Writing a property description when using an online estate agent.
Writing a description to advertise your property can be a daunting task. It’s not merely a description but a sales pitch to entice people into viewing and potentially making an offer on your property! It’s an opportunity to engage your target audience and not only ‘sell’ them your property, but ‘sell’ them the experience and the area. This blog is to assist you, the author in pushing your description to its best to gain maximum enquiries and traction.
Key Features.
I Am The Agent are keen lovers of the ‘feature points’ you can have up to 20 features but as a start both ourselves and Rightmove suggest a minimum of 4. These short, sharp bullet points will entice searchers to click through to further details.
Think what you love about your property and what others will too. Overlooking a beautiful park, recently refurbished, 10 min walk to local station, fast trains to Victoria, excellent restaurants and bars within local village and so on. Be imaginative and descriptive with your features. Don’t’ hold back it’s good to standout.
Summary section
The summary is what shows up on searches and shows an overview of the property, which will then entice the searcher to click through (along with amazing photos). The summary should start with an overview of the property and its key features – maybe one or two sentences. This is your big chance to engage the viewer and get click bait. Be Clear. Be Concise. Be descriptive. Use plenty of adjectives, describing the property and its features to the max.
Consider this description:
A 2-bedroom property with nice rooms.
Not the most expressive and engaging of descriptions is it? Now consider this description for the same property:
A superb 2-bedroom semi-detached house offering immaculately presented living accommodation and a south facing sunny garden ideal for entertaining or relaxing in.
Much better, right? That’s because we’ve added adjectives such as ‘superb’ and ‘immaculately’ to further describe elements of the property in a more positive light. We also specify the type of property (‘semi-detached house’ instead of ‘property’) and use the term ‘living accommodation’ as opposed to ‘rooms’ to try and evoke the feeling that this is a home and not just a ‘property’. Additionally, we mention a key feature – the south facing garden – which is a selling point for many people especially in London, it is now a privilege rather than a given!
Here are some more examples to inspire you:
An extremely attractive and generously proportioned two-bedroom detached property.
A beautifully presented bungalow with stunning views of the countryside and a short walk to the fast train service to London.
A luxury apartment within a gated development in convenient reach of the town centre, local amenities and commuter links.
With no onward chain this enviably situated rare three-bedroom apartment comes with dedicated off-road parking and is within walking distance of popular amenities.
A delightful four-bedroom detached property offering spacious accommodation throughout.
A modern studio apartment in the heart of Hackney packed with technology and designed by award winning architects Smith & Stone.
A great investment property in the heart of Canterbury, perfect for students and city dwellers alike. The property is currently let on a 7% yield and will be sold with furnishing ready for a turnkey landlord or investor.
More Adjectives
Here are some more adjectives that you might wish to use throughout your description:
Beautiful, Splendid, Wonderful, Gorgeous, Modern, Exquisite, Charming, Magnificent, Attractive, Delightful, Luxurious, Stylish, Opulent, Superb, Stunning, Sumptuous
Property and Location Guide
Now that you’ve engaged the viewer you can then present the property in more detail. This is an opportunity to walk the client through the layout of the property. Perhaps mention the condition of the property too – has it recently been refurbished? Or is it a prime development opportunity? We can discuss the size and specifications of the rooms too – are there three double bedrooms? Is it open plan living? Does your kitchen have an ‘island’ or underfloor heating or a new boiler? Do you have a rain shower? Try and fill this section with key features since we’re trying to distinguish your property from everybody else’s! Also make sure you point out the expensive upgrades; new roof insulation, boarded loft, new flooring, heating or double glazing. These are the costly things, wall colour and curtains don’t cost the earth to change but a new boiler can break the bank and a marble worktop will last forever.
Part of the experience of a property includes its location and local amenities. Are there any local parks nearby? Hospitals? Shops? Schools Transport links? Restaurants? Be careful if you mention pubs and bars – you don’t want people to think that you live next door to a noisy bar strip frequented by the nations hard drinkers, but a local family pub/restaurant within walking distance is always a plus. Here are a few examples:
The property has undergone a comprehensive overhaul to create a stunning contemporary home offering versatile and spacious accommodation.
Open countryside, popular local schools and the train station are all within convenient reach.
The ground floor comprises two large reception rooms, a modern kitchen with branded appliances and an open plan living/dining area.
The first-floor accommodation comprises of a master bedroom with vaulted ceiling and en-suite, two further double bedrooms with fitted bespoke wardrobes and an opulent family bathroom suite.
The gardens are expertly landscaped with an elevated deck and a separate barbecue space.
Don’t Discriminate
Remember that you’re not interested in who is buying or renting your property (to an extent). So, in that sense you are not targeting a specific gender, race or religion. Keep your description very neutral to ensure you don’t offend or exclude any potentially interested parties. That is a no-no for rentals, it’s not your place to judge that the property is good for ‘married couples’ here are a couple of bad write-ups we collected:
Next door is a [place of worship]
This statement is not a good idea. Some people are atheist and don’t believe in God or places of worship. This may detract some people’s interest!
Ideal for small families
Statements such as this can discount and/or discourage large families, couples and single people from registering an interest in your property! It’s important to present your property in neutral manner and let the person reading your listing decide if it’s suitable or not!
Check Your Grammar over and over again before hitting the live button
A description of any kind is not appealing if it’s littered with spelling mistakes. This lack of attention to detail will make people think that the property you are advertising has suffered a similar fate. Remember that the description reflects the property. It is inviting people to share in the experience of your property.
As well as ensuring there are no grammar mistakes in your listing, you should refrain from using upper case (capital letters) words to highlight specific features. It looks untidy, and on the web this typography can often be misconstrued for shouting! We also feel from the research we carried out that property searchers felt it was an antiquated way of promoting properties and often did put them off.
Also, if you are looking for QUICK PURCHASES or CASH BUYERS, doh! We all are looking for this, so spelling it out, unless it’s an investment to DIE for e.g. under-priced -why would a savvy property owner do this – unless something is massively wrong with the property, it has a whopping rental yield and so on. Most savvy investors will know that repossessions and auctions are marketed a different way and property investors and portfolio clients have first nibs at the new developments, so stay away from old school ads and stick to the facts.
We hope this is helpful in marketing your killer property ad and if you require any assistance or advice call our sales experts on 0333 4441007
