A: Actually, SKproperty.com doesn't "sell" property. Rather, we provide listings in our database for people to "advertise" their Private Sale, lease or rental property with pictures and unlimited descriptions.  When someone calls about the property, they can direct them to their pictures on the Internet.

  We also provide absolutely everything that Private Sellers need to sell their property without a realtor, and to do so properly, effectively, and legally.

  However, we can provide information about how fast your property will sell. The time it takes to sell depends on several factors, some of which are setting the right Asking Price, being a well-educated and well-prepared Seller, and pursuing as many marketing opportunities for the property as possible. 

  This would include crucial marketing techniques such as displaying proper signage, advertising on the Internet with pictures, hosting Open Houses and as well, newspaper advertising.  Sellers who "actively" market their Private Sale will, of course (and do!) sell faster. ^ top

A: No, we are an Advertising Company.  Our goal is to be an all-encompassing resource for Private Sellers who don't have the resources realtors do.  Don't be fooled! Some "For Sale By Owner" websites are owned by realtors. ^ top

A: The best way advertising on the internet helps Private Sellers is that it offers them the convenience of being able to show their property to prospective buyers any time, with full color photos and unlimited descriptions of the property.  This can be a very convenient time-saver for people live a busy lifestyle.  The prospective buyer will contact the seller only if they are interested in the property, based on what they have already seen. ^ top

A: The reason is simple.  We are the only web site in Saskatchewan to be FULLY automated. Most Sellers submit their listings themselves by registering and adding photos and information about their property online. There is very little "typing time" involved for our Administrators, and we can therefore provide lower rates. ^ top

A: We do not collect "Hit" statistics on our web site for two reasons. The first, each listing has it's own hidden counter, which can be viewed when the Seller logs in to their Administration Area. 

  The second reason - Hit counters are not accurate in reporting how many people visit the site. All over the internet you will see that web sites misleadingly boast statistics for their number of Hits.  But, for example, if 50 people visit a site each day, and click on lets say, 20 different links before they leave, the web site can report 1000 hits that day, or 30 thousand/month. 

  This number is not anywhere near accurate. The actual "Unique Visitor" count would be closer to 1 500/month - which is quite different from 30 000! It is more important to track Unique Visitors and not "clicks."

  Some web sites are extremely un-organized.  People have to click and click and click to find information or property for sale that interests them.  Each click will raise the hit count.

  Don't be fooled!  Many web site administrators don't even know what the meaning of "Unique Visitors" is.  What we can report is that the average "Unique Visitors" to our web site is about 225 visitors per day, from all over the world. Not bad at all! ^ top

A: Our web site works in three ways. The first is that people from all over the world can find our site through our extensive Internet Search Engine listings. We receive inquiries from visitors all over Canada as well as world wide who have an interest in Saskatchewan property. 

  The second way is that when you advertise with signage, you can direct prospective buyers to your pictures and information by including your property number on your sign (even if it is not one of ours). Your property will be able to give it's own "virtual viewing" at any time, night or day. 

  The third way is that when prospective buyers see your newspaper ad and call to inquire, you can direct them to the pictures and details of the property over the phone. 

  All of this SAVES YOU TIME. You will not be wasting time showing your property to people who are "window shopping" or who would otherwise not be interested in your property type or location. Once they view your pictures on the Internet, they can make a solid decision about contacting you based on what they have already seen. 

  Another way people will find your property and our web site: We advertise extensively in many Saskatchewan newspapers, advertise with bulletin board type signs in Saskatoon, and advertise on T.V. as well. ^ top

A: Absolutely.  But don't make a common mistake that will waste your money. 

  Most people who are seeking to buy property look first at three things.  One - price, two - location, and three - finished area/number of bedrooms.  Don't advertise details and features of your property that really won't affect whether or not you will get calls.  If the potential buyer likes the price, the property is in the location they want to move to and it has the square-footage/number of bedrooms they need, they will call you.  When they do, they will hear first-hand about all of the other wonderful features your property has. 
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A: Perhaps. This depends where you live. In most major cities in Canada, the largest newspapers are all owned by one company.  They used to let all Clients of "FSBO" (For Sale By Owner) web sites advertise the web address of  pictures of their property, but as of March 15, 2004 they no longer do.  The reason?  In the same way that they have a monopoly on newspaper advertising all over Canada, they are trying to monopolize on FSBO services as well.

  However, in smaller cities and towns you should have no difficulty in advertising the web site address of the pictures and details of your property. ^ top

A: Whether or not you want to advertise on multiple sites is up to you.  Our advice is that providing as much exposure for your Private Sale will increase your chances of selling more quickly.  Truthfully, you could advertise on every FSBO web site in Saskatchewan and the total amount you spend would not even come close to what you will be saving by selling privately. ^ top

A: Yes! The best advice has to do with lighting.  It's best to be sure there is as much natural, daytime lighting as possible.  Turning on lights to brighten a room will only make them appear as a yellow glow in the picture. You can use the camera flash, but not close to or toward mirrors or large pictures.

  Also, get rid of the clutter (even if it's "organized clutter")! Remove as many items as possible from the floor, tables, shelving and counters. 

  As well, don't worry about dust and glass smears unless they are excessive. These things rarely show up in pictures.

  One more tip: Don't take your pictures on a cloudy day - for two reasons:

1. Your house will look "gloomy."  You want it to look as friendly, beautiful and inviting as possible.
2. The result will simply be a photo of poor quality. Everything will look grey and washed-out.

  Digital Photos: If you are taking digital photos, they should be 600 pixels wide by 450 pixels high (or similar). This size ensures that the pictures are not too large, and that the entire picture can be viewed on the screen without having to scroll down or to the right to see the entire picture. In other words, making the picture 600 x 450 pixels  ensures that they fit properly onto the screens of different types of computers, with different screen resolution settings.  These smaller pictures will also ensure that the images files are small in size, which means visitors to your listing who have slower Internet connections won't have to wait for the pictures to show up on the screen.

  Resizing Photos:  Click here for help with photo resizing.

  Portraits. Taking pictures in portrait style will cause them to get "stretched out" in the Slideshow in your listing. In some instances, using the portrait style (turning the camera vertically rather than horizontally) is the only way to get the shot you need. If this happens, contact us and we will edit your picture to make it fit properly into your Slideshow (at no charge) so that it won't look "stretched out." ^ top

A: There are several ways to pay for Advertising on SKproperty.com

1. With Visa or MasterCard over the phone.
2. With any major credit card through PayPal (the world's largest online payment system).
3. Cash, cheque or money order.
4. Make a bank deposit to our bank account.
5. Interac Email Money Transfer
  If you have a bank account at Scotiabank, BMO (Bank of Montreal), CIBC, RBC (Royal Bank), or TD Canada Trust and bank online, you can log into your account and send us an Interac Email Money Transfer.  In most cases, a fee of $1.50 will apply, so deduct $1.50 from the total payment.

Sending  an Interac Email Money Transfer is very easy to do and takes only a few minutes.  First, call us to get the information your bank will require.  Then, log into your bank's internet banking system.  Click on "Interac Email Money Transfer," and enter the information we have given you over the telephone.  That's it!
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  We welcome your questions! If you have a question that you feel should be posted on this page, please click here to contact us.