Craigslist is by far the most popular website for local classified postings on the internet. It has been the go-to site many of us have turned to whenever we have something to sell. But what about when it comes to selling a house? Is craigslist as effective selling a house in the Chicago area as it is for selling everything else?
Not really. The truth is that the Craigslist classified section doesn’t have the same draw today as it did 10 years ago and most uses consider the site dated. However, that doesn’t mean that your chances of selling a house on Craigslist are zero but just not as likely as other methods for marketing your property.
However, the beauty of Craigslist is that you can post your house on the website for free. It is another method you can use for free to help get the word out that your property is for sale. While a craigslist posting may only slightly increase your chances of selling the property you really have nothing to lose by posting your property for sale on the site. Here are a few tips to consider when posting your property for sale in Chicago on Craigslist.
What Chances Do I Have When Selling My Home on Craigslist in Chicago
Headline
Eight out of 10 people will read the headline of a piece of website content, but only two of those 10 will go on to read the rest. In addition, six of 10 social media users who share a link never actually read the article whose link they shared. 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 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 Chicago (Hint: Number 3 Is Five Minutes From Shopping and Schools)” Just make sure you give them a reason to take the next step and click on the ad.
Body
Now, in the body, you have to make good on the promises you hinted at or made in the headline. Just keep it simple, using brief paragraphs, lots of space, and lists where appropriate. And, of course, don’t make the offputting mistake of using poor grammar or run-on sentences or misspellings. People often equate the quality of the ad copy with the quality of the item for sale.
Also, make sure 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 isn’t getting the traffic it should, try experimenting. 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 home on Craigslist. Most people, though, make the images too large, which not only looks unprofessional but makes the page take longer to load. Most people just hit the back button if a page’s loading time is too long.
Take pictures of entire rooms or areas, not of single items or appliances. If an appliance, say, 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 not to leave the date and time stamp in the bottom right corner of the image. Besides giving it a slipshod, 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 advise posting an ad between 10:00 am and 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 Chicago on Craiglist – in order to present a fresh ad to all those shoppers browsing Craigslist right after they get home from work.) And if you wait until the weekend, morning is the recommended posting time.
Selling my home in Chicago 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 after all, we have a much easier solution for you.