subject: Use Your Neighbors To Help Market Your Property For A Fast Sale [print this page] As you read the words "use your neighbors" in the title you might be curious what I'm talking about because it sounds a little bit strange. But whenever I sell a house I take advantage of the fact that all my neighbors have friends and relatives and some of them could be interested in living here, too. You might want to keep that in mind when you sell a house.
So, my various options for contacting the neighboring property owners include postal mail, email, phone and flyers. Over the years I've tried each of these many times and all of them will work now and then. But my favorite method, although it's rather old-fashioned, gets the best results for the lowest cost.
I obtain the names and addresses of property owners in the area from the county assessor's office, and then I mail regular post cards to everyone. I get those postcards with a postage stamp pre-printed on the front from the US post office because they are easy to write and mail. Besides being easy, I've discovered that my hand-written postcards are unusual these days and as a result they catch people's attention. How many hand-written postcards do you find in your own stack of bills and junk mail most days? You can see why your postcard will be noticed and read when you send them out to sell a home. Your hand-written cards will work well for you, too.
The trick to writing a postcard is making your message very short and clear, but creating curiosity as well. Usually my postcards say something like this- "I'm having an open house on [date] at [time] to show my house for sale. Please stop by." Include your street address and cell phone number because some people will just be curious about the sale price and they may call you right away. Never forget that anyone who calls may have a friend or family member who is looking for a house in your area, so don't forget to ask. By that I mean you should ask each person you talk to when you decide to sell a house.
Mailing postcards to announce an open house will be particularly effective when you also put a For Sale sign in your yard. That way, everybody will know your house is for sale. This simple system works for real estate agents and it can work for you, too, when you sell a house.
