Want to up your game and create property descriptions that draw in eager buyers? Here are some tips that I have learned as a property copywriter that will help get you started.
1. Lists are not your friends
Lists are easy to skim through, but they appeal to the analytical side of the brain, which doesn’t help the browser form an emotional connection to the property itself. Houses aren’t just commodities – they are homes first and foremost. The selling features of a house are attractive only because they offer the lifestyle the buyer is after.
2. Give the browser the grand tour
Avoid the urge to list by imagining the buyer is arriving at the house for the first time. Take them on a journey, pointing out the highlights as you logically progress through the property – just as you would on a real viewing.
3. Use emotive language
If you want your potential buyer to love the property on offer, make sure you use emotive language. Remember adjectives? Aren’t they great? Fabulous? Fantastic? Stylish and stunning? Descriptions shouldn’t be neutral. You can still be professional and make a clamour about all the wonderful things on offer.
4. Get them to agree
Questions force the reader to slow down and engage. Focus on rhetorical questions that imply only one correct answer, e.g. ‘Where better to unwind with a glass of wine/cosy up with a loved one/hide away with a good book?’ This is an indirect selling method that it is actually helpful rather than irritating.
5. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Set the stage as you guide the reader through the main rooms. If you’re marketing the house as the ideal family home, make sure your description projects the buyer’s fantasies into the scene. Help them imagine catching up with their kids while cooking a wholesome family meal, playing board games around the fire in the depths of winter, or growing veggies and collecting eggs with the little ones in the fabulous garden.
6. Get out of the word rut
People quickly grow tired reading lists, and the same can be said about repetitive language. It’s easy to use a single set of descriptive words accidentally, so crack out a thesaurus if you’re really struggling. You have to make a constant effort with this one because it’s natural to fall into patterns and grooves.
7. Go with the flow... and check those foundations
The structure of a piece of writing is just as important as your choice of language. Vary the length of sentences to keep the description flowing well. Avoid a succession of short, snappy sentences – they read like lists. Mix it up with questions, break up paragraphs, and use subheadings to make information easy to find.
8. Let the house be a special snowflake
As an exercise, sum up the house in one sentence, keeping in mind what your ideal buyer wants. By doing this, you nail down the property’s Unique Selling Point. Refer to this guide during the writing process, so you don’t lose focus.
9. Check twice, check again
Most people either skip over the editing process altogether or rush through it, which is understandable if you don’t have lots of writing experience. Having worked as a professional editor for essays, books, and newspapers, I know you aren’t finished just because you stop typing.
I have corrected countless estate agent editorials before insertion into newspapers, and I frequently spot incomplete sentences that start one way and end in another, incorrect punctuation, and dangling modifiers. If you loathe grammar, it’s a good idea to run the description through an online checker after reading the piece back for sense and glaring typos. Ensure a second person proofreads the final copy before sending it off or uploading online. I dedicate half an hour on this stage, going through the work three times before submitting.
10. Delegate to a specialist
It’s hardly surprising that crafting an excellent description is a lot of work. Writing is a great sales tool, but it takes years to sharpen – and that’s if you have an aptitude for it. I recently started working with a lovely client who found herself spending at least a full working day per week writing up descriptions, which diverted her attention from growing her business. If you are struggling to find the time and motivation to create standout descriptions, brochure copy, or editorials for print media, I would be happy to help. You can learn more about my services here. Feel free to introduce yourself and your business at wordsfromsofia@gmail.com.