Headshots don’t sell homes. But YOU do.
Having excellent real estate copy across all your marketing materials is critical for positioning yourself as the go-to real estate expert in your area. Everything from your personal realtor web page, to your email newsletters, and property listings must express both your expertise and personality.
In future blogs, we’ll explore how you can write excellent copy for your website and email campaigns. But today we’re beginning with one of the most overlooked aspects of real estate writing – property listings that inspire and get noticed.
Why is My Property Description Important?
When it comes to getting your listing noticed, a well-written description of the home or apartment you’re selling can help entice passive traffic. It can also dive deeply into the home’s most compelling features to capture the attention of some of the most serious buyers.
A well-written property description can provide potential clients with a detailed look at the property you’re selling before taking a home tour. This is important from realtor’s perspective for a few reasons:
An extremely detailed description of the property’s key features can weed out non-serious buyers or clients who may be looking for something that the property doesn’t have. You’re essentially answering feature questions upfront before taking time out of your day to meet with them.
Conversely, those who schedule a home tour after reading a well-detailed listing will be more inclined to make a serious evaluation of the property and potentially a purchasing-decision shortly after.
As you can see, a detailed home listing may address many of your customers’ questions and concerns without you having to meet-up in person.
A good listing, however, can do more than just answer clients’ questions and get your property noticed. A well-written listing can inspire people; giving them a glimpse into a pleasurable life in a new home. In this blog, we’ll explore how incredibly detailed and inspirational real estate listings can set your property apart.
All About the Details: A Strong Listing Must Have Detailed Copy
Writing copy that sells requires special attention to straightforward and easily digestible detail. Using fluff or omitting specific information can hinder your sales processes and make your property listing less effective.
The first step in creating a detailed property listing is writing a headline that succinctly describes the home and its most compelling feature – in 70 characters or less!
While that may seem challenging at first, learning through trial and error and exploring best-practices can help improve your copywriting prowess. Although these headline-writing tips from Forbes are meant for more traditional ad copy, they are still incredibly relevant to writing the perfect attention-grabbing headline. These 6 tips, in particular, are incredibly useful for helping you structure your headlines:
- Leave them hungry for more
- Have a crystal-clear purpose
- Consider what would make you click
- Keep it brief and emotionally powerful
- Say it out loud
- Keep it conversational
Let’s explore the techniques above by using them to help us sell a 3-bedroom home on a golf course, in Monterey, CA:
Your days of packing clubs and driving to the nearest golf course are over!
Next, make sure your listing includes all relevant details in an easily digestible manner. Many real estate databases and Multiple Listing Services (MLS) like Zillow require your property description to be less than 250 words.
For houses with many exceptional features, fitting all of them into 250 words may seem like quite the challenge. On the other hand, homes that need some work or are lacking in qualities may require you to include as much detail as possible to aid the selling process.
High performing copy that attracts buyers highlights important features of the property, references nearby amenities, and follows these simple guidelines:
- Provides an accurate portrayal of the home
- Follows fair housing laws and regulations when describing the property
- Doesn’t use too many exclamations or hyperboles in your description
- Is proofread before publishing
Your Listing Should State the Facts and Inspire
For some, buying a house can be a stressful and painstaking process. With loan preapprovals, truck-loads of paperwork, property visits, and making an offer (or multiple if you’re in Silicon Valley!) buying a house is no joke.
But why do people go through all this work just for a change of scenery?
According to Jessica Ryan, the 4 most influential reasons for moving are:
- Change in lifestyles
- Financial Reasons
- Desire for Convenience
- Pursuit of personal dreams or goals
Understanding why people move can help guide your efforts to write more inspirational property listings. Moreover, understanding these reasons can help you select the home’s most important features to highlight.
Let’s use the above home-on-a-golf-course in Monterey as an example. Here’s how using these reasons to guide your copy can create a compelling listing:
Change in lifestyles.
Your days of packing clubs and driving to the nearest golf course are over!
Financial reasons
Opulent views of the fairway are paired with ornate vaulted ceilings – even in the 2 guest rooms. Relax after a long day of golf in the master bathroom’s 21-jet jacuzzi tub.
Pursuit of personal dreams or goals
2-year-old stainless steel Viking Appliances make summer dinner parties a breeze, while a large outdoor dining area makes it easy for a post-18 aperitif. A fully furnished dining room and 12-person dining set let you take the party indoors on those foggy Monterey nights.
Desire for convenience
Although only a few minutes from town, this secluded neighborhood has easily accessible walking trails and a private entrance to the golf course.
As you can see, mapping the home’s attributes to the reasons people move can help you outline the key points of your listing. Let’s use the outline above to make a short, 250 world or less real estate listing:
Your days of packing clubs and driving to the nearest golf course are over!
This 3500 square foot home features opulent views of the fairway and high vaulted ceilings – even in the 2 guest rooms. Relax after a long day of golf with a 21-jet jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom. Stainless steel Viking appliances make summer dinner parties a breeze, while a large and inviting outdoor dining area makes your backyard the perfect spot for a post-18 aperitif. A fully furnished dining room and 12-person dining set let you take the party indoors on foggy Monterey nights. Although only a few minutes from town, this secluded neighborhood has easily accessible walking trails and a private entrance to the golf course – perfect for getting away without ever leaving.
Conclusion
A detailed and well-written listing does the work for you. It inspires, answers relevant questions a client might have, and saves time for what you do best – provide an exceptional customer experience.
