You've purchased an investment property that appears to have a great deal of potential. You've done a thorough rehab job, using trusted contractors who have turned the house into a masterpiece. You've done some staging, adding decorative accents to make the house look like a real home. Now comes the real test-marketing and showing the house.

When it comes to property marketing, there are a number of different avenues you can pursue, depending on the type of clientele you would like to attract. In some cases, signs in the yard and pointer signs will help bring customers to your door. In other cases, a newspaper ad may do the trick. A Yellow Pages ad can be beneficial, and so can a website.

Those in the business of buying and selling houses for a living swear by the use of signs. Signs can be particularly effective in high-traffic areas. Since so many people spend so much time on the road nowadays, your signs can attract plenty of views. Perhaps the second-most popular form of real estate advertising is the newspaper ad. Even though many people are getting their news on the Internet these days, people still continue to read the classified section of the newspaper.

You can post a sign in front of a house that has an 800-number along with a property listing code. That way, a potential buyer can call the toll-free number while he or she is sitting in front of the house. When the call yields a description of the house, he or she will know right away if there's enough interest to pursue the home.

You should place a lock box on the front door of the house. If someone calls because he or she has seen the sign or an ad or the website, you can give the individual the lock box combination so that the potential buyer can see the home immediately. That way, the individual doesn't need to wait for an appointment, hire a babysitter, and clear the calendar in order to see the house.

With a little bit of prep work, some strategic advertising, and some patience, you can attract plenty of potential buyers for your homes. The more people you attract, the more likely it is that you will be able to sell the house in a hurry. Your prospective buyers will also be impressed with the work you've done to prepare your homes for sale.