Real Estate Marketing - The Importance of Listing Language

By: Brandon Cornett

A real estate marketing story, John and Jane have just seen a listing photo of a home that matches their needs. It's within their price range, and it has all the features they want.

Now, continuing in the process, they read the details. They read what you've written to describe the house. This is when your listing language either moves them forward, or leaves them behind.

The basic parts of the listing are simple to write, and they're often enough to get a buyer to come out for a visit square feet, number of bedrooms the basics.

But your goal is to get as many interested buyers as possible to visit the home, which will increase the likelihood of a sale. So you have to go beyond the basics. Here are some tips to help you do just that:

Do the necessary research.
When I write about the qualities of a product or service, I usually spend more time researching than writing. I don't like to write a single word until I know what's worth writing about and what's not.

The point is, you can't write everything about a house in a listing. There's no room for that. So you have to investigate the property inside and out to find out what makes it unique. You have to dig up the unique selling points.

Put the reader in the house.
Describe the actual enjoyment that results from a particular feature (as opposed to describing the feature by itself). For example, note the difference in the examples below.

Before:
This house has a rear deck with a lake view.

After:
Enjoy watching sunsets over Jefferson Lake from your screened-in rear deck.

Before:
The family room features a large brick fireplace.

After:
The family room's grand fireplace will keep you cozy during Colorado winters.

Don't underestimate the small stuff.
If you're creating a short, bulleted "laundry list" of features, be as specific and all-inclusive as possible. The house might have a feature that makes you yawn but makes a buyer perk up:

Extra outlets in the media room. Low-maintenance deck material. Wrought-iron gate. Picket fence. Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference to people.

Use brand names.
Certain brands can add value to a house through name alone. First, you must identify these brand names and make a list of them. This comes from the research we mentioned above.

Then it's simply a matter of weaving them into your property description.

Note the difference in the example below:

Before:
Rear deck

After:
Rear deck built with low-maintenance Trex® material (with transferable lifetime warranty).

I've exaggerated the contrast between these examples for demonstration purposes. But you get the idea.

Conclusion
Buyers are looking for more than a house. They also want a home. A house is walls and ceilings. A home is where memories are made. It's up to you to bring this across with your listing language.