A Guide to Writing Property Descriptions

 

When selling any property, it is essential to have a well-written description that’d lead potential buyers in. But how can you sell your property most effectively? While the concept of property descriptions is quite simple in theory, it can be intricate in practice.

 

Basically, property description stands for a short listing that outlines the pros and cons of real estate and allows buyers to evaluate the property for sale. With the help of such listings, buyers can weigh all critical aspects of the property and make a relevant buying decision. Not that you need the advanced skills of an essay writer to come up with selling descriptions, but knowing some of the industry tricks will stand you in good enough stead to make sales and seal deals.

 

This guide will demonstrate some of the crucial tips and tricks regarding property descriptions, as well as remind you of the essentials that cannot be forgotten. By the end of this guide, you will have plenty of ideas and a firm strategy to use when writing up descriptions for your listings.

What does a property description consist of?

In general, a property description has two distinct parts: the key features list and the descriptive section. The key features list is a bullet point, or numbered, list of components that make up the wonderful property you’re selling. The descriptive section allows you to sell the property, add color to the features, and alert buyers to any special features in greater detail. 

What are the property features?

Property features are the qualities that define the apartment or house and make it special. This section should be quick and brief as it can help buyers check if they’re looking in the right area.

 

Must-haves in this section include the number of bedrooms and whether they are double or single, the number of bathrooms and whether they are en-suite, parking facilities, garden or balcony, whether the property is furnished, part-furnished, or unfurnished, and the type of heating.

 

In terms of the order, bedrooms usually dominate the discussion, so put this point first. Everything else is up to you:  consider ordering the features in terms of significance to the property in question.

 

Now, let’s move to the next step and crack out those creative writing skills in practice.

Tips on how to write a stellar property description

When writing the description, you are expanding on the features listed about the apartment or house. What is important here is honesty. The description should not embellish or upsell the property too hard - otherwise, it will drive away any buyer with a good head on their shoulders. Be accurate, and be reasonable.

 

Of course, with limited space to write your description, it may sound slightly clipped. For instance, consider the following sentence: “A lovely two-bedroom apartment with private concierge and shared roof-terrace.” This information says a lot as it conveys three pieces of information, but when read aloud, such a description sounds like a newspaper headline. Yet, as long as your message is written briefly and lets the features speak for themselves, it makes for an eye-catching headline.

 

What the sentence also does is open strongly. It catches the attention of your potential buyer. What this sentence also does is catches the attention of your potential buyer - “wow, a roof terrace and a concierge” - and hooks them in. But what if the property isn’t really that great? Is it right to write an incredibly inspiring description when the apartment is one storm away from losing its roof?

 

Integrity is hard to come by in the world of real estate, so make sure any faults or issues are addressed. You can couch these moments to some extent and write something like  “in need of minor repair”, but avoid going overboard, or you’ll send the reputation of realtors down even further.

 

Add encouragement and incentive

The only way you will sell or rent your property is if someone calls you up, sends an email, or books a viewing. With all due respect to consumers, they do need a little push every now and then as your business depends on it. In the world of copywriting, the technique to be used in this scenario is a Call to Action.

 

A call to action is exactly what it sounds like: you write something which demands a response. “Call today to book a viewing.”, “Book now to avoid disappointment”, “See similar properties on our website” - these are common call-to-action examples most home sellers use. A call is more likely to push someone into your sales funnel, so make sure you send a clear message to your reader at some point in your description.

 

Using your knowledge of existing real estate in the area, you can fill your description with other useful information for buyers.  What are the schools near your property, what transport goes not far from the house, are there any hospitals or medical centers close by? Does the neighborhood have any issues with criminality?

 

Buyers want to read a description that is truthful and useful. It should also encourage them to get in touch with you. Remember: once you have a contact for one property, you can also bring in your other properties. Getting the contact is vitally important in this regard.

Avoid stop words

Zillow, a large house-seller, studied 24,000 properties and discovered that the inclusion of some words was detrimental to the likelihood of a sale and the overall price of the property. Words like ‘fixer’, ‘TLC’, ‘cosmetic’, and ‘potential’ all signified that the property was in need of repair. Now that’s not a bad thing if you’re looking to restore and flip a house, but keep in mind that some people just want to buy a home.

 

 

By using the tips mentioned above, you’ll be able to write a simple and persuasive property description that is sure to get the phone ringing and viewing appointments flowing. A solid property description should not be too fluffy whilst convincingly selling the positive parts of the listing to any would-be buyers.