7 Ways to Market and Sell Your Property Abroad

If you’re in a situation where you have to, need to or just simply want to sell your property assets overseas, the process can at first seem daunting.  If you’re residing in one country and trying to arrange the sale of a property in another country, there’s no end of hurdles seemingly in your way.

Many of these hurdles can actually be overcome with effective solutions such as a power of attorney, a good lawyer and perhaps a trusted friend who you have living in close proximity to your home overseas.  However, one major obstacle remains – and that is how do you go about effectively marketing your property abroad so that it is viewed by as many people as possible, and ultimately sold!

In this article we’ll detail 7 ways to market and sell your property abroad – some ideas you may already have thought about, others will perhaps surprise you and prove successful for you…

1) Put up a for sale sign!  Okay, so you’ve probably thought that putting up a ‘for sale’ sign on a property that is for sale is something of a given.  But in some countries in the world such as Germany, ‘for sale’ signs are rare believe it or not.  Think about where you own property abroad, how are properties marketed for sale?  Are there billboards lining streets like there are in the UK when multiple homes are for sale?  Or does one have to rely on the local barman to make people actually aware that somewhere is on the market!  Whichever way – you need to put up a large, clear ‘for sale’ sign that will catch people’s eye.  You need to have contact details such as phone numbers and email addresses and here’s a novel idea – you need to list the price of the property too!  By doing so you will get rid of tyre kickers who can’t afford you home, but better yet, you will attract the interest of those who might otherwise not have bothered enquiring further about the property, automatically assuming it was out of their reach.

2) List your property online.  There are a number of well used property listings sites on the internet – so get your property up on these sites so that it can be accessed by the traffic that flows daily through these websites.  The more sites you’re on, the higher your property’s profile will ultimately be and therefore, the more likely your home is to be seen by an interested buyer.

3) Set up your own website.  Whilst you won’t be able to get your site optimised to be at the top of the search engines when someone types in the search phrase ‘property in Spain’ for example, you can use a website dedicated to the advertising of your property abroad incredibly effectively.  Firstly you can put up SO much information about the home.  Then you can have as many images of the property as you like, you can have descriptions about everything from the location and what there is to do and see and enjoy in the vicinity of your property abroad, to where you buy provisions locally!  Make the site sell not only your property, but the dream of actually living or holidaying in it!  Present your site’s visitors with the whole package – answer all their potential questions, invite feedback, present the dream!  And then, buy advertising space through Google Adwords – and choose your keywords carefully.  You don’t want to be paying £5 a click to be up there for ‘property in Cyprus’ when you can be paying just 5p a click for something far more applicable and appropriate to your home such as ‘4 bed villa for sale in Karsiyaka, North Cyprus.’

4) Get the word out that your property is for sale – tell everyone you know verbally then email everyone you have a contact address for – and tell them to tell anyone they know who might be interested.  And of course, redirect these people to your website, invite their feedback if you like as well.  The more interest you can generate in your website, the more likely it is to be passed around between colleagues, family members and friends and acquaintances.  And again, the more likely it is to be viewed by increasing numbers of people – just one of whom is all you need to buy!

5) Think about advertising the property in local newspapers at home and abroad.  Whilst this is a method more people are now using because more people have homes to sell, it can still work for you if you think carefully about who might buy the property abroad, which newspapers or magazines they are likely to look in, and what they will be looking for in an advert for that ideal property to buy.  And again, if appropriate, market the dream of living in your property rather than just the boring facts such as that it’s got 4 bedrooms and a pool!

6) If your home overseas is in a popular tourism spot you could consider getting out on the street and physically handing out leaflets advertising your property.  The more proactive you are, the more people you will reach and the higher the statistical chance you have of finding a buyer.  Put together a simple leaflet with some lovely pictures, a short blurb about the home, the price, a suggestion of the dream lifestyle – and of course, be prepared to face some tough questions about why you’re selling if the home is so ideal!  After all, be honest, you’d ask wouldn’t you?

7) Rent with the option to buy – this is a method increasing numbers of people are taking because they are at least earning something from their property whilst it is lingering on the market.  If you need to sell your property for financial reasons, this option can be a saviour for you as it brings you in an income and gets potentially interested parties through the door looking at your home and trying it on for size.

When it comes to selling any property there is a bottom line – you need to get that property seen by as many people as possible to have the very best chance of finding the ‘right’ person to buy it.  So be as creative, proactive and even pushy as you can be in making everyone aware of the beautiful home that you currently have for sale.  Good luck.