In order to get big results from a classified ad for your FSBO you need to have a plan. Ask yourself the three following questions:

• Are you offering the home buyer the appropriate information?
• Are you making the home buyer curious...will they want to learn more about your property?
• Is your FSBO ad short, direct and to the point?

Prospective home buyers skimming the classified ads are looking for specific pieces of information. Among these are price, location and number of beds/baths. Keep it simple. Don't offer any information that would rule your home out. Remember, the whole purpose of placing a classified ad for your FSBO is to generate leads. Phrases like "handyman's special" or "repairs needed" should be left out. Any words, numbers or phrases that make your house less attractive to a potential buyer have no place in your classified FSBO ad. Do you have an otherwise great house, but with only one bathroom? Then leave the number of bathrooms out. Accentuate the positive aspects only. Draw buyers in by offering just enough information to make them want more. Oftentimes, prospective buyers will end up purchasing a house quite different from the one they originally had in mind. Make sure your FSBO home is among their options when the big decision time comes. The purpose of the classified ad game is to make it on to your prospective buyer's short list. You want your ad to be circled and called...not crossed out and dismissed.

Lead your ad with the selling price and location of your home. The majority of buyers are looking for homes in certain locations and between certain price points. If you want to attract serious-minded buyers, you need to let them know these two vital pieces of information. You want to stand out in these areas. A competitive price will help sell your home quickly. If the price is negotiable you should mention it here. This may keep you in the running with prospective home buyers who would otherwise see your home price as out of their range.

One phrase which has been shown to create more of a response is "Financing Available" (or "Excellent Financing, or "Affordable Financing" or any combination thereof). This doesn't mean that you are personally financing the house. It need only imply that you have a relationship with a mortgage broker willing to pre-qualify prospective buyers and able to offer them competitive rates.

How do you get a relationship with a mortgage-broker who can help you? Just use the Find My FSBO "Service Providers" link, call up a few of the names you see listed there, explain you're selling your house For Sale By Owner and you'd like to have a lender or mortgage broker you can send your potential buyers to. Double check to make sure the mortgage broker is willing to prequalify your prospective home buyers for free. Shop around and make sure they are able to offer industry competitive rates and terms. There you have it...you've just etablished a relationship with a mortgage broker and you've just made it easier for the end buyer to purchase your FSBO home.

Now when prospective buyers call you up and inquire about your "available financing", you can just give them the mortgage brokers number and inform them to tell the mortgage broker they are calling to get pre-qualified for your FSBO home.

Financing options appeal to prospective buyers, as this is usually perceived as a confusing or difficult part of the home buying process. Many potential buyers will already have relationships with their own lenders and will not require your assistance in this department at all. But for those who don't have a working lender relationship, you've just opened a door that may get your house sold.

Now that you've got the price and terms covered, your next piece of vital information for the first line of your classified ad is the location of your FSBO. Put the location in bold letters or all capitals. Your best bet is to be accurate, but not too specific (unless your neighborhood is so wonderful that just a mention of it will get your home sold). Once again, most buyers will end up purchasing a home much different from the one they went out looking for. We'll give a broad description for the location, so they'll at least call for more info and make your home a contender. For example, if your home is in NW Cape Coral, just list the location as Cape Coral. That way people only presently looking in SW Cape Coral may still call you up to inquire and you'll get a chance to convince them how perfect your FSBO home is for them.

Now we get to the descriptive qualities of your FSBO home. State how many bedrooms you have. Add the number of baths, only if you feel this is a selling point. Next point out any selling points of your house...garage, large yard, quiet street, fence, privacy landscaping, etc. Always include anything new or recently renovated (e.g. bathroom or kitchen), as newer is usually better in these departments. Other nice features to mention are a screened lanai, close to beaches and inground pool or spa. These are items that will increase interest in your FSBO home.

Integrate your online marketing campaign. Always be sure to reference your FindmyFSBO.com listing number. This will give the prospective buyer an immediate opportunity to go online and instantly learn more about your home. There they'll be able to see pictures and read the much longer description you're able to put on Find My FSBO. They can ask to schedule a showing right from there utilizing the email link we provide. The whole process is practically automated.

Keep it short. Keep it simple. Tell the buyer what they want to hear.

Here are some examples of well-written classified ads for FSBO homes:

All these ads give the vital information that prospective buyers use to come up with their short list, as well as enough additional information to further pique their curiousity. The price is listed first. The location follows in bold capitalized letters. We're trying to make serious-minded prospective buyers curious enough to want some more information. Classified ads are an effective tool. Write them right and your phone will be ringing.

Good luck!