When you’re putting a home on the market, it’s more than a property. You need to sell the fact that it is someone’s future home, and not just another house. Part of that is making sure your property descriptions attract attention and create a captivating scene even before potential buyers visit the home. Here’s how to do that.
Focus on the experience. While it’s important to mention how many bedrooms and bathrooms a home has, it’s even more important to showcase lifestyle along with utility. For example, if a home has a great family room with a fireplace, let buyers feel like they will already love that room before they even see it. If you live in a growing-family type of neighborhood, really talk up the family bonding experiences that can happen in that very room.
Example: “This expansive family room with soaring 11-foot ceilings has been creating cherished family memories for the last decade. From piling on the couch with pillows and blankets on a cold winter day to enjoying a movie night by the fireplace, to hosting a lively birthday gathering filled with friends and family, this room is the heart of the home.”
Keep it relevant. Don’t go overboard with the descriptions. They shouldn’t be overly personal or customized to the current owners. Instead, keep statements general so that any type of buyer can relate to them. This way, you’re not alienating any one buyer.
Example: “This neighborhood has it all. Restaurants and entertainment are just a short drive away, but far enough to keep the peace and quiet at home. So whether you want a night in or out, your options are endless.”
Emphasize the right adjectives. While some words like “charming” and “cozy” can sound appealing, when you’re dealing with a bigger property, especially in the luxury space, these adjectives can make the house seem small. Cater to the right crowd when you’re choosing your words.
Example: “This restored historic five-bedroom, four-bath Colonial has an opulent foyer that gives this home the grand entrance you’ve been searching for” versus “This charming three-bedroom cape, perfect for entry-level buyers, has a cozy sitting room where you can sip your coffee and read a good book.”
Each description should be unique to the property while still being neutral enough to entice a variety of buyers. Keep the buyer in mind when choosing your words and help them visualize themselves in the home so they pick up the phone and schedule a showing.
Liz Dominguez is RISMedia’s associate content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at ldominguez@rismedia.com.
Liz, Well stated. Good article.
Perhaps in your last paragraph you could insert the word “to” before “the property”, so it reads grammatically correct. “…should be unique the property…” sounds stilted as a Dollarama product’s instructions poorly translated from the original Chinese.
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Thank you. Excellent suggestions.. I’ll use that in about 2 hours from now.
I’ve always thought it’s better to describe the house and its features rather than the type of people who may want to live there or the experiences they may (or may not) have. Describing the opportunity for family bonding experiences may not appeal to some buyers. Describing the details of the family room would likely appeal to a wider group of potential buyers.
You may want to check that you are not breaking Fair Housing Laws when you talk about families and liability when you speak of peace and quiet?
I get it but find it hard to come up with those descriptions for all of my look-alike split level homes!
Great suggestions. Love the remarks! Great job……….if I could only put words together like that!
Great advice when marketing a home. A home is not the walls, flooring, appliances and countertops.
It is so much more. Buying a home is an emotional experience in addition to a financial decision. I like to ask the sellers what attracted them to their home when first deciding to see it.
I do not see any violation of Fair Housing in your article.
Thank you for your ideas!
Great marketing advise and will use on my next listing.
Thank you,
Great advice – will definitely use and make more generic as to not offend any particular group.
In addition to these suggestions, it seems to be effective to highlight positive attributes of the property not easily discovered or seen. For example if there are no permits for the work done, mention in the description the age of the roof, AC, recent updates, etc. Buyers care to know about these.
“Family” as a descriptor is a fair housing no-no in my book.
I would be very careful with the “family” references as this could be a violation of fair housing laws…
Excellent..Will use suggestions on my coming soon listing..Thank you Liz
Thank you for doing this. It is a great article. I will take from it what works for me and my listings. I have a great family room that I have not given enough play. Thanks again
Useful content – have not seen any articles on this topic. Thank you!
Unfortunately, the term “family room” may, in and of itself, be a violation of Fair Housing rules. It’s hard to get away from it and it seems to me it’s high time with come up with a different descriptor for it. Suggestions? Additionally, I no longer use “master bedroom/suite”. Instead, I use Owner’s Suite”. As a woman, I am not interested in master suite anymore. Let’s find neutral and fun ways to reinvent our language. Of course, taking “you guys “ out of our vocabulary when you aren’t speaking to men only, is adding another element of respect to our clients genders.
Thanks. Great Article.