Writing a good real estate listing is much more than jotting a few fluffy adjectives and taking good photos. A listing is a big opportunity to show all the best features of a home and paint the picture of a dream home to potential buyers. It is one of the most important parts of the listing process!

Headline

All good real estate listings will have a catchy headline. It should stand apart from the rest of the competition. Sounding too generic may leave buyers unimpressed and quick to skim other listings. Add some humor or play on the emotions of the buyer. If the home is targeted towards a specific age group, try using that as a guide. Buyers will scroll through hundreds of listings, having an attention-grabbing headline will give a listing an edge on competition.

Length

While there isn’t one particular perfect length for a real estate listing, short and to the point is key. Buyers don’t want to have to read a novel but they also won’t want it to be too short leaving questions unanswered. Keep in mind depending on where the property is listed online, there may be a maximum character length or word count.

Features

The main focus of a real estate listing should be to draw attention to the best features of the home. Upgrades or recent investments are always good to feature. Kitchen upgrades, fireplaces, central air, finished basement, new roofing, new appliances, new windows and other similar features are perfect to add to the listing. Tip: Mentioning brand names especially for appliances is always a plus.

Creative Wording

When writing a listing, treat it as a way to illustrate the beauty of the home, as if telling a story. It isn’t just about fancy buzzwords it is about getting the buyer to picture the home and themselves in it! According to Parade Magazine, buyers tend to respond better to words like “luxurious”, “captivating” and “impeccable.”

There are also many words that are more of a turn-off to buyers such as “investment” or “unique.” In general those terms are not negative but in the real estate industry they can lead buyers to think up negative feelings about the house.

Photography

As a whole, most buyers are visual and will tend to gravitate towards the photos of a real estate listing first. For this reason, photography techniques are very important. First things first, the home needs to be decluttered. Sellers may even want to invest in home staging to increase the visual appearance and functionality of the home.

Good lighting and photos taken on a sunny day are often some of the best taken. Taking photos from the doorway of a room is another good tactic. Photos taken of exterior shots often do best when taken at an angle. Tip: Like word counts, photos may be limited to a certain number. It important that the features mentioned in the listing should have photos to reflect them. Not having professional looking photos is one of these biggest mistakes you can make when selling a home. Hiring a professional photographer or realtor to take the photos is one of the best investments in listing a home.

Extra Tidbits

In addition to the house, buyers also want to hear about the surrounding area of the home. Entertainment, nightlife, shopping, commuting information, public transportation, parking and schools are all things to think about including in the write-up of a listing. If you have dedicated community pages on your website, be sure to link to the page about the area of the home.

Other Resources for Realtors

• 5 Major Reasons People Don’t Like Real Estate Agents (and how you can prove them wrong) – Xavier De Buck
• How to Gain Leads With a Real Estate Community Page – Kyle Hiscock
• How To Write Real Estate Ads That Sell Properties Fast – REtipster
• 15 Killer Tips for Selling a Home – Bill Gassett
• 7 Awesome Tips to Accurately Price Your Home for Sale – David R. Millar

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Thanks for reading my blog! It is my goal as your full service real estate Realtor specializing in the Richmond Hill, Savannah, Pooler, and Hinesville – Georgia areas, to provide you with exceptional service at all times. My promise to you is to openly and honestly answer all your questions, help you navigate through the process and to make myself available to you day and night. I work for you and you are my priority. My local expertise and extensive real estate training and experience will benefit you whether you are serious about buying or selling a home at this time, or are a returning client checking out the many homeowner resources I offer. I am a “real” person and my reputation depends on every client, every deal, every day. I LOVE my job and it shows! You can also connect with me on my Facebook Page and/or Google Plus for area info and events, things to do, real estate news, home ownership tips, tips for both buyers and sellers, and so much more! I’m also on Pinterest!