If you are on the market trying to sell your property, should you have a for sale board? 

 

Yes, 100%!! 

Everyone knows that virtually all buyers will search online for a property these days and so many people don’t see the need to have a for sale board.   However, there are still many valid reasons to have one. I will list just a few: 

1.       People do still jump in the car on a Sunday and drive around areas they would be interested in buying in to get a ‘feel for the area’.  Equally, people viewing other properties, often drive around the nearby area, and may well spot your board and home, that they may not have otherwise seen - online, or offline.

 

2.       Friends/family from outside the area visiting family may well be ‘thinking’ of moving to your area but not actively looking and the fact your house is on the market may just spur them to take the next steps. 

3.       During my time as an estate agent, I have lost count the amount of people who say to me ‘if that house comes on the market I would love to buy it’ or ‘I would love to buy a house in x road’.  So, by having a board, you attract what I call the ‘opportunist buyer’. The buyers who aren’t actively looking but would be interested if your house popped up on the market. 

4.       Without one, you cannot say you are ticking every box and doing everything possible to find a buyer as quickly as possible for the highest possible price.  On roads with passing traffic, a For Sale Board can sometimes account for as much as 20-25% or marketing exposure. 

Yes, the board outside your house helps your estate agent with brand awareness too, but so what.   The primary reason is to let everyone know your home is For Sale.  The relationship between you and your estate agent is exactly that, a ‘relationship’ so what’s wrong with helping each other? 

I hear many reasons why property owners don’t want a for sale board:

·         ‘I don’t want to worry the gardener’

·         ‘I don’t want my neighbours knowing’

·         ‘We don’t get a lot of passing traffic’ 

Well, look again at the examples above. Is it worth potentially missing opportunities for the sake of upsetting the gardener? Your neighbours will soon know you are selling when people are waiting outside to view your house.