It’s been said that real estate is very much one of those professions where the expression ‘you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.’ That’s very true, but it’s also true in regard to the way that interested homebuyers who are looking at homes on the market will make very quick and lasting judgments about any home on the market based on the listing description they see for it.
That’s obviously a disadvantage – even if the listing description is well written – and unfortunate as well, because there’s always so much about a home that can’t be conveyed right without seeing it and experiencing it in person. But in the same way people will draw conclusion on you as a realtor based on their first few minutes with you, they’ll do the same with your listing based on the first few lines of the description.
It’s true that some homes really do sell themselves, but the vast majority of them do not. It’s usually a challenge and that’s why your expertise as a realtor makes you worthy of their business. What is ALWAYS a challenge, however, is prospecting a sufficient number of clients so that your own real estate business continues to be a viable way for you to earn a living for yourself.
With that understood, our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent choice to put you in the those ‘pivotal first impression’ scenarios much more reliably. Harnessing the power of Internet marketing is rarely if ever a bad thing.
But returning to our topic of choice today, how does a realtor write strong listing descriptions that serve to further the readers interest in their listing, especially if that reader is a genuine prospective homebuyer?
It’s not that complicated, and you can do it too. Read on.
Experience, Relevance, and Smart Wording – The Best Formula
The first mindset that you need to take on in advance of beginning this task is to understand fully that this is someone’s future home, and not just another house. It may not be the future home of every single person that reads your listing description, and in fact that’s the most likely scenario. However, with the chance that it may be, you need to form your ideas with the understanding that someone who reads this may be doing so as the first part of the process that ends with them buying the home from your clients.
So you need to make sure your property descriptions attract attention and create a captivating scene, and do so even before potential buyers visit the home.
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Focus on the Experience
It IS important to mention how many bedrooms and bathrooms a home has, but it’s even more important to showcase how lifestyle meets utility perfectly in this home. For example, if your client has a home with a great family room with a fireplace, your aim should be to make buyers feel like they will love that room long before they even see it. Another example could be if you the home is in a growing-family type of neighborhood and it’s most likely a couple with children will be buying the home then you can talk up the family bonding experiences that can happen in that superb living area.
Something like this – “This expansive family room features soaring 11-foot ceilings as part of an overall design creation that’s intended to promote families creating ever greater numbers of cherished family memories. Whether that’s piling the couch with pillows and blankets on a cold winter day, or enjoying a movie night by the fireplace, or hosting a lively birthday gathering filled with friends and family, this room will likely be the heart of the home.”
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Keep it Relevant
Going overboard with descriptions is the most common misstep with listing descriptions. They shouldn’t be overly personal or customized to the current owners. The better approach is to keep statements more general, so that any type of buyer can relate to them. It may not seem natural, but you’re going to appeal to a much wider cross section of prospective buyers this way.
Have a look at this example – “This neighborhood has it all. Restaurants and entertainment are close, but not too close, and the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood is just as assured as it only taking you a short trip to enjoy shopping, dining, and entertainment. Whether it’s a night in or a night out, both are going to be very appealing based on how doable one or the other will be.”
- Emphasize the Right Adjectives
There’s no getting around the fact that words like ‘charming’ and ‘cozy’ are used way too often in listing descriptions. They’re classics, but fact is they’re really just far to indeterminate and impersonal these days. They can sound appealing, and when you’re dealing with a bigger proper in the luxury space adjectives like these can actually make the house seem small.
The point here is that it’s best to cater to the appropriate crowd when you’re choosing your words, and based on the type of property you’ve listed.
Compare these examples – “This restored five-bedroom, four-bath historic Colonial has an opulent foyer that blesses it with the grand entrance you’ve been searching for”
“This charming three-bedroom cape, perfect for entry-level buyers, has a cozy sitting room where you can sip your coffee and read a good book.”
The majority of your buyers will be unassuming and not particularly receptive to flowery language, and surprisingly this is even true of most wealthy buyers. Definitely something to keep in mind. The principle here is that each description should be unique to the property, but still being neutral enough to entice a variety of buyers.
Keep may different types of prospective homebuyers in mind when choosing your words and you’ll likely find yourself naturally gravitating towards a communication style that’s much more conversational and natural, and much less pretentious and assuming of specifics related to them as people.
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