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WRITING AN EFFECTIVE AD

The following items should be read and studied carefully. Much care should be taken in writing an ad so that you may attract the largest possible number of potential buyers. If you are advertising in "For Sale By Owner" magazine, remember, you can change your ad in every magazine (3 weeks). We recommend the following guidelines to assist you in writing your ad text:

• Look at advertisements for homes to learn how other sellers write their ads. A good resource is the current ads in For Sale By Owner & Builder magazine.

• List the 10 most positive things about your home; then use them.

• Develop an attention-getting headline or bolded statements.

• Be aware of your homes' vital statistics other than number of bedrooms and baths: such as total square footage, tax value, schools, churches, bus stops, and other community features.

• List several of the most desirable features of your home. Don't forget to include features such as: family room (FR), rec. room, dining room (DR), garage or carport, fireplaces (FP's), decks, fencing, storage building/s, landscaping, trees, stream, etc. Since many buyers purchase homes for emotional reasons, such descriptions as "cozy" fireplace, "sunny" deck, or "sparkling" stream are very effective.

• Emphasize any features or desirable financing that your home may have.

• Mention any Open Houses that you hold including the hours the home will be open. Normal Open House time periods are Sunday 2-5pm. This affords buyers the opportunity to attend church or any other weekend function during the morning, have lunch and then go to your open house.

• Specify the number of bedrooms and baths early in the ad. You'll notice that For Sale By Owner magazine has placed this information where it is easy for the buyer to find.

• Disclose the homes approximate location (neighborhood).

• Consider a theme of urgency in the ad- such as "transfer forces sale", or "must sell by" to attract more interest. Only use accurate and honest information.

• Home prices are usually advertised with either $500 or $900 at the end (eg. $149,900 or $215,500) Property that is priced at $199,900 will look $10,000 cheaper than one marketed at $200,000.

• Don’t use confusing abbreviations just to save space. It is annoying and difficult to read.

• Check on special repeat rates; For Sale By Owner & Builder Magazine offers discounts for ads that are advertised for longer periods, and placed earlier than the final deadline.