Marketing for Sellers

photo by evelynyll

What’s the best way to find people wanting to sell their homes? We started years ago by driving neighborhoods that we liked, looking for For Sale By Owner signs and calling. We also walked neighborhoods putting out flyers on mailboxes (which we now know is illegal) and talking to neighbors.

These methods are very effective and certainly inexpensive. A good way to get started or find your personal residence. But, they’re time consuming and not the best use of your time if you want to buy properties as a business.

The best way we’ve found is direct mail marketing. We target neighborhoods or zip codes we like and drill down to specific properties that we are interested in owning. For example, we mail to single family homes, owner occupied, the specific price point we want to own, 10 years old or newer, etc. That way, when someone calls about selling a home, we know its a house we’re interested in.

There are many ways to market. Different methods work better in some areas than in others. Wherever you market, its best to use a “layered” approach, more than one method at a time, so you are seen at different times and in different ways. Most sellers need to be contacted about 4 times before they will remember you and contact you back. They need to know you’re for real and a trustworthy entity.

Some marketing options:
Newspaper:
Classified Ads – For Sale
Classified Ads – Want to Buy
Classified Ads – For Rent (sometimes landlords want to sell)
Business Cards (hand them out to everyone)
Flyers (to put out wherever you can)
Market Bulletin Boards (post your flyers &/or business cards)
Signs – (such as “I Buy Houses”)
Public Speaking (Rotary, Toastmaster, Lions Club, etc.)
Networking (everywhere you go with everyone you meet!)
Foreclosures – research at courthouse
Real Estate Agents
Post Cards (direct mail marketing)
Radio Ads or Radio Show (expensive and hits a broad area)
TV / Cable (VERY expensive!)
Pizza Boxes (sometimes they sell ads on the lids)
Banks & other Lenders
Estate Sales
Moving & Yard Sales (“have you sold your home?”)
Vacant Properties (research & send letters)
For Sale By Owner Signs
Out of State Owners or Non-Owner Occupied homes
Eviction Filings
Burned-Out Landlords
Probate Court
Divorce Cases
Tax Liens
Internet Newsgroups
Attorneys
Auctions
Home Builders
“Blue Tarp” Houses (may mean they can’t afford the repairs)
T-Shirts & Caps (to wear or to give out)
Obituaries
Car Signs (Magnetic Door Signs)
Office Signage
Auto Wrap
Painted Signs on Van
Be creative!

Try different ones to determine which you like and which works best for you.