Teresa Boardman is a long-time columnist with 400-plus Inman columns under her belt. She writes about her real estate observations and experiences as an officeless indie broker in Minnesota.
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Most of the lead generation websites are designed to attract buyers. Potential buyers see real estate for sale and then click on a link so that they can learn more about it, and in the process, they become a lead. I know that is an oversimplification, but stay with me on this.
The very best way to attract buyers is to list homes for sale. The listings show up on the websites and become leads for other real estate companies too.
Social media can be used to attract buyers, sellers or both, and blogging gives you the fuel to do that. In the winter and spring, I like to create blog posts that will attract homesellers.
The goal of my blog is to attract local sellers before they have chosen an agent or put their home on the market. The articles should build trust and showcase experience and expertise.
Over the years, I have published over 4,500 blog posts for my business. I have learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t.
I work to establish myself as an expert, and I want homesellers to trust me and call for a free no-obligation consultation so that I have the opportunity to meet them and win their business.
Here are 50 blog post ideas aimed at attracting sellers. They could also be used for topics on other social media platforms. They only need to be written once, but they can be modified and repositioned for use over and over again.
Topics that attract homesellers
- The basics for getting a house ready to sell
- How to declutter a house in anticipation of putting it on the market
- How to sell, donate, recycle or dispose of unwanted items
- When is the best day, week, month or season to put your house on the market?
- Staging tips
- Popular paint color combinations
- How to paint an exterior door (What color and what kind of paint work best)
- How the listing price of a home is determined
- The dangers of overpricing your home
- Advice about locking up valuables and prescription drugs before holding an open house
- Keeping your children safe by removing items from your home before the photographer arrives
- Removing personal calendars from the refrigerator and keeping checkbooks and tax returns where they cannot be viewed by people touring your home
- The truth about open houses
- How to prepare for showings once your home is on the market
- How to choose a real estate agent (or how not to)
- What questions to ask when interviewing agents. (These should be insider tips, not the generic questions that are published in advice columns for sellers.)
- How many showings to expect before there is an offer (I have data that I use to shows averages.)
- The average and median number of days on the market in your area by neighborhood
- The average and median number of days on the market in your area by housing type
- The average and median number of days on the market in your area by price range
- The importance of having your home listed on the MLS (if that is a thing in your area)
- How to sell a home you have inherited
- How to help elderly parents sell their home
- Packing tips for homesellers
- Realtor isn’t a job title
- Tips on handling multiple offers so that you choose the best one without losing the second-best offer
- Information about advertising a home for sale and fair housing rules
- Common deficiencies found by city housing inspections (Many municipalities require inspections)
- Pros and cons of having your home “pre-listing inspected” before putting it on the market
- The ROI of replacing kitchen appliances before putting your home on the market
- How to keep your lawn and gardens looking their best while your home is on the market
- What to do if your home is listed by a Realtor and someone knocks on your door and asks for a tour?
- What you should and should not say about your home on social media
- The importance of photography, videography and virtual tours in the homeselling process
- Pros and cons of selling a vacant home versus a furnished home
- Keeping the home well-lit during the shortest days of the year
- A list of reasons buyers might not like your home
- Old carpeting, versus old hardwood floors, versus new carpeting and getting the most for your home
- What is a disclosure, and why is it important?
- What to do with pets while your home is on the market
- Should your home be listed as “coming soon?”
- Can you get multiple offers that are all below the listing price? Why does that happen?
- What are some of the red flags when it comes to the financing?
- What happens at a closing?
- Understanding broker reciprocity
- Understanding agency and dual agency
- Does real estate company size matter to homebuyers?
- What happens if I change my mind about selling my home after it is on the market?
- What happens if the buyers back out after all contingencies have been removed?
- What happens if the buyer or the seller die before closing?
It wouldn’t be hard to come up with 100 article ideas that answer homeowner questions. Over the years, I have turned questions that my clients ask me into blog posts. Clients and potential clients are by far the best source for ideas on what it is that homesellers want to know, and where they need or want help.
I want my site to attract visitors who are looking for answers or information about buying or selling real estate in my area.
So when working with the generic topics like getting a home ready to sell, I try to put a local slant on it so that it’s different from what readers can find on real estate news websites and portals. That shows your local expertise, which is key in accomplishing the goal of getting seller clients.
However, it isn’t my goal to answer the questions of those who are working with other agents and just looking for second opinions. They call and write, and I usually refer them back to their own agent, but I let them know that if it doesn’t work out, I am happy to have them as clients.
Teresa Boardman is a Realtor and broker/owner of Boardman Realty in St. Paul. She is also the founder of StPaulRealEstateBlog.com.
