This is one of my ad on Craigslist, What could I have done better?

General Real Estate Investing
1

Why should you do a Lease Option (Rent to Own)

Let me tell you a story.

Warren and Reba had been married for many years. Warren pasted away and Reba was left alone. Warren had always taken care of their bills, house payment etc. Reba could not deal with life with out Warren on her own. She decided to simplify life and move in with one of her children. In to days market a fast sale was not likely. The price was good but the problem was finding someone who could get a new mortgage. There was a small mortgage but Reba could not afford the payments by herself.

A deal was struck to do a Lease Option (Rent to Own) on the home.

Reba got her asking price of $120,000.00.
Reba received $2,000.00 as an Option fee.
Reba gave an Option credit of $100.00 for each on time monthly rent payment.
The Option Reba gave was for 10 years.
At the end of 10 years if the Option is exercise Reba will accept $106,000.00 and provide a deed to the property.

The person who bought the house using the Lease/Option pays a monthly payment of $750.00 per month.
Reba’s mortgage payment was $525.00 per month with only 8 more years on the mortgage.
Reba house insurance and tax are $135.00 per month which are in her monthly payment.
The balance of Reba’s loan at the start of the Option was $37,440.00 which has been paid off by payment from the Buyer/Optionee over the 10 years.

Reba has been making $225.00 each month for 8 years which equals $21,600.00.
Year 9 and 10 Reba has been making $750.00 per month which equals $18,000.00.
Include the money Reba receives at the end of the 10 years, $106,000.00
This gives Reba a total of $145,600.00 as her profit.
(Even if Reba was not making any extra money each month, the $225.00, she would still make a boatload of money)

If Reba had sold her house
Sales price $120,000.00
Sales commission $7,200.00
Mortgage pay off $37,440.00
Closing cost $1,500.00
This way Reba would have a total of $73,860.00 as her profit.

What if the Option was never exercised ?
Reba has been making $225.00 each month for 8 years which equals $21,600.00.
Year 9 and 10 Reba has been making $750.00 per month which equals $18,000.00.
The house has been paid off by the buyer/optionee.

Reba has $39,600.00
A house that is free and clear
Best yet Reba can sell the house for whatever the market will allow. In 10 years we all hope the market has gone up.

Which Deal Would You Like To Have ?

2

who is your target prospect/market here? besides the fact that there are several grammatical and spelling errors, the ad is WAY too long. i did not even read the whole thing. what exactly are you trying to sell/pitch/ do in this ad?

3

Michael, I don’t know the answer to your question but I wanted to know if you ever lived in Norfolk, Va. Your name “Michael Alsup” is not so common and I had a neighbor with that name when I was a kid.

Michael Duff

4

Way to long. Don’t tell a story. IMO

5

No, no and NO. The way you market a rent to own is with an ad like this:

“RENT-TO-OWN! NO Bank Qualifying! NO Credit Required! Move into your very own dream home TODAY! Just $750/month with a massive 25% rent credit! Call Now!”

6

Can’t say if I like the wording or not because it was going to take FOREVER to read.

7

I see what you’re trying to do here.
I agree that the story is a bit too long, not to mention, the grammatical & spelling errors.

If you’re going to be placing ads on sites such as Craigslist, I’ve had MUCH better responses with clickable picture ads vs. using regular text…especially long paragraphs of it. Your graphic could say something along the lines of, “Sell Your House For Top $!” etc. All you need is something simple that has a call to action. If you’re still wanting to usethat story, then do it after the fact. :slight_smile:

8

Doug,
I believe he’s talking about approaching owners of the idea of selling with a lease option.

9

I think you’re right. Would’ve been nice if he had explained to us what he’s trying to do in the first post.

I’ve found that many people that consider selling with a lease option are people who’ve initially (and unsuccessfully) tried selling via traditional means. With that in mind, try an ad that targets people who’s listings have expired. Here’s a good direct-response-oriented ad you could try:

Warning! Do Not Let Your House Sit Unsold For Months Before You Read This FREE Special Report!!

If you are like most homesellers you have high hopes when you are preparing to sell your home. You saw all those other homes with FOR SALE signs in their front yard; it was in the back of your mind, but it didn’t bother you at first; your house is immaculate, it shows like it is brand new, and you anticipate a fast sale, as the conventional wisdom is that homes in good condition sell fast. Or maybe your house needs a little TLC but you priced it right to make up for that. Some houses in your area have been sitting on the market for a long time but “That won’t happen with MY house.”

Well, welcome to reality! Six months go by and your listing expires. Another three months go by while you try to sell it yourself. Your house is becoming a burden to you and you are stuck with a house that won’t sell.

Well, you don’t have to be stuck anymore. A new FREE Special Report titled “How To Sell You Home In 7 Days” reveals how you can sell that unwanted house quickly, so you can move on with your life. Countless people have taken advantage of the important information detailed in this FREE Special Report, and you can too.

Regardless of how long your house has been sitting on the market unsold, after you read the report, it will become clear to you what to do to sell your house quickly, and still get a fair price. ACT NOW and order your FREE copy of this report, no cost, no obligation. Order it NOW and get your house sold in the next 7 days!

PS - Don’t need the report and you’re just ready to sell that house NOW?? OK, let’s get right to work then. Visit us online to relay some basic information about your house and your circumstances – we’ll make you a fair, creative offer within 48 hours.

PPS - Problems don’t just solve themselves…ACT NOW! Together we can find a solution!

When they reply simply pitch them on a lease option if that’s what you wanna do. Insert links where appropriate to your website/email, and perhaps you could throw in some other HTML goodies in there for visual effect. Good luck!