What kind of traffic have you seen on Craigslist? (RE agent, foreclosures, 2%)

[dj32]

We are listed with a large agency that knows our market well. We've been listed for 2 weeks tommorrow. We've had 12 showings and a few previews. I'm very happy with our traffic thus far but also want to maximize exposure. We think our home is priced well and there is little competition in our price point (no offer on ours yet but nothing else seems to have sold either, I watch daily in our submarket).

I've thought about posting an ad on Craigslist, linking to our home tour, with realtor info. I've seen realtors and fsbo's list here and I also look myself. Have you had good results with your CRaigslist ads- for realtors or home sellers? Thanks!

[twinmma]

Can't hurt...But, I would ask your realtor to do it for you. I asked mine and she did it. (I just didn't feel comfortable listing my realtors info without her knowing and without her blessing, so to speak)
good luck. sounds like you are off to a good start. just make sure your home is priced aggressively and staged right so when that RIGHT person walks in the house leaves no doubt in their mind.

[Bridget]

my realtor uses craigslist and a local online classifieds (KSL.com - it is actually a news station website). It seems that each of our news stations have classified on their websites now.

[jimj]

I did it a while ago, haven't seen diddly yet...

[middle-aged mom]

My broker does this automatically. It can't hurt. I am not however, aware of anything that has sold off craigslist in my area.

[desertsun41]

You been listed for 2 weeks and you are wondering where an offer is? Geez man the average DOM (days on market) across the country is more then 6 months right now. In some areas the DOM is over a year and counting.

Dont be so anxious, it may be a long long wait. Just because you are priced properly only makes you the first choice of a buyer after they already looked at all 20,000 MLS homes. It still takes a while.

Actually I am assuming there is an honest home buyer some where out there. What seems to be out there are professional lowballers. So be prepared for stupidly low offers on your home.

Good luck but be patient. This housing crash may last another 8-10 years.

[WhoFanMe]

Ask your agent, please don't do this on your own. In my state ads must be carefully structured to have the agents name, the brokerage name, address and/or main phone number (not direct to desk or wireless) featured prominently. Many agents here don't understand and are placing illegal ads, or their clients are thinking they are doing them a favor. Real Estate advertising must also comply with Federal and State Fair Housing laws and not use certain language which was common just a few years ago.

[Sweetbeet]

I've had my house on Craigs for a couple of weeks now. I've had about 20 e-mail responses, most asking for more pictures (which I e-mailed), and one actual showing (they say my house is on their short list! yea!), and one more with whom I'm arranging a showing, probably for next weekend.

I have it bargain-priced, I believe, at least 4% below market value.

I posted on iggys and I think one person has contacted me from that site so far (I got a call on a phone number that I think I only posted there). He seems serious but is out-of-state (has ties to this neighborhood).

I am going to post on another site (postlets.com), where my mom's RE agent has her house posted. It looks very nice and has a bunch of houses in this zip code (unlike iggys). But I'm going to get some nicer pics first, so maybe in a week or so.

[Brandon Hoffman]

I can't recall actually picking a client up off Craigslist as a buyer or seller but it's a great site to advertise rentals. I do post every week on Craigslist and have got some inquiries but they rarely go anywhere and I'm an excellent closer.

[dj32]

desertsun- I appreciate your advice to be patient however, in my LOCAL market, DOM is 56. In the submarket where I am looking to buy however (in the same city, Denver) the homes I've been interested in have been DOM from 2-8 days at this time. So now, there is not a 8 month inventory everywhere. In some pockets of Denver metro we have a glut of homes and foreclosures, and if I was in those markets no way would I even try and sell. My area is still very desirable and actually appreciated 4% over last year. The Denver market as a whole is down 2% overall, still pretty admirable overall.
I don't HAVE to sell ,this is no fire sale for me. If our home does not sell in near average DOM then will we remove it and refinance to do something else for a few years. We are selling to significantly lower our debt, a smart move for us. We can stay, we just would prefer not to and to downsize.
whofanme- thanks for the legal info on craigslist. I was wondering about this too.

Thanks again-