The real estate market is swamped by property listing after another property listing–it is an endless stream of information about what is currently available for sale or lease. As a home buyer, you may also be tricked into thinking that a property is a hot deal when it is actually not because the write up for the property was cleverly written. On the other hand, you may see properties that do seem like a good deal but the information available just doesn’t do justice to what the property could offer. As a realtor, how do you know if your real estate listing even makes the cut to be called a compelling and informative post? Do you really have a comprehensive understanding of what home buyers are looking for? For starters, realtors should always be aware of the latest real estate marketing trends.
That surely isn’t an easy task. However, knowing the basics of what must be written or presented as a real estate property listing would further guide you on how to showcase a good property. The next time you write or update your real estate property listing make sure to practice these tips to get your listing noticed and sell your property faster!
Follow a concise content structure
Any well-written content follows a structure. A structure helps you convey your message in a systematic, comprehensive, and seamless flow. A good example of content structure for property listing could be:
Hook – This is the heading or the opening statement which aims to grab reader’s attention to compel them to continue on reading.
Scene Setter – Following the hook is your scene setter where you can pitch the best or winning feature of the property. Introduce to your readers what they can expect and what would make them want to purchase the property.
Body or Narrative Body – This is what will matter the most to potential home buyers. It is imperative that in this section, all the features of the property are listed and well-described. Without sounding too sales-y, write a genuine but compelling content.
Special Promotion – Take your listing to the next level, make it known that the property is hot in the market and they might miss the chance to grab this opportunity then give other incentives you are willing to offer.
Call to action & contact info – Lastly, wrap it up and tell them how to purchase the property. Don’t forget to provide your information.
Honesty is still the best policy!
You might get too excited and throw words here and there to convince people that the property is a great catch but hold up!–a realtor and home buyer relationship largely rely on trust. Any home buyer will always appreciate a credible realtor. Do not say “The whole property is spacious and in pristine condition–move in any minute!” when you know for a fact that the 55-square meter property you are selling still needs a visit from a plumber.
Careful with adjectives-be genuine
Again, don’t go crazy with your adjectives just to entice your potential customers. People can tell when you are trying too hard and it will likely sound insincere. Use accurate and appropriate descriptive words to paint a picture in anyone’s mind how it would feel like to dwell in the property. As always, too little and too much just isn’t good.
Beware of certain words
“If you’re not careful, picking the wrong adjective could cost you time, money, and in some cases, lots of both.” — Spencer Rascoff and Stan Humphries, Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate
Yes, you read that right. Homebuyers are now much more intuitive and can tell when you are going to later disappoint them with your words. Moreover, for some buyers, certain words denote that the property isn’t really worth its price and is open to haggle at a much lower price. There are certain words that throw them off and, though, written with well-intent are most likely interpreted the opposite. Words like “fixer”, “TLC”, and “cosmetic updates” are inferred as needing more repairs than necessary. “Potential” and “bargain” may mean that the property is run-down and cheap. While, “nice” isn’t really preferred as it is deemed too subjective, ambiguous, and is used due to lack of creativity to describe the property.
Make sure to add words that add value
Incongruent to being cautious with some words, it is pertinent to take advantage of words that add value to the property listing. Words like luxurious, captivating, impeccable, spotless, and more create a vivid and positive image in every potential home buyer’s mind.
Optimize your content
A winning property listing content is well-researched, well-structured, and well-optimized content. To put that in perspective, aside from being a realtor, you as a marketer should be the expert with your niche and audiences–what do your audiences expect and like, what are the keywords and key phrases they use in searching online, what are the current competitive keywords in the market and what you should target to gain more viewers or readers, and more. A basic knowledge of how SEO works–the principles and the softwares that online marketers use to employ SEO–will be an immense advantage in the competition. Ranking on the first page of a search engine will skyrocket your page views, increases your authority in your niche, and improves the overall impression of your visitors.
Highlight the best and unique features of the property
In the pool of property listing, how will you stand out? By accentuating the best and unique features of the property. You can do this in two ways–words and visuals. Spell it out in your real estate listing description: does it have an amazing view from the balcony? An interesting accent, maybe? A fireplace in the master bedroom? A cozy reading spot?
Review and check the grammar
Do you know how important making sure that your real estate listing copy is written properly? If a property listing has spelling and grammatical errors, 45% of potential buyers will be disinterested with your property. These errors–no matter how minor it may seem–give an impression that you don’t care about details. So don’t be one of those who fall into this pitfall and always, always thoroughly check your content. In essence, be meticulous of whatever you put out there.
Don’t forget to include really great photos and other visual content
Words can paint a picture but to make it even more memorable, add beautiful photographs of these features or better yet include videos or real estate virtual tours. As visual beings, we are hard-wired to respond better with images. The human brain processes and retains visual content 60,000 times better and faster than texts. With that said, even an impeccable property description will fall on deaf ears without a photograph that corresponds to it. While keeping that in mind, more and more consumers are not more tech-savvy, hence, as an integral part of the property listing make sure to include excellent and quality photos.
Include virtual tours with proper annotation
With the height of today’s technology, virtual tours are not new but should definitely be utilized cleverly to showcase the property. With Matterport 3D virtual tours, you can now better guide your viewers with its Mattertag feature. Add more context to your property by annotating locations, objects, fixtures, and more. You may also add a description using the Mattertag to better engage with your audience.
