2. “A picture is worth a thousand words,” the age-old
adage goes. And this is particularly true in real
estate, which is why it’s so critical for sellers to
make sure their agents post polished photos that
tell an accurate story about their home, while
showing it in its best light. That said, in most listing
systems and property flyers, you don’t have the
opportunity to post a thousand words’ worth of
text describing your home: you might get 100
words, at best - and many systems limit you to just
a couple of hundred characters in total.
3. 1. “Walkable to. . .” The concept is valid: home
buyers have a soft spot in their hearts for homes
that are highly accessible to the shops, parks,
cafes and cultural amenities they want to make
a part of their everyday lives.
4. 2. Feel, floor plan and flow. Words which indicate that
a home is characterized by stretches of clean, clear
space, light, flow and openness of floor plan are
generally attractive to buyers, and can trigger their
interest in coming to see your home. However, what is
even more important in a listing description is that you
avoid the temptation to flat-out manipulate
buyers/readers by inaccurately describing
your home in an effort to get them there
at any cost!
5. 3.Lifestyle upgrades for first-time buyers. If your
home is in an area, a price range or has other
characteristics that are treasured by first-time buyers,
you can get major bang out of every listing description
word by simply mentioning the ways in which life in
your home would represent a big lifestyle upgrade
compared to living in an apartment or a rental. For
example, dropping verbal clues that your home has
ample storage spaces, offers exceptional privacy and
quiet, or has uniquely usable furnished or otherwise
ready-to-enjoy outdoor living spaces are all mentions
that can capture the attention of even the most
bargain-hungry first-time buyers.
6. 4. Materials. If your home’s finishes include
materials your realtor feels are particularly desired
by buyers in your area, you might want to call those
materials out in your home’s listing. In fact, in their
2005 book Freakonomics, economists Steven Levitt
and Stephen Dubner ran some numbers and found
five words which, when present in listings, were
positively correlated with higher purchase prices -
and three of the five were finish materials: granite,
Corian and maple. (The other two? State-of-the-art
and gourmet.)
7. 5. Brand names. Describing your home’s style
or design aesthetic with reference to brand
names is a pithy, yet power-packed, way to
communicate a great deal of information and
paint a contextual and stylistic picture, with
very few words. For example, describing a
home as Pottery Barn chic sparks images of
family-style living spaces that are well-
coordinated and comfortable. While declaring
that your home’s decor or fittings are styled
after a Restoration Hardware aesthetic creates
images of upscale, polished and modern takes
on vintage-inspired looks.
8. You’d better believe that people in the market
for homes are also in the market for designs and
furnishings, a truth you can use to create a quick
mental image of your home by evoking any
brand with a particularly strong aesthetic, from
Crate and Barrel to Neiman Marcus.
9. 6. Neighborhood names. If your home is in a
desirable or up-and-coming neighborhood,
don’t just assume that buyers are going to find it
by searching for listings on a map, within a
certain radius or within a particular postal
code. Including the actual name of your district
or neighborhood allows your home’s listing to
become searchable for that term.
10. 7. “Built-in” or “custom.” If you have had custom
features with wide appeal built into your home, you
should definitely consider mentioning them.
Some that fit the bill include:
• Custom desks and bookcases
• Built-in closet organizers and garage storage
systems
• Customized recycling centers or backyard
composters
11. 8. On trend features. I’m not suggesting that
you stage or change your home to make it line
up with short-lived trends, but I am suggesting
that you work with your Realtor to keep your
finger on the pulse of current shifts in what
buyers like and make sure to trigger those
preferences with mentions of your home’s
features that map to buyer’s wish lists.
12. 9.Little kitchen luxuries. Buyers like food prep
space, plentiful counter space, professional-
grade appliances and - that Holy Grail of kitchen
features: islands. Other mention-worthy kitchen
features that can change a buyer from
indifferent to interested in a viewing include
breakfast nooks, vegetable sinks and pot-fillers
(a plumbed-in faucet right over the stove) and
stoves that run on gas (vs. electric).
13. 10. Differentiators from the competition. Think of
your home’s listing description as a luxury chauffeur
that escorts prospective buyers right to the very
best features of your home. Don’t make buyers
have to hunt around for the reasons why they
should see your home instead of the one across the
street! If your home is on a premium lot, or has an
extra bathroom or a mother-in-law unit compared
to the others for sale in your subdivision or town at
the same price range - mention it. And same goes
for pricing, condition or incentives you’re offering,
14. ALL: What words have you seen in listings that
you found particularly powerful - or powerless?
15. Randy Bett
Investment Realtor/Author/Investor
Real Estate Professionals Inc.
Better Group Real Estate
202-5403 Crowchild Trail NW
Calgary, AB T3B 4Z1
Phone:403-774-7464 Ext:1
Fax:403-208-0082
Toll Free fax:888-711-6801