I was looking at ads that I thought would attract renters and home buyers and came across one that said ‘Buy Now Pay Later No Credit Check’ and another that said ‘No credit check apartment in Atlanta Georgia.’
Now, these aren’t that attractive to me because I DO check credit. But they do work to attract renters and buyers who might not have stellar credit.
In my last post, I wrote about my conversation with Betty Buyer, who is paying retail for a house she’s purchasing from an investor. She has had some bumps with her credit, but now has a good, stable job that will allow her to qualify with an investor to buy a house with seller financing.
This post is a continuation of our conversation.
- ME: Betty, you told us you wanted something that was move-in ready and had easy terms, and you were willing to pay extra for a house that fit those qualifications. Now I’d like to find out how the house was marketed. How did you find it?
- BETTY: I found the ad on Craigslist, actually. There are tons of properties on that site!
- ME: What made you follow up on that particular property?
- BETTY: It’s kind of a fluke that I found it. It was listed under rentals, not under sales, because the seller was willing to do a rent to own or lease purchase as well as a sale. The ad said the house was for rent or for sale with owner financing, and that’s just what I was looking for.
(So list your home in the ‘Rental’ section as a rental or a rent to own house. And of course, you can put it under Homes for Sale, too. It also helps put the listing in Spanish – broaden your market reach!)
- ME: What other tips would you give to investors on how to attract home buyers and renters?
- BETTY: Well, I do look for certain things. First of all, I always limit my Craigslist search to ads with pictures. I don’t want to waste my time driving to a place that ends up looking horrible. If there hadn’t been a picture, I wouldn’t have seen the ad.
- ME: With all of the sites that you can add pictures of the entire interior and exterior of the house, there really is no excuse for not putting pictures on any web site you advertise on.
- BETTY: Another thing: if there’s no price in the ad, I don’t call. I don’t want to waste my time on houses I can’t afford.
- ME: So, put the list price of the house in the ad. And if you’re offering good terms, and will work with folks with less than perfect credit, put something like ‘No credit check loans’ to get their attention.
- BETTY: Yes. And finally, curb appeal is important to me. The first time I saw my new house in person, the lawn was neatly trimmed and the house seemed well cared for.
( As I’ve said before, fix it up like they do on the Curb Appeal TV Show. You can read this post to see some pictures and get some more ideas.)
- ME: Thanks for those tips, Betty. When do you close on your house?
- BETTY: In less than a week! I’m excited about moving in!
Betty could have gotten a house for less money. But because of the seller’s successful marketing, she chose his house out of hundreds, and happily paid more for it because it was move in ready. I’ll do that kind of deal all day long!
Please leave a comment about marketing ideas you’ve used on how to sell a house by owner. Thank you!
