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Homes and Land in Sunny Sequim, Washington

Homes and Land in Sunny Sequim, Washington

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Email: ChuckMarunde@gmail.com

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125 Olympic Ranch Ln, Sequim, WA 98382

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How to Advertise a Home for Sale – Part 1

by Chuck Marunde / Sunday, 29 June 2008 / Published in FSBO

How do you advertise a Sequim or Port Angeles Home for sale in this slow market?   That is the question.   Get the answer wrong, and two bad things can happen to you:

1.   You could sit on a house for sale for a year and still not sell it.   That is a major non-event that disrupts lives and plans.

2.   Even worse, you could actually sell your home and lose a lot of money.   Money is hard enough to earn without burning it up for lack of knowledge.

So how do you develop a powerful and effective marketing plan that will actually sell your home in this market?   This assignment is far too big to tackle in one article, so this is the first in a short series that will answer the question with solid principles that work.

Most home owners who decide to sell their home will either list it with a real estate agent or become a FSBO (pronounced “fizbo”).   The term almost sounds derogatory, but no offense is intended by the term FSBO.   It is the common nickname given to a for-sale-by-owner and has been for at least three decades.   The point is simply that either your Realtor has to be an expert in marketing to sell your home, or if you are a FSBO, you must be the expert in marketing.

In my 30 years in real estate, first as a Realtor and Associate Broker in Alaska in the mid ’70’s, then as a real estate attorney for 20 years, and now again as a Broker, I’ve seen   many Realtor’s try to sell real estate who did not understand marketing.   Remember the saying, “He knows just enough to be dangerous.”   That cliche definitely applies to those who would market real estate today.   I think most home owners understand that just because a person gets their real estate license, that does not mean they have mastered   real estate.

First, does your Realtor, or do you as a FSBO, have a marketing plan?   When it comes to marketing and advertising your home, shooting from the hip is like deciding to climb Mount Everest with no plan and without ever having trained to climb in extreme conditions.   The analogy is not perfect, I know, but the point is valid.   Selling your home is not risking your life, but it is risking all that money represented by your equity.   That seems to me to be a very substantial risk.

Second, have you laid out the advertising options, and do you know what advertising methods are effective and which ones are ineffective?   I’m constantly surprised at how many brokers are still using old advertising techniques that have long since lost their effectiveness.   Did you know that billboards were popular in the 50’s and 60’s?   This is 2008, and some are still using billboards.   More about billboards in a later edition.

It is critical to know how print media ranks today in selling real estate.   What works and doesn’t work?   Newpaper classifieds?   Newspaper listing photos in the Sunday issue?   Newpaper inserts?   Flyers?   Mass mailings?   Niche magazines, like travel and visitor guides?   Chamber of Commerce monthly newsletter inserts?   Mailings to other Realtors?   “Just Listed” postal cards?   Real estate magazines, such as Homes & Land, The Real Estate Book, or even the Little Nickel?   What about FSBO websites?   What about the local MLS?   How effective is that, and what role does it play in coordination with the other tactics used?

Third, how important is the Internet?   There are many options here, and much that 95% of Realtors do NOT know.   I would include FSBO’s in that category, too.   The world is changing, and the Internet has changed the way business is done.   There’s no doubt about that.   The National Association of Realtors’ extensive national survey concluded that over 80% of all home buyers start their search on the Internet.   There is much more to discuss on this subject.

Fourth, do you know the role that advertising plays with respect to pricing and negotiating your best price?   In real estate sales, everything you do in the beginning and all that happens until closing is related.   Without a master plan and the knowledge and experience to put it all together with the advertising plan, you have an incomplete and perhaps a disjointed effort.   Again, that could cost you dearly in the end.

Fifth, what substantive and procedural issues must be addressed in your advertising plan?   For example, once having decided where and when to advertise, what scripts will you use?   Words really matter, and how you describe your home is everything, almost.   What about photographs?   My analysis of photos in the MLS tell me that 80% of all MLS listings have terrible photographs and not enough photographs.   Everyone is visual when it comes to buying a home.   Getting outstanding photos and knowing how to use them is vital to your success.   We’ll also discuss videos and much more.

In this series, you can comment or ask questions.   By all means, do that.   It would be my pleasure to help answer or clarify what I write about.

Next in this series:   Traditional Advertising – What Works and Doesn’t Work

Courtesy of Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC

Possibly Related Posts:

  • For Sale By Owner: Why Few Sell Their Own Homes
  • Should Buyers Look for a FSBO?
  • What About For Sale By Owners?
  • Why a FSBO (For-Sale-By-Owner) Is Hard to Sell
  • Why The For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO) is Hard to Sell

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Tagged under: Port Angeles FSBO, Sequim FSBO

About Chuck Marunde

After practicing real estate law for 20 years in Washington, Chuck opened iRealty Virtual Brokers covering the Sequim and the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. Chuck is the author of numerous magazine and Internet articles with a primary focus on real estate. He is also the author of over a dozen books, mostly about Sequim real estate. Chuck is a photographer, videographer, and Registered FAA Drone Pilot. Chuck has combined his love for real estate and technology to create a growing Internet presence in his market, and enjoys building his websites and blogs, including SequimBlog.com and Sequim4Sale.com and LuxuryWaterViewHomes.com. Chuck has degrees in Economics, Law, and Education.

3 Comments to “ How to Advertise a Home for Sale – Part 1”

  1. Maryland Online Home Equity Loan says :Reply
    December 21, 2008 at 11:40 am

    You really poses much expertise on o Advertise a Home for Sale – Part 1. I really enjoyed going through your posting. I really appreciate it.

  2. Equity Home Loan Mortgage Nevada Second says :Reply
    February 7, 2009 at 11:01 pm

    I never thought i will find this much information on o Advertise a Home for Sale – Part 1 today. Nice post mate – keep up the good work.

  3. Darrin Roseborsky says :Reply
    September 3, 2011 at 5:45 am

    I’ve found 5 really effective ways to sell your home without spending much:

    1. Find a mortgage broker who can do an MLS listing only.
    2. Skip the open house but keep your home well maintained.
    3. Ensure that your For Sale By Owner sign has the words “broker friendly” or “Broker Coop” or the MLS number.
    4. Use free online listing service – Craigslist and Pennysaver work!
    5. Identify your potential buyers, then post and hand out flyers in places where they’ll likely to be.

    Hope these help.

    Editor: Some of these are good, but the “broker friendly” idea falls flat for all brokers. Brokers won’t take offers to FSBOs, and that has been true for 37 years from Fairbanks to Spokane to Las Vegas and back to Sequim. I’ve written articles on this subject. Craigslist is good, but the Pennysaver is not. Flyers is also a failure in the Sequim area where buyers come from out of state. I appreciate your suggestions and your post, but if I can be blunt: Giving advice to homeowners can be more harmful than helpful when you know just enough to be dangerous. Sorry but that is the truth. Homeowners, take be careful who’s advice you take. It could cost you a fortune.

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Chuck E. Marunde, J.D.

Sequim Buyer's Agent
(Atty Ret.)
Founder and Broker of
Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate dba iRealty Virtual Brokers
125 Olympic Ranch Ln,
Sequim, WA 98382
(360) 775-5424
ChuckMarunde@gmail.com

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From Los Angeles

It's rare, but once in awhile life provides the perfect collaborator for an important endeavor such as buying your new home. For me that person was Chuck Marunde. His two decade background as a Real Estate Attorney, his prolific career as an author of articles and books on Real Estate and his forthright and moral character made choosing Chuck a no-brainer. Chuck is dedicated, thorough, incredible at the negotiating table, knowledgeable about all local laws & regs but, most importantly, Chuck loves what he does. And what he does is find his client the perfect property. Chuck isn't about making the sale, he's about making the sale that is OPTIMUM for his CLIENT and this makes Chuck a rare bird indeed. I love my new home in Sequim and I am indebted to Chuck for making it happen. Kevin E.

From Seattle

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chuck over the past three years in selling my parent's estate. It was a tough time to sell during the housing recession, but Chuck always kept things on the positive side. With his real estate law background, he offers sound, practical advice. He helps you along with the process using discussions and reason, rather than opinions and speculations. If Chuck doesn’t know the answers, he will get them for you. In several instances, Chuck took the initiative to meet with county officials to get up-to-date facts about zoning and regulations. I was always impressed with his company’s tech savvy communi-cations and internet presence: weekly email updates, blogs, videos, links, Linked-in networking, etc. He is truly pioneering the future of buying & selling real estate. Brian M.

From California

"Andy Romano is a successful motion picture character actor with over 40 years in 'the Biz.' Mr. Romano has a home in beautiful Santa Barbara, California, but he chooses to live most of the time in Sequim, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula in the great Pacific Northwest. Why? In his own words, 'Because it's even more beautiful and surrounded by more beauty in this incredibly peaceful and quiet place. With respect to real estate agents or brokers, well my friend Chuck Marunde, owner of Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate, is hands down the best there" Andy R.

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From Florida

We do our homework for the task at hand and we look for and expect to enlist partners that do the same. It was our good fortune to select Chuck Marunde of Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate to represent us as a buyer's broker in our search for a home in the Sequim/Port Angeles area. Chuck's site is all encompassing and super fast compared to many others, he knows the market at every conceivable level and his guidance through the process of selecting and purchasing a home is priceless - above and beyond that of anyone with whom we have ever worked. Add to all this his 20 year background in real estate law and you have discovered a superb asset in the adventure of purchasing a home. Greg and Marilyn

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