Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
weedyacres

Exposure!

weedyacres
11 years ago

OK, our FSBO is officially live!

-Website is public (though I keep tweaking it as I get more feedback)

-Professional sign is out front, with nice-looking flyers (b&w for now, as color printer is at work). Has 4 pics, basic stats, price, address, points to website and has a QR code that links to the home page of the website.

-Info and photos sent to broker that's putting it on realtor.com for me (can't do flat fee MLS in my area, so that's the best I can do). I think that gets me on zillow too, but if not I'll post directly.

-Sent Constant Contact email to the 745 members of the local MLS this morning, with a link to my website and an invite to an open house Tuesday over lunch.

-Listed on CL with 4 photos and link to website.

So far 164 have opened the email, 44 of those have clicked through to the website, and 4 have emailed me (2 saying thanks, 2 asking if we had a basement). 5 people have opted out and 4 reported me for spam. :-(

I'm going to post on a bunch of other freebie sites this weekend. Don't know if it'll do any good, but it can't hurt.

I need some help on the menu for the Tuesday 11-1 broker's open, at which I promised lunch. I have no clue how many (or if any) will show up. What type of food would be expected and appropriate?

Comments (14)

  • ncrealestateguy
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Shrimp, crab, and lobster...

  • turtleshope
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Maybe ask a caterer? Just make sure there is a vegetarian or vegan option.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    NC: please tell me you're joking....That's so out of my budget. And one criteria of the menu is that I've got to enjoy the potential leftovers. Not a seafood lover. :-(

  • sweet_tea
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    make sure you repost on craigslist every week.

    you really need to specify whether the home has a basement or is on slab. by leaving it off, all you will do is T-off some folks that cannot find this notation.

    I remember awhile back I was a buyer and a basement was a reuirement. When in MLS, I could tell if basement or slab since the spec was given. But for a FSBO ad I found, this fact was omitted. So I had to call the FSBO to ask. They told me no basement and i was done at that point and thanked the seller. the seller didn't want to lose me and seemed so desparate...saying...but the home has lots of storage...there is an attic. I said no thanks, I cannot keep the dog in the attic.

    Bottom line, give all the facts up front. Don't try to hide any perceived negatives thinking someone won't notice or they will change their mind and fall in love with your home. It is what it is whether you want to hide 'no basement' or not.

  • ncrealestateguy
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Weedy, I AM joking. I like to joke around.
    Just get food that you like. Use a middle of the road budget.
    I hope you get a crowd.

  • cas66ragtop
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I was half afraid to open your "exposure" post, for fear you would be exposing your wazoo!

    Keep your lunch simple and pain-free - they are not expecting a fancy lunch, they are more interested in seeing the house, and a lot of them won't make the time to sit and eat a lunch. I would get a lunch platter from Subway, some potato chips and some cookies. Or if you wanted to get "fancier" you could get a couple buckets of chicken and some side orders from KFC. Wow, I just made myself hungry.

    Good luck on your open house - I hope you get a sale really soon.

  • azzalea
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think I'd have invited them over for a morning visit (9-11 or 12) and just put out easy things like bagels, muffins, small coffee cakes, etc. But you've already invited them for lunch.

    Problem is, professional people are used to getting lavish lunches thrown at them, so you're going to have to do something that's pretty nice-looking.

    You'll want to consider:
    Price--chicken is generally about as economical as you can go, and it's something most people eat
    Preparation--nothing that takes a lot of last minute fussing.
    Ease of serving--something that can be easily 'grabbed' is best
    Mess--this is the biggest one. Nothing with red or gooey, or fatty sauces. That just has too much potential for messing up your house, and with trying to sell it, you definitely don't want any extra work.

    How about this: Go to your local bakery and order small (slider-sized) rolls. You could roast some chicken breasts, slice thinly, and make the sandwiches (you could add a bit of bacon, some cheese, and/or sliced tomato to some), put on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven for 10 minutes or so, just to heat through and melt the cheese. On the side, how about a tortellini salad--mini cheese tortellini, diced celery, pepper, onion, mushroom, some julienned spinach, a little fresh mozzarella and fat-free Italian dressing, but don't make it gloppy with dressing. Then if you add a tray of fruit and one of vegetables, you're set. If you put out dips, be sure to set some of those little cups (from your restaurant supply house) next to them.

    For dessert? I'd go with a big tray of cookies--they're always appreciated, and those who don't want to eat a meal, may help themselves to a cookie.

    Oh, and a trick I learned from my RE agent? If you serve coffee, DON'T have lids for the coffee cups. That way they have to stay and finish their coffee rather than grabbing a cup and leaving. And you always want people to stay a little longer and get a better look.

    One thing that has nothing to do with your agent's lunch... You only have 4 pictures on your flyers and websites? Around here, it's normal for agents to have 20-30--they photo every room from a couple of angles, and also any special features (my agent put a great deal of time into getting the perfect photo of our stained glass windows). I'd see about adding a few more photos if you can. These days people really do their shopping online, and if they only see 4 photos, they may not have enough info to even evaluate your home's attractiveness and appropriateness for them. Also, can you get a slide show on Youtube? Our agent had one that panned the neighborhood, then did a 360 of most of the rooms. It was gorgeous and I'm sure that it was a help in us finding a buyer in under 6 weeks--even though there are many less-expensive homes in our area, many that have been on the market for 1-3 years! Ours is the only one that's sold recently, and for more than I really think it's worth. My agent gets ALL the credit for that--which is why I've passed some of his tricks along to you. Good luck.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Glad you were joking on the menu, NC. We settled on a menu of salads from fresh spring veggies and an assortment of breads. Twas a lovely spread. But that didn't end up mattering, nor did the fact that we fully covered our wazoos...no realtors showed. Oh well, knew it was a possibility, and nothing ventured nothing gained. About 12:30 we figured it was a bust, so we called up a half dozen friends that live nearby and were free, and invited them over for lunch. They toured the house, pronounced it fabulous, ate the food, pronounced it fabulous, and took lots of leftovers home. :-)

    Azzalea: our flyers only have 4 photos, but the website's got 50+, with lots of descriptions and details. The realtor.com and zillow listings have 25 photos each. I do like the slideshow idea. We could load it on youtube and embed it in the website. I'm thinking a panorama shot of the view from the deck.

    We did have our first showing this evening. They came through my CL posting, and are working with a realtor, who they brought along. I let them in and said I was leaving, they said "you don't need to" so I just went outside. They had a ton of questions, so it was good I stuck around.

    Meanwhile, constant contact reports that of the 745 emails I sent, 213 opened them (likely understated, because not all email programs allow for that tracking), 59 people clicked through to the website and 1 forwarded it.

  • Northlut
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sounds like you're well on your way. Good luck!!!!

  • sweeby
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sounds like a good start! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you --

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We had showing #2 this evening. Mr. Weedy handled it as I'm out of town for the week. Spent about an hour there, tried to lay price-negotiating groundwork about the things the house didn't have, but Mr. Weedy wisely bit his tongue and referred him to me for those questions/issues.

  • ncrealestateguy
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Weedy,
    Can you post a link to your listing on Realtor.com? I still do not understand how you can be on Realtor.com and not be in your local MLS.

  • lyfia
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nc - she probably is in another towns MLS and thus into realtor.com.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I believe lyfia is right. There is an MLS number on it (linked to something elsewhere in the state, I believe), so the other MLS must allow entries for anywhere in the state or something. If you type the MLS number into one of our local MLS sites, it doesn't show up.

    I prefer not to link the realtor.com listing directly, for sake of personal anonymity. :-)