One of the most important factors in selling a property quickly is to have it priced substantially below its true market value. Buyers in a buyer’s market are looking for bargains. Having a property that is priced right is critical and provides an advantage over the competition.

Another important factor in selling a property quickly is to have it in tip-top shape. The home must be clean, both inside and out. The property must have curb appeal to entice a potential buyer to see the inside. Staging the property with some nice furniture will give it that warm, welcoming feeling that sells homes fast.

But having your property priced right, “mother-in-law clean,” and beautifully staged will make little difference if no one comes to see your home. In order to sell a property in a buyer’s market, you must get the property information in front of as many people as possible. Investors must master the art of marketing their properties.

Here are some tips that will help you effectively market your property:

1. Consider enlisting the help of a real estate agent. While many people feel as if they must choose between marketing the property themselves or working with an agent, I suggest that they do both. Your marketing efforts, when coupled with the efforts of your real estate agent, should result in maximum exposure for your property.

A real estate investor must have several good real estate agents on his or her Power Team. These agents should be willing to list properties using an exclusive agency listing. In this type of listing, the real estate agent and his or her brokerage represents the seller and has the right to market the property, but the seller reserves the right to sell the property on his or her own without paying a commission if the opportunity presents itself. This way, the seller can benefit from his own marketing efforts and still retain the benefit of having the property listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which provides exposure to hundreds of hungry Realtors.

If you have your property listed on the MLS at a price substantially below its true market value, you should get a lot of activity. Make sure your agent notes in the MLS listing that the property is priced well below the market. Real estate agents know that most buyers in a buyer’s market are looking for a good deal and will show them properties that really are good deals. If your property is priced well, then there is built-in equity right at the purchase.

Typically, real estate commissions are around six percent, with three percent going to the listing office and three percent going to the selling office. Consider offering a four percent commission to the selling office. Agents are money-motivated, especially in a slow real estate market. That extra commission incentive will entice more agents to show your property, and it will encourage your own listing agent to work harder to find you a buyer since the listing office would get the full seven percent.

Work to get agents on your team from some of the major real estate brokerages. Nowadays, more than 90 percent of home buyers start their research for a new home on the Internet, even before they contact a real estate agent. Since buyers don’t usually have direct access to the MLS, they will search using real estate company names they are familiar with. If you want your property to be seen by more people, it helps to have it listed with a major company and posted on their company website. However, if you have an agent on your team from a smaller local real estate company, and that agent is an aggressive marketer, don’t hesitate to use him or her.

2. Put your property on the MLS even if you decide against working with an agent. There are companies who, for a nominal flat fee, will list your property on the MLS. You can do an Internet search to find a company who performs such services in your particular area, or you can use one of the national companies. Call the companies to find out their cost for listing a property on the MLS, and inquire about what other services they offer. A few national flat fee listing companies are:

www.flatfeelisting.com

www.flatlist.com

www.owners.com

www.fidelityflatfee.com

A nationwide directory of flat fee MLS brokers can be found at:

www.flatfeemlsmarketing.com

3. Run a classified ad online. As mentioned previously, statistics show that the majority of buyers are now initiating their search for a home using the Internet. Another great way to market your properties is to run classified ads online. Unlike running ads in the local newspaper classifieds (which can be costly), most classified ads on the Internet are free to place, making this route ideal for the investor with a limited budget. Some of the major sites for free classified ads are:

www.craigslist.org

www.backpage.com

www.kijiji.com

www.classifiedsforfree.com

Even Wal-Mart has free classified ads at: walmart.oodle.com

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of places to advertise. To get your ads out to numerous sites without having to post your ad individually on each site, you can use ad posting services such as:

www.adsubmitter.inetgiant.com

www.Postlets.com

www.ClassifiedFlyerAds.com

www.Vflyer.com

Another way to market your properties is to run classified ads on free websites sponsored by your local radio and/or TV stations. Almost every business now has a website, including radio and TV stations. Check to see if any of these websites offer free classified advertising.

4. Scan through the real estate section of your local paper to find the rental section. Contact individuals who are running for rent ads to see if they might be interested in purchasing your property to use as a rental. If you bought the property right, you should be able to sell at a low enough price that it would produce cash flow as a rental.

5. Join and attend local real estate investment club meetings in order to find potential wholesale buyers for your property. Virtually every investor you meet can be added to your wholesale buyers list. At the meetings, you can hand out fliers advertising properties you currently have for sale. Many groups allow time at each meeting for members to highlight properties they are trying to sell.

6. Expand your real estate investment club membership beyond your local area by joining online real estate groups. Most real estate investment clubs now have websites and/or blogs. Visit these sites and post comments, always using a signature block with your contact information and/or website URL. By posting comments, you will be getting your name in front of other investors who may be looking to buy properties.

A unique way to find real estate investors who could be potential buyers for your properties is suggested by Kent Clothier. He and his group scan the sold MLS listings for sales in the past 90 days that were all cash transactions. They then go to the county tax records to find the names of the people who purchased these properties for cash. In contacting these buyers, they find that many are real estate investors and, after a short conversation, they add these investors to their wholesale buyers list.

7. Research specialty websites that are designed to help you find wholesale buyers for your properties. An example of this type of website is:

www.3daybid.com

8. Do not overlook social networking sites. Today, these sites are useful for far more than tracking down and keeping in touch with family and friends. All types of businesses and groups are now using these sites to get their messages out to the world. There are rules and regulations as to how you may use these sites, but they give an investor a chance to get their bio and interests in front of a lot of people. You can also place links that allow interested people to go to your website or blog where you can talk more about properties you have for sale. The most popular social networking sites are:

www.twitter.com

www.myspace.com

www.facebook.com

Remember, there are literally hundreds of social networking sites, with new ones being added almost everyday. Review these sites to see if they would be a good place to make contacts that could help you market your properties. You can find lists of social networking sties at:

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites

Many sites also have an advertising section. This is also worth looking into.

9. Make a video. One of the best ways to market a property is to make a video highlighting the property. You could hire a professional to do this for you, but in today’s high-tech world, you really don’t have to be high-tech to be successful. You can get a flip video camera for around $150 and do the job yourself. Once you have made the short, yet informative video, you can post the video on the Internet with very little effort. To help you publish your video and get it online for all to see, go to:

www.viddler.com

www.youtube.com

10. Don’t forget the more traditional methods used to market and sell properties: for sale by owner signs at the property, bandit signs in the area (placed on Friday evening and removed on Sunday evening), passing out fliers in the neighborhood, hard copy ads in local newspapers, ads in throw-away papers (like the Penny Saver or Thrifty Nickel), ads in the numerous for sale by owner publications, car magnets, and selling using your buyer’s list.

Selling a property (especially for the new investor) can be daunting even in a good market, let alone in a buyer’s market. Knowledge and preparation will help you compete and sell properties fast. Talk to other investors in your area and see what strategies they are using to sell their properties. Find out what is working and follow suit. If you aggressively market your properties, have them move-in-ready and priced right, you will attract those elusive qualified buyers.