When we have something we need to sell, where’s the first place we usually turn? Craigslist, of course. But in this case, you have a house for sale. So you’re most likely asking this question: “What chances do I have when selling my home on Craigslist in Connecticut?”
What are your chances, then? Well, they can be pretty good actually. After all, Craigslist gets 50 billion page views every single month. But you have to get some critical elements of your ad exactly right. And you need to understand that those 50 billion page views are not just real estate. You will have to ask yourself what percentage of people go on a site like Craigslist to buy a house? Why are they on Craigslist and not working with a realtor? And even if they are working with a realtor, there’s still a good chance that you’ll have to pay the buyer’s agent commissions.
What Chances Do I Have When Selling My Home on Craigslist in Connecticut
Headline
Eight out of 10 people will read the headline of a piece of website content, but only two of those 10 will go on to read the rest. In addition, six of 10 social media users who share a link never actually read the article whose link they shared. The point? You simply have to get the headline of your Craigslist ad exactly right.
You need to write a compelling headline, but you should never lie about your home or exaggerate its features. One effective tactic is to use numbers, especially odd numbers. Here’s an example: “5 Reasons You Should Check Out My Ranch-Style Home in Connecticut (Hint: Number 3 Is Five Minutes From Shopping and Schools)” Just make sure you give them a reason to take the next step and click on the ad. If they are scrolling through a bunch of ads and all they see if “House for Sale” line after line, make sure your headline breaks that monotony!
Body
Now, in the body, you have to make good on the promises you hinted at or made in the headline. Just keep it simple, using brief paragraphs, lots of space, and lists where appropriate. And, of course, don’t make the offputting mistake of using poor grammar or run-on sentences or misspellings. People often equate the quality of the ad copy with the quality of the item for sale. Make note of aspects of your house that people will find important. If you just replaced your roof and your furnace, that’s definitely something to highlight in the body! Make sure to highlight anything that will generate interest for the buyer. A unique fireplace mantle, an oversized garage, a loft over the garage, a finished basement, etc. These are items you want to mention in the body of the ad to keep the buyer interested in going through your entire ad.
Also, make sure you include all the relevant keywords your target shoppers might be searching for. Craigslist serves up ads based on what people type into the search bar. If you feel that your ad isn’t getting the traffic it should, try experimenting. Change the text and try some different keywords in different places.
Pictures
Pictures are just as important as the actual ad copy for selling a home on Craigslist. Most people, though, make the images too large, which not only looks unprofessional but makes the page take longer to load. Most people just hit the back button if a page’s loading time is too long.
Take pictures of entire rooms or areas, not of single items or appliances. If an appliance, say, a refrigerator, has been recently updated, you can include that fact in the body of the ad copy.
If you use a digital camera, make sure not to leave the date and time stamp in the bottom right corner of the image. Besides giving it a slipshod, amateurish look, it also dates the picture, which can be a drawback if the house sits on the market for any length of time. If you have the funds, it is in your best interest to get professional pricures taken. They make a HUGE difference in how your house presents visually and will definitely draw the interest of buyers who compare your professional pictures with somebodies iphone pictures!
Posting Times
Many of the Craigslist experts advise posting an ad between 10:00 am and noon on weekdays. After 5:00 pm on weekdays also works well (which is what I would do if I were selling my home in Connecticut on Craiglist – in order to present a fresh ad to all those shoppers browsing Craigslist right after they get home from work.) And if you wait until the weekend, morning is the recommended posting time.
Selling my home in Connecticut on Craigslist? It’s a real possibility if done right. But if on the other hand, you don’t want to bother with all that after all, we have a much easier solution for you.