Step Five: Advertising

Many people hear the word "marketing" and they think it means "advertising." In fact, advertising is just one possible vehicle for marketing your home.

Advertising does play an important role in exposing your home to a wide audience. While most active buyers will search the Internet, the Windermere Web site, or the MLS, there are some passive buyers who peruse the newspaper or a popular real estate magazine.

I advertise all my listings in Homes and Land magazine. This free publication is exclusively devoted to what's currently on the market. You can get it most everywhere in the Puget Sound area, and you'll commonly see people reading it on Metro or at Starbucks. Homes and Land is a great way to get your home in front of an audience that's looking for it.

I also advertise in The Seattle Times and, if appropriate, the King County Journal. These papers help ensure that casual home shoppers are given an opportunity to find out that your property is on the market.

NEXT: Brokers.