Ground Zero On Marketing Your FSBO Property Part 1 of 2 by George Grosso,

As a property owner you control the single the most important factor in selling your property, namely the condition of it when it's offered for sale. In retail stores, shrewd store owners know that presentation, and perception make up the majority of the perceived value of any product or service in a Buyer's mind. In fact, corporations spend billions of dollars with marketing firms whose only job is to improve a product's image and presentation in their prospective buyer's mind. Each and every year these companies fight to increase their product's perceived value in the minds of prospective buyers. Make no mistake about it, your house is no different in this regard, you must genuinely create a perceived value in the minds of prospective buyers in order to succeed as planned. The National Association of REALTORS reports that the average Purchaser looks at a minimum of 18 different properties before deciding to purchase one. With the advent of the Internet, Buyers are seeing more properties in less time, with little or no effort. That raises the bar for all would-be Sellers who want to catch their attention. Savvy Vendors know that catching a Buyer's attention is not easy in a market filled with noise, ads and choices. Once you've got a prospective buyer's attention, you must get them to contact you for a viewing of your property. In most cases, the viewing is where the sale is made or lost. Take heart because you're in control, and you can ultimately decide to take the necessary steps to ensure a profitable quick sale. With the help of a good online MLS service, like ForSaleByOwner-Max.com, you can get the traffic you need to make your sale. However, before you go rushing off to buy an ad, you must be absolutley sure that your property is ready for market, and that you have a sales plan to make all the right moves. Do you recall when you purchased your house? How many other houses did you preview before deciding on that one? A smart Seller knows that regardless of the number of properties are on the market, all buyers will always want the best priced property in the best condition. This is the very definition of value, getting the most for the least money. Your buyers must believe that when they offer to buy your property they are getting the most property, for the least amount of money. This doesn't mean that you're going to sell your property at rock bottom prices, remember that value is only a perception in the Buyer's mind, and perceptions are not often realities. As a Vendor you want to sell your house for as much money as possible which means that you're going to have to create a sense of genuine value in your buyer's mind. In order to do this, you are going to have to start thinking like a Buyer, and that means making the value proposition for your property as strong as possible. Everything from the creation of the ad, to the posting of your yard sign must scream ?Value! Value! Value!?. The Buyer must get emotionally involved with the prospect of owning your property, and all of its features and benefits. By the way, if you're thinking that some Buyers don't get emotionally attached to the purchase of a property, think again. Unless they're made out of nuts and bolts, they're going to get emotionally involved to some degree. Their level of emotional involvement is a matter of experience, circumstance and marketing. As a Vendor, you want them to get as emotionally involved with the property as possible. Their level of emotional involvement is directly porportional to the probability of a high end sale value, and that means more money in your pocket. So do your homework because this is not the time to be thinking on your feet. This article is continued in Part 2 of 2 ? ,washing machine