As a realtor, I don't like to see a week go by with no showings. However, that is our market today. For instance, in our county, there are 2800 listings which is about an 11 month supply. It's like a market bottleneck with so many trying to get through a narrow opening of qualified and motivated buyers.

I have one listing that has had 30 showings in two months. Then it went dry and then started up again. We'd like to see an offer but again, sooooooooo many buyers looking. Another listing I had a few showings then all of a sudden an offer shows up. I wish I had a crystal ball!

Make sure you understand what your agent's strategy is and don't be afraid to ask questions. I give my sellers a weekly 'market update.' I do a lot of open houses because it provides more exposure. However, 90% of the time, your buyer is going to come through another agent. An agent is a network of contacts and relationships and knowledge that help you navigate this process. It might take a few weeks for all the marketing to kick in. It certainly has to do a lot to stand out. So, be patient and let your agent do the work.

Thu Jul 24 2008, 13:54

I'm surprised at how many responses reference that this is the REALTOR's job. Of course it is. However if you look at how many are actively working to take advantage of online marketing the number is considerably lower than the number of licensed Realtors. In short - trust but verify. Talk to your Realtor about their marketing strategy, especially their online marketing strategy.

Currently the Internet is like the wild west. There are hundreds of Real Estate sites that allow individuals to post listings. It is difficult to know which ones are effective and which are a waste. Some are listing focused, others, like Wellcomemat.com are visual - showing real estate videos and slide shows. I can't tell by your posting whether you are using a Realtor. Some of the sites below are aimed at Realtors instead of individuals, others are wide open. One major difficulty with online listings is that they are difficult to track the number of hits. Without that knowledge you are shooting in the dark.

Certainly Realtor.com
Trulia, Active Rain
Just Listed.com ($)
Craigs List
Zillow
Owners.com

Thu Jul 24 2008, 13:19

Since you're not FSBO, your REALTOR should be taking care of all this for you. The reason you hire someone else to sell your home is so you don't have to. With everything moving more and more towards online marketing and less and less in print, your representative should know all the good places to get your home sold.

Sat Jul 19 2008, 13:58

It's possible all the marketing your agent has planned has not been executed yet. Weekend newspapers and the online outlets you mentioned sometimes take a few days to be set up and running. I'm sure your agent is the best person to answer this question. That relationship is the most important one to you right now. Many of us keep in touch with out clients at least on a weekly basis to let you know what's going on with your listing and in the market in general. Wishing you the best!

Thu Mar 27 2008, 14:12

BBQgal
Your Realtor should be taking care of all this. The reason you hire a Realtor is to sell your home.
What is their plan? If they do not have one, why would you hire them?
One tip: In most cases the buiyer that sees your home and buys it will see it WITH a REALTOR. 90% of the time.
Good luck

Thu Mar 6 2008, 12:26

Hi Bbqgal,

You've hit the majors. There is also Backpage here in the Portland area. You may also try many of the FSBO websites such as ForSaleByOwner. A quick Google search of FSBO Vancouver WA will give you a better list of those but most will require a fee. The Columbian and Oregonian has an online service as well. Some Realtors offer free FSBO listings on their websites as well.

The market here in the Vancouver area is slow but picking up. It is a buyers market with many homes for sale right now and the buyers have more to pick from. They are also not in any hurry as many are waiting for the home prices to drop. This makes pricing and marketing just that more important. Historically, FSBO's are harder to sell as well, only about 25% are successful.

Thu Mar 6 2008, 06:18

Visit us at the link below for a list of websites Cathy and I have put together where you can advertise your property for free. Cathy and I like to use Postlets for advertising our property on Craigslist. ClassifiedFlyerAds also makes a great looking flyer you can use to syndicate to other sites. Average days on market are well over 95 here in Clark County, and there are far less qualified buyers these days, also there are far more homes currently on the market for sale than there has been in years. I wouldn't panic with no showings in a week, assuming you have your home priced right, it will more likely than not, still take much time and patience to sell in this market.

Fred Dietrich, Century21 Americana Properties

Thu Mar 6 2008, 04:48

First off....if you're not FSBO ...what are you paying your agent for again? He/she should be on top of this.

Trulia, Zillow and Craigslist are the big ones.
Then you have (free ones):
google base
oodle
vast
hotpads
geebo
kijiji
expo live
backpage

yahoo is another one but they want you to pay for it.
There's more ...just can't think of them at 2am.

Thu Mar 6 2008, 01:52