When we need to sell something, the first place we usually go to is Craigslist. In this case, you have a house for sale, which means you’re likely asking this question: “What chances do I have when selling my home on Craigslist in Texas?”
Your chances can actually be pretty good. Craigslist gets 50 billion page views every month, but you have to get some critical elements of your ad right.
What Chances Do I Have When Selling My Home on Craigslist in Texas
Headline
Eight out of 10 people will read the headline of a piece of website content, but only two of those 10 will read the rest. In addition, six of 10 social media users who share a link never actually read the article under the link they shared. The point is that the headline of your Craigslist ad must be exact.
Write a compelling headline, but never lie or exaggerate about the features of your home. A great tactic is to use numbers, especially odd ones. Here’s an example: “5 Reasons You Should Check Out My Ranch-Style Home in Texas (Hint: Number 3 Is Five Minutes From Shopping and Schools)” Give them a reason to click on the ad.
Body
In the body, follow through on anything you promised or hinted at in the headline. Keep it simple, use brief paragraphs, use lots of space, and use lists where appropriate. Avoid using poor grammar, run-on sentences, or misspellings. People often relate the quality of the item for sale to the quality of the ad copy.
You should also include any relevant keywords that your target shoppers might be searching for. Ads are displayed based on what people type into the search bar. If you think your ad isn’t getting enough traffic, experiment with the text and try different keywords in different places.
Pictures
When selling a home on Craigslist, the photos used are just as important as the ad copy. A common mistake is uploading large photos, which not only looks unprofessional, but makes the page take longer to load. If a page is taking too long, most people hit the back button.
Instead of taking photos of single items or appliances, capture the entire room or area. If you recently updated an appliance, include that fact in the body of the ad copy.
When using a digital camera, make sure you remove the date and time stamp in the bottom right corner of the image. Along with the amateurish look, it also dates the picture, which can be a drawback if the house stays on the market for any length of time.
Posting Times
Many Craigslist experts suggest posting an ad between 10:00 am and noon on weekdays. After 5:00 pm on weekdays also works well (I would choose this if I were selling my home in Texas on Craiglist – in order to present a fresh ad to shoppers browsing Craigslist after they get home from work). If you’re posting on the weekend, morning is the recommended time.
Selling my home in Texas on Craigslist? It’s a real possibility if you do it right. If, however, you don’t want to bother with all that, we have a much easier solution for you.