor space, if it is to share or not, what floor it is on and whether it has a balcony or private garden and what the floor space is.

It is also good practice to state if smoking is accepted or not and whether pets are allowed. Flat or apartment leasers or buyers are more likely to consider what features are on offer rather than added value, which is the inverse of home buyers.

Following these simple tips for DIY property selling or renting will hopefully set you well on your way!

And if you’re not successful, there’s always your local real estate agent who will be more than happy to assist!

ImmoAfrica.net

South Africa's fastest-growing, independent property portal, offering affordable solutions for real estate professionals. A hub of info covering topics for #homebuyers, #homesellers, #renters and #lifestyle enthusiasts!

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