I look at listing descriptions every day. I’ve seen some that are great and some, let’s say, that are not so good.
If you’re not a writer (most people aren’t), don’t be intimidated. Most of the time, agents look around to see what other agents are saying about their own listings. It’s how ideas are sprung.
In this day in technology, I’m almost embarrassed to give you this suggestion…but it works. When you first get a listing, take your digital camera and an old fashioned clipboard and walk room by room through the house and write down the features. If the foyer has hardwoods, write it down. Crown molding in the dining room, write it down. Walk-in closets in every room, write it down. You get the jest of it. And take photos of every room. This will help you when trying to remember details when you get home and start writing the description.
Here are a few more tips:
Don’t write a book about the property – Buyers don’t like to read a long-winded description with lots of paragraphs. Agents are especially guilty of this when dealing with higher-end homes with luxury features. Stick to the features and make it easy for buyers to read so they don’t skip over something they may really like because they have so much fluff to skim through. Bulleted lists are an easy way to accomplish your goal.
Give the buyer plenty of good details – This almost sounds like a contradiction to the first tip, but it’s not. You have to give the buyer enough detailed features to spark their interest and make them want to call or go see the listing. If you don’t give them enough, you run the risk of the buyer skipping over it completely. Depending on the price point, this can sometimes be challenging.
Details to include may consist of: Brick/marble fireplace; formal dining room; kitchen with island, tile backsplash, corian countertops, stainless steel appliances; master bath with jetted tub, his/her vanity, walk-in closet, hardwoods throughout, etc.
Be honest – Agents can sometimes stretch the truth with terms like oversized bedrooms or gourmet kitchen when it’s really not. You’ll waste everyone’s time and frustrate fellow agents who will know in the future not to trust your descriptions.
Avoid discriminatory words - Mention The Fair Housing Act…it’s illegal to advertise any preference or limitation or encourage discrimination due to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap or familiar status. Avoid perfect for family, no children, Christian, close to Temples, etc. Broker support can give you tips.
Avoid insignificant phrases - You have to learn to be more creative and list features buyers will like. You’re wasting your time using phrases like priced to sell, beautiful/nice home, must see, is vacant, or seller has to move (every seller must move…they’re not going to live with the new buyer). Buyers interpret this as the home doesn’t have any good qualities to list, so the agent needed to resort to adding fluff.
Use known brand names – Viking, Sub-Zero, etc.
Ask the seller what initially attracted them to the house – Include a few key amenities that communicate benefits.
Target your audience – Communicate benefits that will appeal to the buyer’s needs, not necessarily everyone. Think like a buyer.
Do you have tips for good property descriptions, post a comment?
Tags: ads, ideas, Real Estate, selling, Tips
April 30, 2009 at 7:15 am
Just remember, sizzle sells. Descriptive words or phrases paint the picture, the emotional juices start flowing, and the buying cycle begins. Nothing beats an emotional tie-in, no matter what type of property or purchase motivation.
Great article, full of useful tips.
April 30, 2009 at 10:30 am
Excellent article, Tisha. You know how passionate I am about getting the agents to make use of cost effectve advertising. Every month I hound them with the deadlines so they can take advantage of it. While space and what they’re willing to spend limits the comments of another budding Margaret Mitchell, the tips you’ve given can and will make their listings stand out.
I suggest they keep like things together instead of just listing whatever you think of first. For example, list features in the house together and then list the exterior items. Agents should keep the 3 month rule in mind when they set an advertising budget for a listing,etc.- run the ad 3 months before deciding it isn’t working. Once we’ve placed an ad, we all want calls the next day but advertising isn’t usually instantaneous. You may get calls right away, few after it’s been out there a while or, perhaps, just before the ad expires (and we always hope not) no calls at all. 3 months gives enough time to determine if what you’re doing is working and make the decision to change the ad or discontinue it.
Be “out there”. You need a little consistency. If you’re not out there, those buyers or sellers can’t find you! Agents would be surprised at how much of their advertising works for them after they’ve discontunued an ad. The public may like what you’re advertising but not be ready to buy or sell. If your advertising has hit a chord with them, they’ll save it and call when they are ready. Again, it all goes back to being out there for them to find you when they’re ready.
Metro Bloggers, keep this wonderful info for agents and everyone coming! The more we know, the better we are.
April 30, 2009 at 10:50 am
Great pointers.. I remember how frustrating it was for me to write a property description (I’m not a writer). Until I learned several small tricks. I would use the pictures an the bullet points to write a walk through story. Then I would have my wife or one of my nieces close their eyes and I would read it to them. If they were interested in the house when I was done I had done a good job. After doing this several times I got better and better at writing elegant descriptions. First impressions for your listings are key……
April 30, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I use a Pocket Ad Writer that makes writing comments and remarks a breeze.
Examples
-A Stunning Departure From The Ordinary!
-Southern Hospitality and Time Honored Charm Welcomes You To The Perfect Setting For Family Life.
-Outside, Take A Swim In Your Sparkling Swimming Pool Or Just Relax In The Pool House.
-Grab Your Fishing Pole And Head Down To The Pond Where Your Next Fish Tale Awaits.
-Take A Walk Around The Wooded Grounds With An Abundance Of Plants and Wildlife.
-Inside Enjoy Every Inch This House Has To Offer.
-A Well Planned Kitchen With Endless Cabinet Space Makes Candlelight Dinners Or Casual Suppers A Delight.
-Cozy Up To One Of Three Fireplaces.
-Head Down To The Basement To Enjoy Fun Time With The Family.
-Look What’s Underfoot! Luxurious Hardwood Floors, Fine Tile, Plush Carpet…It’s All Here! Simply Sensational.
May 6, 2009 at 8:41 am
These articles are great and very informative. More and more folks are always interested in good information that is interesting and focuses on our local market conditions. As I mentioned before social networking is the wave of the future and our timing in producing these blogs on our web site is perfect.
May 6, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Chad’s phraseology is great. The Pocket Ad Writer sounds like a good resource for writing Remarks in MLS systems as well as ads. His language creates emotional responses and (most) buyers buy based on emotions.
May 12, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Great tip Chad! Where can I get one of those darn fancy schamncy ad writers? I don’t write too purdee! Seriously, sound like an awesome tool!