Tips for Selling FSBO

As someone who has sold two homes 'fsbo', I want to share what I think are common mistakes made by others trying to do the same. It comes down to three main culprits- a lack of marketing, patience and showcasing.

Ask any homeowner who has tried to sell 'fsbo' and they will tell you the biggest challenge is getting the word out. Let's face it, putting a sign in the front yard probably isn't going to generate the amount of interest you need. But this is exactly what a lot of fsbo's are hoping. Then if the sign doesn't work in a month, they call a realtor. You need traffic!

So what options do you have? There are several possibilities- two of which stand out the most. You can advertise using the newspaper and/or the Internet. In my opinion, the newspaper is extremely expensive, the information is difficult to find and the audience is very local. On the other hand, 80% of home buyers are already using the Internet to search for homes. Why not advertise where your audience is currently searching? FSBO websites, like www.northiowahobo.com/ offer lots of information and several pictures. Plus, people from all over can access the information.

Those fsbo's with the most success recognize good marketing requires variety. Take for example, one of my clients. She's trying to sell a home without a realtor. She's always advertising on my website because it's very affordable. But right before holding an open house, she advertised for a day or two in the local newspaper and she sent out Open House post cards to all the homes in the surrounding neighborhood. Her Open House attracted 140 people on a cold, rainy day!

If you're really serious about selling 'fsbo', it's going take an upfront investment to market your home. While it may cost money in the beginning, it won't compare to the cost of a realtor's commission fee after the sale.

The second mistake I see fsbo's making is giving up too soon! Patience is hard to come by when you want to sell a home. According to the latest statistics, the average home for sale in Mason City, Iowa took 181 days to sell with a realtor. That's six months! Of the homes that have sold on http://www.northiowahobo.com/ the average sale period is four to six months. A few have sold within a month or two and the longest sale period was seven months.

One of my favorite clients was a sweet older woman with a beautiful house. After one week of trying fsbo, she told me she hadn't had any calls so she was going with a realtor. I told her she had to do what she felt was best. Let's face it, selling FSBO is not for everyone. The ironic thing is, her home was still for sale 11 months later with a realtor.

The third and final mistake I see being made by fsbo's (and any homeseller for that matter) is the house simply isn't ready to show. Clear the kitchen counters. Clean the closets. (I think the average person should get rid of at least 60-percent of what is in their closets.) Wash the windows. Get rid of the clutter- which includes picture frames and knick-knacks on tables, extra furniture and side tables. (One living room does not need four LazyBoy Recliners and two sofas.) Get the crud out from around the sinks and toilets. Fix things that aren't working- closet doors that don't open, door knobs that aren't working. And while we're at it, clear the yard of all those ornaments. They may be precious to the homeowner, but when you're selling a home, you want it to appeal to the homebuyer. And finally, freshen the air. When a homebuyer walks into the home, first impressions often come through the nose.

How Our Advertising Is Helping You

I often have to remind people that I'm not a realtor. I don't sell homes. Instead, I advertise them fsbo using the Internet. The homeowners who list their homes on my website are doing the selling with the help of their own real estate attorneys.

So what's my job? My job is to get potential buyers to come to my website, http://www.northiowahobo.com/, and see those homes. I do this in a couple of different ways.


First, every month I spend a set amount of money on advertising. Keep in mind I'm a start-up business and funds are limited. So, I've focused on one main venue- the local television station and its website, http://www.kimt.com/. I have to admit, I'm extremely pleased with the results. During the months of February and March of 2008, my website has had more than 1.5 million ad views and more than 1500 clickthroughs from kimt.com.

I also am an active member/volunteer with the Mason City Chamber of Commerce. It's a wonderful organization with great ideas for growing the city and region. When people from out of town are relocating they often 'check out' this area by visiting the chamber's website, http://www.masoncityia.com/. I average 30 to 50 clickthroughs from the chamber's relocation section of its website every month.

Thirdly, word of mouth is extremely invaluable. I recently signed up a woman's home in Clear Lake and asked how she found out about http://www.northiowahobo.com/. She said her brother sold his home in Fertile using the website last fall. Now she's giving it a try. Wow! Now that's the best advertising I can get!

Number of Visitors to Website Doubles

The number of visitors to North Iowa Homes Offered By Owner has doubled from one year ago!

Our March 2008 numbers are in. I'm excited to announce we saw a total of 3,227 visitors- an average of 104 visitors per day. Compare that to March 2007, when 1,649 visitors came to the site for an average of 53 per day.

I'm extremely pleased with the consistent and steady growth we are experiencing. Now that spring is here, I see no reason why those numbers shouldn't continue to grow. Word is getting out as more and more homeowners have success advertising their homes 'for sale by owner' on http://www.northiowahobo.com/.

Two More Homes Sell!

It may be April Fools Day, but I have no tricks up my sleeves today!

I've just been informed from two of our homeowners that they've found buyers for their properties!

The first is a wonderful acreage outside of Rockwell with a sale pending.

The second is a nice ranch on a wooded lot in Clear Lake. "We got a lot of people calling who saw the home on the site (http://www.northiowahobo.com/)." says Kim Dwyer of Clear Lake. "It was a very good experience. I've told several people about the website."