In an ideal world, a good house would sell itself, but unless it’s in a prime location then that’s simply not going to happen. But there are other ways that you can get the listing in front of potential buyers.

1. Signage

Just because you can list the house online doesn’t mean you should skip real estate signage altogether. This is still a hugely important aspect of selling any house. You need a sign on the lawn to let passersby know it’s for sale and to entice the neighbourhood into inviting their friends and family to check it out. You need posters in real estate windows and anywhere else that will take them.

Remember, in most areas it’s the locals who buy the houses, so stop casting your net so far with the world wide web and keep it local.

2. Social Media

A social media post is not going to do you any good if it’s only targeting your friends and family or if it’s aimed at all of the country. The trick is to make sure that all of the locals see it and this is easier than you might think.

Signup to Facebook Ads and spend just $10 to $20 on sending a targeted ad with a picture of the home to people in the local area. In the post, ask people to share it to potential buyers and anyone who is interested. Talk up the town and how great it is—that’s usually enough to get locals sharing.

That initial spend will ensure it gets seen by hundreds in your local area, while the invitation to share will spread it further and ensure it keeps spreading even after the money has gone.

3. Get Professional Photographs

You would be amazed at how many realtors take pictures themselves with an iPhone and a few minutes spare. Sure, the iPhone has a very capable camera, but unless the person wielding it has experience as a photographer than it’s not going to deliver the right results.

You need someone with a good eye to ensure the photograph looks perfect, from the positioning of the furniture and household objects, to the lighting and the choice of shot. Great photographs sell big homes; bad ones waste your time.

There’s no point spending money and time on trying to promote a house if you lose a potential customer every time they take a look at the pictures. Stop making it harder for yourself and start increasing the quality of the photographs. Local photographers will happily signup to provide you with regular professional shots at a fraction of their usual cost. They work on a contractual basis and don’t have the stability of regular work. Anyone in that position is usually happy to lower their usual fee in order to gain some job stability.

4. Target Local Media

Local media is usually very cheap because it focuses on a small number of people. But to a real estate agent this is perfect, because every one of those people is potential buyer.

Get the house in local newspapers and on local websites if you can. TV is good too, but it can be costly and doesn’t always deliver the results you need. If there is a vacation spot nearby that is often flooded with tourists, print some flyers and hand them out. If there are popular hotels, ask them if they will allow you to post flyers in windows. If a tourist visits the area on vacation and falls in love, they have suddenly become a potential buyer.

5. Speak with Bloggers

Columnists and radio hosts are no longer where it’s at. You need local bloggers and social media stars. If you get one of them on your side then you could expand your network of potential buyers to include everyone who’s anyone in the town.

The trick is not to focus on the bloggers and social media stars who have millions of followers and just so happen to live in the area. Their followers will be international and useless to you. They will also quote you huge fees for sponsorship. Instead, focus on the bloggers that have just a few hundred followers and only talk about local events, as that way you know those followers will also be local.

Not only will these bloggers be a lot cheaper, but they’ll get better results.