4 Tips for Writing Attention-Grabbing Listings
According to National Association of Realtors® data, 43% of recent buyers revealed their first step they took in the home buying process was to look online at properties for sale, while only 18% of buyers first contacted a real estate agent. In the internet age, one of the first impressions of you a potential client is likely to see are your listing descriptions. If you’re not confident in your writing skills or think you still have room to improve, here are four tips to make your listings really stand out.
1. Be Accurate
The last thing a potential buyer wants to see in a real estate description is information that is inaccurate, misleading, or information that’s left out entirely. These leads will quickly move on to avoid wasting effort on a listing that looks questionable. At minimum, include the number of bedrooms and bathrooms with non-misleading photos of each one, square footage of the property, and accurate location information. This is the bare minimum, but we suggest making your listing much more detailed. For example, if you’re highlighting the hardwood floors throughout the house – Is it walnut, maple, cherry, or red oak? Be sure to include those tiny details – because it matters. Even though you will provide pictures, you save the buyer from wondering about those types of questions.
2. Organize Description by Room
It may take some time to write a stellar listing description, but reading it shouldn’t be a chore. Avoid presenting your listings as a huge wall of text, with no separation of paragraphs. This can be tedious to read and hard to skim through for potential buyers. Your goal should be to make your listing easy to read while also captivating the reader. That’s why organizing your description by room is a great way to be accurate and descriptive, without overwhelming the reader. By using bite-sized, skim-able paragraphs within your listing, buyers will be much more likely to be interested in the listing and reach out to you.
3. Highlight What’s Unique
Often times, properties have small details that may not be visible in photos, but are attractive to buyers. Is there a built-in pantry that wasn’t accentuated in the kitchen photos? Is there custom shelving in the closet? These features add character to a home, and anyone that comes across your listing should be able to learn about them. With the rise in popularity of smart homes and features, it could be important to mention any tech-enabled products the home may have. You never really know what kind of information, or lack thereof, can influence a potential buyer’s decision.
4. Use a Free Grammar-Checking Tool
There is virtually no excuse to make any spelling or grammatical errors in your real estate listings when there are a multitude of free spelling and grammar tools for you to utilize. Before you post your listing, run your listing description through a spelling and grammar check tool, such as Grammarly. You can even add tools such as Grammarly to your internet browser to always have a spell and grammar check as you write, which takes only a minute to install. It even helps you structure sentences and suggests helpful changes to your text. This will help your listings look professional. If you’re making careless spelling and grammatical mistakes in your listings that you don’t care to double-check, buyers can’t help but to think about what other mistakes you let slip past you in your work.
The same way you would take time to stage the inside of the home, you should take the same time with the home’s online presence. Keep these four tips in mind the next time you’re adding a listing to your website or a third-party site.
