The web has made selling real estate for sale by owner, better known as a "FSBO" seller, so much easier than it used to be in the old days. That being said, some FSBO sellers shoot themselves in the foot by failing to properly use images to show their home to potential sellers.
Real estate is a visual field. One need look no further than the term curb appeal to understand this. Home owners are told over and over that there home must have curb appeal because buyers often react to their first impression of a home when ultimately making a decision about whether they are interested or not. This is human nature. If you pull up and see a home with paint issues, oil stains all over the driveway and dead grass, how likely are you to make an offer? Take the same exact home, spruce it up and you might feel very different.
Selling your home on the web is a similar proposition. You can describe it till your face turns blue, but it isn't going to matter until you put up actual images. Every real estate listing site allows them. Browse through the listings, however, and you'll see the same thing over and over...listing after listing with no images. And sellers are surprised they get no inquiries!
If you want to sell your home online as a FSBO or even with a real estate agent, you must use images of your home and maximize the effect. The more pictures, the better. Most sites will allow you to post up to 15 photographs. Do it! Write out a list of the best attributes of your home and then take pictures of each and post them with the listing. By doing this, you can create a seamless marketing pitch that will have buyers calling.
Want to go one step further? Consider creating a video for your home. You can post it on YouTube and then link to it in your listing. Buyers will be able to get a more personalized feel for the home and you can add commentary as you walk through the property.
It has never been easier to sell your home as a FSBO seller. The web puts you on even par with real estate agents. Just make sure to take advantage of the options given to you.