Prepare a Real Estate Ad not Like a For Sale by Owner
Sell your property privately through Privatepoint the private real estate sale, for sale by owner ( FSBO ), DIY sales private house sales website.
A private real estate sale or for sale by owner often struggles to create compelling and attractive copy for their real estate advertisement. I find that some for sale by owner real estate advertisements are too long winded while other private real estate sale advertisements simply do not have enough information. When a real estate for sale by owner is a writing their property advertisement they should have a look on Domain or REA at other real estate advertisements written by real estate agents.
There are two layouts which a real estate for sale by owner can use to display their property information in a real estate advertisement, dot points and paragraphs or a combination of both. There is great debate amongst real estate agents as to which is the best method to use to create the perfect real estate property advertisement. Some real estate agents think the paragraph layout is the best as it is more professional and if it is well written can take the reader on an adventure through the property. Other real estate agents feel that property and real estate buyers don’t have the time to read long, flowery descriptions of a property and rather concise dot points which can be easily viewed over do the trick.
In my personal opinion, coming from a mathematical and accounting background I prefer dot points as I like to gather as much concise information about the property as quickly as possible. Regardless of what method a real estate for sale by owner chooses there are few important writing points they need to make sure they follow.
Information – The real estate for sale by owner needs to provide as much information as possible, the more information they provide the more likely a property seeker will be interested in inspecting the property. Often a real estate advertisement with dot points will have more concise information than an article written using paragraphs.
Headline – Headlines are what readers see first so a real estate for sale by owner needs to choose something which grabs the property seekers attention and also something which is creative.
Open sentence – Even if the real estate for sale by owner uses the dot point layout they need to make sure they include a sweeping and seductive opening sentence. A real estate for sale by owner should try not to use the same terminology used in your headline, although they can rehash the point made the wording should be differently.
Closing Sentence – This is where the real estate for sale by owner reminds the property seeker why this property is perfect for them. The real estate for sale by owner needs to tell the property seeker what to do next “An inspection will not disappoint, contact the property owner today to organise a personal viewing”.
Structure - Regardless of whether the real estate for sale by owner uses dot points or paragraphs they need to make sure they structure the information in the correct way. They need to start with the most important features and work their way down to the less important.
- Headline
- Opening Sentence
- Details about the Bedrooms
- Details about the living, dining rooms, office, rumpus room
- Details about the kitchen
- Details about the bathrooms
- Details about the laundry, garage and storage rooms
- Details about balconies, entertainment areas and pools.
- Details about out sheds, backyard, front yard, landscaping etc.
- Details about the location of the property in regard to shops, schools, transport CBD
- Outline benefits and features of your suburb
- Closing Sentence
By a real estate for sale by owner having a well written and structured real estate advertisement will greatly improve the number of enquiries they receive for their property. If a real estate for sale by owner is not sure whether their advertisement is written correctly then they should have a read of advertisements prepared by real estate agents as they as usually do an excellent job.
Comments
I agree, the best method is dot points. Easy to understand and does look like to much effort.
JaneH
26.11.08
7:09 am
Spelling errors are the worst. How hard is it to complete a spell check before you post a listing?
Given the technology available now days it is almost impossible to post an article or submit something with errors. Real estate agents are some of the worst offenders here!!
Drew Burkinshaw
26.11.08
12:11 pm
lol……”Real estate agents are some of the worst offenders”.
That would be because the majority of them only completed up to grade 10 at school.
In their experience in car & insurance sales they only need to complete paper work and not write articles!
T-Bone
27.11.08
5:29 am
T-Bone, very funny and sadly very true.
Here is a resource which can be used to help write articles for your property listings.
http://www.thecopycat.com.au
Glenn Page
27.11.08
11:52 am
I prefer to see as much information about a property as it helps me make a decision regarding whether to view the property. I think concise points are ok but it doesn’t allow you to differentiate your listing from all the others the user has looked out.
Micky
27.11.08
7:36 pm
The web browser Mozilla Firefox has many better features than any other browser. One of these is the automatic spell check when you are writing anything in the browser.
Luke Randall
28.11.08
7:22 am
That’s hilarious T-Bone. I would guess from your comments that you’re living in a lower socio-economic area, where it may be true that many real estate agents were salesmen of some other calling prior to entering real estate. In the affluent coastal suburbs, most of us are uni-educated and some of my colleagues were scientists, builders, chiropractors, teachers, and I was a language teacher (still am), ski instructor, and hotel manager (& builder’s TA when times have been tough). I know you’re just having a laugh, & I’m not offended, as ignorant people are wont to make ignorant statements.
Mike
09.02.09
8:09 pm