When we have something that we need to sell, where is the first place that we usually turn to? Craigslist, of course. But in this case, you are looking to sell your house. So you’re most likely asking yourself this question: “What are the chances of selling my home on Craigslist in Baltimore?”
So… what are your chances? Well, they actually can be fairly good. After all, Craigslist does get 50 billion page views every single month. But you need to get some very critical elements of your ad exactly right.
What Chances Do I Have When Selling My Home on Craigslist in Baltimore
Headline
Eight out of every 10 people will read the headline of a piece of website content, but only two of those 10 will actually go on to read the rest of the content. In addition, six of 10 social media users who share a link never even read the article that they shared.
So what is 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 any of 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 Baltimore (Hint: the number 3 Reason Is Five Minutes From Shopping and Schools).” Just make sure that you give them a good reason to take the next step and click on your ad.
Body
Now, in the body, you have to make good on the promises that you hinted at or made in the headline. Just keep it simple, using brief paragraphs, lots of space, and use lists where appropriate. And, of course, don’t make the mistake of using poor grammar, run-on sentences, or misspellings. People will often equate the quality of the ad copy with the quality of the item that is for sale.
Also, make sure that 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 is not getting the traffic that it should, try experimenting with the keywords. 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 house on Craigslist. Many times, though, people will make the images too large, which not only looks unprofessional but makes the page take longer to load. Most people will just hit the back button if a page takes too long to load.
Take pictures of entire rooms or areas, not just of single items or appliances. If an appliance, for example, 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 that you don’t leave the date and time stamp in the bottom right corner of the image. Besides giving the photo an amateurish look, it also dates the picture, which can be a drawback if the house sits on the market for any length of time.
Posting Times
Many of the Craigslist experts recommend posting an ad between 10:00 am and 12:00 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 Baltimore on Craiglist – in order to present a fresh ad to all those shoppers who are browsing Craigslist right after they get home from work.) And if you wait until the weekend, mornings are the best time to post.
Selling your house in Baltimore 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, we have a much easier solution for you 🙂