One of the best ways of selling your home is through the internet. A 2018 report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed that 44% of property buyers looked for homes online first. The report further mentions that the typical home buyer looked at websites with home listings, photos, and general information about the home buying process. This tells you that listing your home for sale online is a good approach in 2020 and it also gives you some insight into the best ways of how to do it.
What Are the Benefits of Selling a Property Online?
- You might avoid real estate agent fees – Most real estate agents charge a fee that is between 1-2% of your home’s sale price. While this may appear to be a small percentage, you might end up paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in fees. For example, if your home sells for $200,000, you could end up paying between $2,000 and $4,000 to an agent. Sell your home online to avoid such high real estate agent fees.
- Your property will enjoy exposure to many potential buyers – The internet allows you to make your home visible to a wide range of potential buyers, whether they are real estate investors or traditional buyers.
- The selling process may be faster – You can sell your home online fast in case of financial emergencies, divorce or job relocation.
4 Great Ways to Try in 2020
Whether you are an experienced or first-time home seller, you can learn how to sell your home online. Here are 4 of the best ways to sell real estate online:
Sell your home online through a dedicated website
If you want to sell your home without an agent, consider building a dedicated website for your property sale. Though this requires more work compared to a simple online ad or FSBO (for sale by owner) listing, it can be a very effective strategy for showcasing your home and generating new leads. Of course, this approach is better suited for a real estate investor who plans on selling properties over and over again as opposed to a homeowner who may only sell once in their lifetime.
The good news is that you can use a website builder to create a professional-looking site from scratch, even if you have no experience in web design. Some of the best website builders for real estate sites are Placester, Weebly, Wix, and Squarespace. Using a DIY approach in designing your website helps avoid the cost of hiring a professional web designer. However, there will be a small fee for web hosting.
While the design of your site is important, it is the content that will enhance your chances of selling your home online. Start with a headline that will grab the attention of your visitors and encourage them to keep reading. Keep it short and use emotive words such as ‘exciting’, ‘exclusive’, ‘superior’, ‘terrific’, and ‘sensational’.
The property description should mention the primary features of the home such as location, square footage, number of bathrooms and bedrooms, lot size, fireplace, and garden. Home sellers should also capture the unique characteristics of their properties in the description. Is the property next to a beach? Does it offer breathtaking views of the nearby mountains? After highlighting the primary features, offer information about the local amenities such as malls, parks, schools, hospitals, and transportation.
Related: Write Listings That Sell Your Property Fast
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Therefore, your written description should be accompanied by professional photos of the home. This will help engage potential buyers and encourage them to visit the property. To showcase your home in the best possible light, be sure to de-clutter and tidy up your property before taking photos. Avoid posting photos of pets since some of your potential buyers may not be pet lovers.
At the end of your property description, have a call to action (CTA) which will tell potential buyers what to do next. Something like ‘What are you waiting for? Call xxx – xxxx NOW!!’ will convey a sense of urgency to your website visitors.
Sell your home online through the Mashvisor Property Marketplace
The Mashvisor Property Marketplace is the best website to sell your home online. This online platform allows you to reach thousands of potential buyers all over the US. And listing your home for sale on this marketplace is absolutely free! Buyers can analyze your home based on metrics such as cap rate, cash on cash return, cash flow, and occupancy rate. You’ll also be able to check other homes that are similar to yours (real estate comps) to make sure you got the price right.
Related: How to Sell Off Market Listings: A Beginner’s Guide
The Mashvisor Property Marketplace also has an integrated email and SMS system. This makes it easy for potential buyers to reach you directly and begin negotiations. You can even market to buyers if you have a list using email templates.
Sell your home online through an iBuyer
Another great way to sell your home online yourself is by working with companies called iBuyers (or instant buyers) such as Opendoor, Knock, Offerpad, Zillow, and Redfin Now. Such companies will buy your home directly from you, thus saving you the trouble of listing, marketing, home staging or paying a real estate agent.
All you need to do is provide the iBuyer with some details about the real estate property such as its zip code, age, condition, and primary features. Using algorithms, the company will then predict the home’s value and give you a cash offer. If you accept the offer, the iBuyer will send you the cash within days or weeks.
While selling through an iBuyer guarantees a fast sale, you might not make much profit from the real estate transaction. iBuyers usually purchase homes at a price below market value. In addition, not all properties are eligible for iBuyers.
Related: What Is an iBuyer? Should You Sell Your Home to One?
Sell your home online through an online real estate agent
Working with a real estate agent gives you the opportunity of having your home listed on the multiple listing service (MLS). The MLS property listing service is an online database of properties that are being sold all over the US. Only licensed real estate agents are allowed to post descriptions and photos of homes on their local MLS. Being a trusted and widely used source of real estate information, getting listed on the multiple listing service boosts your chances of selling quickly.
Please note that your choice of a real estate agent can make or break your home sale. Be sure to carry out some research on any agents you are considering. Third-party sites like TrustPilot can come in very handy for checking the reputation of a real estate agent. You can also check out agent ratings on Mashvisor’s real estate agent profiles.
To learn more about how we will help you make faster and smarter real estate investment decisions, click here.
Conclusion
You can also sell your home online without an agent on real estate listing websites like FSBO.com, HomeFinder, Trulia, ForSaleByOwner.com, and Houzeo.com. Local classified websites such as Nextdoor and Craigslist could also help you to find buyers. Though most of these options provide an opportunity to sell your home online for free, weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.