What Chances Do I Have When Selling My Home on Craigslist in Mercer and Burlington County

What Chances Do I Have When Selling My Home on Craigslist in Mercer and Burlington County

Everyone knows Craigslist as one of the most powerful marketplace websites in the world. What started as an email from a person named Craig now gets over 50 billion page views a month.

Craigslist may be a very useful platform for people who are selling something. In this case, people who have a house for sale usually ask a question: What chances do I have when selling my home on Craigslist in Mercer and Burlington County?

Even if selling your house on Craigslist is free, that certainly doesn't mean it's easy to do. To find out the chances we should start with the pros and cons of Craigslist.

Pros of Craigslist

The case of using Craigslist to buy or sell a house has just as many advantages as disadvantages.

The biggest reason that people prefer to sell their houses on Craigslist rather than working with a real estate agent is to save on commission. For example, on a $200,000 property, the commission can be $10,000 or more.

Thus, the seller can save his money on the listing agent commission. However, there are still many chances to be on the hook of buyer's agent commission, which can be almost 3% of the final sale price.

If the buyer has no agent, the seller can pay a real estate transaction coordinator to draw up the contracts.

Craigslist may be also a good opportunity for certain real estate sales. Some people prefer to take a mortgage on a new house, but in this case, the house must pass certain standards.

If the house doesn't meet these standards, Craigslist could be a good alternative for sellers or buyers.

Some houses, even uninhabitable or reprehensible, may be good candidates on Craigslist because sellers can always find buyers looking for inexpensive or flippable real estate.

Another important advantage of using Craigslist is the ability to delete the ad. Many real estate agents require sellers to sign an agreement committing to multiple months. Thus, Craigslist requires less of a commitment.

Cons of Craigslist

However, Craigslist can be also dangerous for owners planning to sell their houses. Many top-selling realtors consider that Craigslist isn't ideal for regular real estate sales.

The most common argument against using Craigslist is a scam problem. The marketplace website may contain fake ads, fictitious leases, and lies about square footage for a home. Even though Craigslist has lots of red flags, that still happens all too often.

As long as the person is careful and scopes out every deal, he should be safe. Craigslist has another drawback worthy of mention.

When a person lists the house for sale, he must do all the work an agent would normally do by himself. The seller has to answer all requests, give out his personal phone number, schedule all showings and host open houses.

This can take a lot of time and be inconvenient for the seller.

Watch this news video on a common rental scam that is common on Craigslist:

Tips for making an ad

Anyways, if the seller is ready to list his property and wants a successful house sale, he has to get some critical elements of his ad exactly right.

The seller should pay attention to the headline, body paragraph, pictures and even posting time to have the best chance of selling the house.

Headline

Many people read the headline of a piece of the website content, but just a few of them will go on to read the rest. That is why it's so important to make the headline look great to catch the homebuyer's eyes. The headline of the ad should be interesting for people but should not contain lies about the house or its features. There are some important tips, which could help to get potential buyers to click the ad:

• Use data or numbers. Numbers improve scannability and give homebuyers a reason to take the next step and click on the ad. For example, you can write: 5 Reasons You Should Check Out My House in Mercer and Burlington Country.
• Use extraordinary adjectives. This is the chance to describe the house in a couple of words; therefore, the seller needs to think carefully about the words used. People are more likely to get interested in the ad when they see some odd or unusual words.
• Say the advantages of the house right up in front. If the house has a convenient location, the seller should write it in the headline, which will immediately interest the buyer.

Body paragraph

Now, when buyers are interested, the body paragraph should make them stay for the main course. It has to be a good description including all relevant details about the house, as it saves the seller from multiple questions.

Some tips for sellers to write a relevant body:

• Keep it simple. The body should contain brief paragraphs and lots of space, as it helps buyers to get all necessary details easily. Poor grammar or misspellings are strongly discouraged. Frequently people compare the quality of the ad with the quality of the item for sale.
• Be direct. Real estate ads can often deal with an exaggeration of some qualities and underestimation of others. In this case, the seller should be straight to the point, either way, no one will read the rest of the ad.
• Include all relevant keywords. To sell the property successfully the seller should consider what a buyer might be looking for, as he is surfing the internet. Craigslist serves up ads based on what people type into the search bar. For example, it could be two bedrooms, beach view, or city center.

Photos of the house

Quality photos are crucial. For better understanding, the seller should include at least four quality pictures, showing different areas of the house. The photos must show both inside and outside areas of the house and be clear, bright, and taken in a good light.

The best time for taking pictures is midday when the sun isn't too bright. Summer photos are more desirable since plants are lusher.

If the seller has an opportunity to hire a professional, this could be much easier to use high-quality photos. Anyway, photos need to be an honest representation of the property.

Posting time

Craigslist experts made research posting more than 9,000 ads and examined the results. They determined a few key ways to help find the optimal time:

1. The best days for posting the ad are Sunday and Monday. Traffic drops 40% on Saturday.
2. The best time on weekdays is between 10:00 AM and noon. Another option‚ after 5:00 PM, when the shoppers get home from work. On the weekend, the optimal time is morning time.
3. Craigslist lists ads chronologically, and after few days, the ad may be too old. To prevent this and keep toward the top the seller can repost it every few days.

Pricing the house

It's also very important to price the house right. Its both science and art, which requires deep research into current market trends and the selling prices of houses in a relevant area.

The seller shouldn't overestimate the qualities of the house because a fair price is really important. A lot of sellers frequently face the 'tire kickers' people who wanted to pay the bottom dollar. In case of urgency to get rid of a house Craigslist is a good place to sell.

Many buyers may not be interested in purchases or be qualified buyers. When the seller lists his price offer or says 'best offer', he should always prepare to be lowballed. 

So, what chances does the person have when selling his home on Craigslist in Mercer and Burlington County? Well, according to the information above, they can be pretty good.

Selling a house in Mercer and Burlington County is possible if it's done right. All of these tips can increase the chances of a successful deal. However, the seller should never forget about precautions and read Craigslist tips to avoid scams.

Watch this video on how to sell a Fixer upper on Craigslist: