Some ideas for features you might advertise are:

Large Yard, Renovated Kitchen, Grade Entry Basement, Bright Rooms, Quiet Street, Close to Schools (shopping, transit etc.), Heritage style, New home, Starter home, Landscaped, Pool, and so on.

If you are selling a condo or other home with common property, include features such as: low fees (meaning the strata fees), pool, exercise room, landscaped grounds, pet-friendly etc.

For example, imagine you are selling a three bedroom home with an unfinished basement, large yard that is close to schools.

Your finished ad might look like this:

SAVE MONEY! – Motivated private seller, no commissions!

Three bedroom bungalow w/ large yard and basement – great for family.

$250,000. Call Brad for viewing xxx-xxxx.

The same ad could also say:

FAMILY HOME – 10 minutes from town, near schools. 3 bedrooms w/ basement (could be family room). Only $250,000. Sale by Owner. Call Brad xxx-xxxx.

As you can see, the main feature may attract either a younger couple looking to save money on a starter home or a family looking for room for their growing family with attention to schools and expandable space. You may choose a different feature. Try several ads in different papers. Ask callers where they saw your ad to determine which one is working harder for you.

On the other hand, don’t be TOO vague. If you don’t give an idea of the cost, location or size of the home you may be fielding calls from individuals that would not really be in your market. This will only disappoint you as your home is turned down again and again by buyers not looking for your home.

Place the Ad

Place the ad on the day of the week with the most listings in your paper. This will attract the most viewers. Some papers may have large sections on real estate on Saturdays, others might be Sundays. Place your ad in both papers on their respective good ad days for the most attention.

Also consider placing your ad online in a For Sale by Owner website listing. This will be especially helpful for individuals who do not live in your town or city but are looking to move into the area. Look up ‘sale by owner homes’ or ‘FSBO’ for websites that provide this service for a fee.

Don’t Forget…

Whatever you do, don’t forget to TELL people you are selling your home. You never know who’s looking – or who knows someone who’s looking – for a home like yours.

Bring it up. When the clerk or dentist asks how you are tell them you are actually looking for a new place and have your own home on the market. Do they know anyone looking for a home in your area? Networking is a key element for many sales people, and right now YOU are your sales team, so use it!

You will also be attracting the attention of realtors. Be prepared for their calls and visits attempting to persuade you that you cannot do this without them. They are wrong.