Tips on Designing Your Home Selling:

BROCHURE

All good home selling brochures will have three things in common.

- A contact name and phone number.
- A great photograph.
- And quality information.
Putting together an informative, sharp, and orderly hand-out is paramount! After all, this is going to be your primary marketing tool. You’ll be using it as a flyer, posting it on bulletin boards, and putting it in your brochure box on your yard sign. Also it could come in handy for internet use.

Twenty-Two important things that should be on your Brochure:

1) "By Appointment"
Make sure that your brochure states: "BY APPOINTMENT". Why? Because it keeps YOU in control of all aspects of showing your home.

2) Your Name and Phone number
Since you’ll be “showing by appointment only” , put your name and phone number PROMINENTLY on the brochure.

3) Photograph
A summer color photograph is also a key. It shows your home in it’s best colors. Flowers in bloom, green trimmed shrubbery, and a manicured lawn that gives definition of house against landscaping.

4) Street address
This is your street name and your house address.

5) Legal description
The description that is listed on your title.

6) Bedrooms
Total number of bedrooms and their dimensions.

7) Bathrooms
List the numbers of bathrooms and whether they’re ¼, ½, ¾, or full.

8) Square Footage
It's proper here to list only the "Finished square footage" of your home. ( However, if you have unfinished square footage, you should list it separately.)

9) Heating and Cooling Systems
List here how your home is temperature controlled. Examples: central heat and air, boiler, fuel oil furnance, 3- 10,000BTU AC window units. etc.

10) Water Service
well / city / county / other

11) Waste Service
septic / sewer / other

12) Power
electric / gas

13) Garage
Do you have a carport? Or, a one or two car garage? Is it attached or separate? Etc.

14) Special Features
List all of your home's unique features, such as:
  - Spa, Hot Tub, or Sauna
  - Double or triple pane windows
  - Security systems
  - Smoke alarms
  - Any Energy or Water saving devices and appliances, such
    as water heaters, faucets, toilets, etc.
  - Bonus rooms, Basements, finished attics, extra storage
    space, etc.
  - Any other feature that adds value or extra appeal to your
    home.

15) Age
It is important to your prospective buyer to know the age of your Home and age of any remodels and/or additions.

16) Lot
You should list the size of your lot, and special features, such as, corner lot, cul-de-sac, heavily treed, etc.

17) Fees & Taxes
Also list any and all fees, such as:
  - Home Owner’s Association
  - Property Taxes
  - Special assessments
  - Dues
  - Maintenance fees

18) Contracted Services
If you have any contracted services they should be on your brochure also. Examples are:
  - Pest Control
  - Cable TV or Internet
  - Pool maintenance
  - Lawn service

19) Civil Services
Such as: School district, Police and Fire protection

20) Warranty
If your home is covered by a "Home Warranty Policy" or "Builder's Warranty" that should also be included.

21) Financial Options
Please include any financial options or incentitives such as owner financing.

22) Allowances
If you are including any allowances, such as a "carpet allowance" or "painting allowance", etc. these should also be on your brochure.

Here are a few common industry definitions that will help you “get it right” when designing your brochure:

¼ Bath = Sink only
½ Bath = Toilet and sink
¾ Bath = Toilet, Sink, Shower
Full Bath = Toilet, Sink, Shower/Tub
Finished = Walls, Floor and ceiling are covered
Unfinished = If ANY of the above is not completed. Example: exposed studs, open ceiling, unimproved slab.

Making Your Brochures

Designing your brochure on a home computer with a graphics program can be simple and fun. If you don’t already have one you can pick one up anywhere that software is sold for $20 to $40 (you don’t need the $200 professional program).

Designing your own brochure doesn’t appeal to you? You have other options:

- Gather all of the above information and take it to your local print shop, such as Kinkos, Copy Copy, Office Max, etc. For a fee, they will design and print it for you.

- Do you know a high school or college student (perhaps a relative or close friend) that is a computer “geek”, and could use some extra money? Offer them a fair price for a few hours work.

How many Brochures do I need?

Good question! The more brochures that you distribute, the more likely it is that you will find a buyer. But, on the other hand, printing costs can be expensive. You don’t want to sell your house and end up with two or three hundred dollars worth of printing to have to trash.

I would recommend that you start with 100 to 200. After all you can always go back to your printer for more if needed.

However, if you are printing them on your own high quality printer at home; make 20 to 30 at a time. Print more as often as you need them.

What quality of Brochure do I need?

Don’t let your printer talk you into super resolution color graphics on high gloss paper. These could cost you $1.00 to $2.00 apiece, or even more. They may look great, but they aren’t going to sell your home. YOU ARE! You’re not making a presentation to the “chairman of the board”.

Your brochures should look sharp and orderly!

Color would be best, but after all, they ARE going to be thrown away. As long as the quality of the graphics shows the photograph of your home in a pleasing manner and with enough detail, you should be fine.

When to Distribute.

As a final word on brochures, please don’t hand out your brochures to the general public, or post them anywhere, until you are ready to put your “For Sale By Owner” sign in the yard. You want your home to be ready to show when you begin distribution. Nothing will turn away a potential buyer faster than excuses.

Remember, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

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