The Perfect Property Listing

When searching for property on the internet there is nothing worse than coming across a property listing which is missing essential property information or where information has been entered incorrectly. Not being able to make an informed decision about a property because of missing or incorrect information frustrates many property seekers every day and often results in them moving to the next listing.

Many private sellers (along with a plethora of over paid real estate agents) do not correctly list their property(s) on third party real estate portals. Below are 7 points which you should make sure you address when uploading your listing to Privatepoint;

1. Listing must include Photos
Look on any real estate portal and you will see the most popular listings are those which have photos, and not only 1 photo but at least 6 photos. Photos are the only piece of information in a listing which physically provides the viewer with an actual insight to the property.

Most people are stimulated by pictures rather than words and the first thing they use to compare listings on a page is the thumbnail photo. If you do not have a thumbnail photo the user is more likely to skip your listing and select the next listing which includes a photo.

2. Sharp and Relevant Heading
Your photo might catch the eye of a viewer but if it doesn’t then your heading can. Your listing needs a sharp yet relevant heading which will attract viewers. A few examples are provided below;

Amazing Uninterrupted Views – property with views
Deep Water Mooring – property which backs onto water
Modern Sophisticated & Great Position – new property in good location
Spacious & Sun Drenched Apartment - good use of space and a lot of windows
Large Modern Family Home – perfect for families

Never use headings such as “Must Sell”, “Be Quick”, “Will Sell Fast” or “Priced for Quick Sale” these are tacky and you are not selling a used car or outdated stock. These headings look even worse when a property has been on the market for more than 2 weeks.

3. Concise Full Description
Real estate agents will often create very short and brief property descriptions while private sellers tend to create flowery and long winded descriptions. If the description is too short you could neglect to include a relevant piece of information which could result in a viewer not wanting to inspect your property. Alternatively, if you have a 5 paragraph description with 5 sentences in each paragraph which reads like an essay, most viewers will avoid reading it.

The ideal description for a property listing should be written discussing accommodation, bathrooms, then other rooms, parking, external aspects and then perhaps some local area information. It should be two to three paragraphs in length and include 2 to 3 sentences in each paragraph. The features of the property can be outlined in the features section and should be concise and brief.

4. Publish the Street Address
Often private sellers and real estate agents will not publish the street address of a property because they are frightened that agents will try and obtain the listing. This can not be avoided and is a frustrating part of the sales process.

In the internet age, potential buyers and renters demand information at their fingertips. Property searchers use the internet because of its convenience, usefulness and efficiency. They don’t want to be phoning or emailing you about basic information which should be included in a property listing.

5. Publish the Price
Everyone has a budget which limits the amount of money they can spend on a property. Property searchers will be interested in property within or just above their budget and will often overlook property without a price range. The old way of thinking, which is to hide the price so property searchers call you, no longer works. What it does do, is frustrate the user and results in an uneasy first conversation.

Unless the property is for Auction, you should always make sure the price is published, at a minimum at least give the pricing range.

6. Fill in all Information
The Privatepoint system has a number of fields requesting different information about your property. The reason we have all of these fields is because 3rd party real estate advertising websites accept information for each of these fields.It is in your interest to provide property seekers with as much information as possible, so make sure you complete all information fields we offer.

7. Errors in Property Listing
On so many occasions I have viewed a property listing and seen a spelling error in the property headline, an extra number in a telephone number or an incorrect email address. Not only do these things look unprofessional but if your contact details are incorrect then potential buyers or renters will not be able to contact you.

You do not need a degree in English Literature to write a property listing rather simply do a draft in Microsoft Word and then a spell check. Before you press submit to upload your listing check over everything to make sure there are no errors. It is helpful to find your property listing on a 3rd party website to see what it looks like. If you need to make any amendments then log back into the Privatepoint system and update your listing.

8. Answer all Enquiries
All emails and phone calls need to be answered. In most cases potential buyers or renters will only attempt to contact you once. So make sure you reply (in a timely manner) to their email or return their unanswered call.

Summing up……..

Make sure your property listing includes as much information as possible but be careful not to make it too long winded and flowery. Always check the information you have entered is correct and free from spelling and numerical errors. Reply to all email enquiries and make sure you follow-up on unanswered telephone calls.