Listing Real Estate on Craigslist

Hi, this is Frank Chen with REIClub.com, the only site you need as a real estate investor. Today I've got a quick video on the Do's and Dont's when you list real estate on Craigslist…

Craigslist Property Listing Process:
– Go to craigslist.org
– Choose the city/state you live in
– Under ‘Housing' – Click the ‘real estate for sale” or any category that fits your property type
– In the top right, Click ‘post'.
– Select “I am offering housing”
– Select the category – real estate – by owner – or category that fits your property type
– Fill Out All Fields
– Description

Be sure to read the disclaimer before posting. Otherwise your posts may be pulled before anyone reads them.

How To List Real Estate Properties for Sale
– Pricing – Call agents and ask what they would list the house for and use comparables. Find a price that fits your homes current condition.

– Pictures
– 4 is Max – craigslist = window shoppers – There are services you can use that will autopost to Craigslist that get you more than 4 pics.
– Focus on key selling points: kitchen (with appliances), bathrooms, master bedroom, landscaping

– Description – see “How to Get Your Listing Noticed”

How To List Real Estate Properties for Rent

– Pricing
– call other rentals in your area
– online newspaper rental postings
– FMR Databases – updated yearly
– Offer A little less than market/competition

– Pictures
– Same as “For Sale” only 4
– Same highlights as For Sale

Description – see “How to Get Your Property Listings Noticed”

How to Get Your Real Estate Listing Noticed
– Attention Grabbing Headlines
– Symbols – create in word – copy and paste to the ad title/subject
– Catchy Headlines – DO NOT
– Do NOT use all caps (yelling) – Ok, if no one is doing it but you get less spaces
– Do NOT use cliche terms such as beautiful, nice, pretty (overused)
– Do NOT Discriminate – reword phrases to hide the truth – quiet couple = no kids
– Do NOT Put your phone number (takes up to much title space)
– Do NOT leave out information – what you think is not important may be very important to someone else

– Craigslist DO's
– Do use keywords and variations of keywords in Headline
– Do turn all features into benefits
– Do use as much space as possible to list how great the property is
– Do list benefits in terms of priority – schools, yard, neighborhood kids, etc.
– Example: “located across the street from the Metro Station” –versus– “never drive through rush-hour traffic again!” or “Close to downtown is a feature” vs. “Being happy by participating in downtown cultural life”

– Do use Pictures – stand out over ads without
– Do use Keywords – make sure you use proper keywords prospects might search for
– Do take your Time – Spend more than few minutes to create your ads.
– Do competitive research – have you seen how other ads are being posted? How do you stand out?
– Do Bullets not Paragraphs – quick read
– Do update your ad – every other day or as much as possible so that it doesn't get lost in a pile
– DO include Contact info – a lost contact is a loss sale
– HTML – if you have a coder or if you can – link to off-site bio pictures of yourself

Craigslist is an amazing resource that allows real estate investors to list real estate properties for free. With several million viewers a month, this is a great source to fill your vacancies or even sell your properties. Just because you aren't paying for the property listing doesn't mean you shouldn't take the time to do your research and create a powerful ad.

Again, this is Frank Chen with REIClub.com. Please take the time to leave your comments for this video below and please subscribe to our YouTube channel so you'll be automatically notified when we upload more quick video tips for you. Take care and good investing.