10 Ways to Increase the Visibility of Your Home Listing

Homes that attract the most attention are usually the ones that sell faster – it's really just basic math. The more people who see your listing, the greater the odds that someone will be a buyer. The problem is that many home sellers aren't sure how to get their listings out there for the public to see.If you fall into this group of sellers, don't worry. We've compiled a list that includes ten easy ways you can increase the visibility of your home listing right now. If all goes well, you might even find yourself in the middle of a bidding war!

It's common practice for homebuyers to drive through neighborhoods that they like, looking for homes that may be for sale. In addition to having an agent's sign in your front yard, having a lockbox on the front door tells passersby that you are serious about selling. This will help your address find its way into the notebooks of drive-by home shoppers.Even more importantly, the lockbox will enable other real estate agents to show your home when you're not there on the property, so more people will be able to see the interior of your home.

If you want to sell your home, you must be able to show it to prospective buyers. So, you need to be flexible and accommodating when it comes to showing appointments. On your MLS listing, you should at least have "call first, lockbox" mentioned. This informs agents to call you prior to showing your home. And, don't worry about having your agent on hand every time another agent takes a client on a walk-through; it's not necessary.

If you have 300 Facebook friends and 500 Twitter followers, then you can deduce that your friends have at least a couple hundred friends of their own. So, take your listing to your social media platforms and ask your friends to share it on their pages, too. Within minutes, your home listing can be viewed by several hundred, if not thousands, of people.

Instagram and Pinterest are visual mediums, so creating an account specifically for your home on one or both platforms allows you to share a wide variety of photos of your home online. You can share photos of each room and any interesting features of your home, along with descriptions. This type of visual "walk-through" helps potential buyers learn more about your home and showcases some of the reasons they might want to pay it a visit with their agent.

In your listing and/or newspaper ad, mention that every prospective buyer who tours your home will receive a free prize. The prizes can be up to you and your budget. Some home sellers even have raffles where visitors enter their names into drawings with winners winning big-ticket items, like weekend getaways or sporting event tickets.

If you really need to sell your home, then you can offer a limited-time deal that will help make your home more attractive to any on-the-fence buyers. For instance, you can offer to prepay the buyer's property taxes or homeowner's insurance for their first year. Or, you can pay down the buyer's mortgage interest rate for a set number of years or pay their closing costs.Make it known that your offer is only available for a limited time. This will motivate prospects who are looking for a good deal on a home.

Home walkthrough videos are gaining popularity on YouTube. If your Realtor doesn't make them, you can either ask her or her agency to do it, or you can make and share the video on your own. In fact, you don't even have to film footage if you don't want to. Just create a movie using the photos you used in your listing ad or from your Instagram or Pinterest accounts.Create a free YouTube account if you don't already have one, and upload your video. Make sure you title your video appropriately and give a good description in the description box. Then, share your video's link on all your social media accounts and add it to your listing ad.

Tell your agent that you want to throw an open house party and have the agency spread the word around. Publicize your event on your social media channels, and through print ads and homemade road signs in your neighborhood. Provide free hot dogs, popcorn, and non-alcoholic beverages. You can even rent an inflatable castle to keep the children entertained while attracting more families to the event.Highlight your home with bright balloons and streamers to make it easier for people to find. This tip works because people can't pass up a party, especially when it has free hot dogs.

Look at other listings before and when making your own. Often times, you'll notice that sellers and their agents don't always provide a lot of information. Because of this, you can make your listing stand out by providing much more information than your competition. This can include featuring many, many more photos of your home in your listing, and making note of certain highlights in the home. For instance, instead of calling your home a Ranch, you might want to call it a Midcentury Modern Ranch Home.If this is the first time your home is being put on the market or if it's move-in ready, be sure to let buyers know. The more they know upfront and the more compelling your words are, the better your odds of improving your listing's visibility.

A price highlight note is often overlooked by home sellers, but it can be a powerful way to get people interested in your home. An example of this is to insert "Reduced!" after your asking price if the price has recently dropped. This notifies buyers that your home could be just the value they're looking for.If you need to up the ante for your home listing, the above ten tips can help. Try them all or a select few. Either way, it's all about getting your listing noticed, and this is a great place to start.