How to Write Creative Real Estate Listing Descriptions That Sell: a Step-by-Step Guide

Eight Steps to Writing the Best House Descriptions

You can see why writing great listing descriptions is crucial. But if you're new to creating a property description, you may find the process a little overwhelming. Not to worry! You don't have to be a Hemingway to get results. You just need a plan for writing house descriptions.

Writing a real estate listing description – whether for a website or flyer – is essentially creating an advertisement. Look at the property and consider what the potential buyer might be like. That's your audience. Now let's take a look at the mechanics of your listing. By going one step at a time, you'll have your listing written before you know it!

Step 1: Begin With the Basic Facts

Most real estate listings have an overview of the immediate need-to-knows, typically listed above your listing description. This area includes the facts about the property you're listing, such as:

Step 2: Focus on the Headlines

Getting the attention of the reader is key to any property listing description. Your real estate headlines should be concise and straightforward but also attention-grabbing. There are two essential points to focus on: location and the uniqueness of your property. Here are three examples of compelling home descriptions for listing your property:

• Terrific two-story brick home in the sought-after Bentley neighborhood
• One-of-a-kind Tudor-style home, blocks from downtown
• Modern A-frame house nestled in a private cul-de-sac

Step 3: Highlight Unique Features

The home's best features should always appear within the opening statement in the listing details. The opening sentence, if written properly, will intrigue the potential buyer and make them want more. Here are a few examples of successful opening sentences:

• This single-family home in Columbus features a renovated kitchen with stainless steel appliances and an open-concept layout.
• This spacious townhome is a must-see, featuring a private backyard and easy access to the lake.
• Newly-renovated condo on the top floor of a modern high-rise building overlooks downtown Chicago – and offers free indoor parking.

Step 4: Be Detailed But Brief

Be concise in your real estate ads. The reader should not feel overwhelmed by too much text. Keep in mind that the average adult has a shorter attention span than a goldfish. Generally speaking, your listing service will have word count restrictions, too, so keep your listing below 100 words. Now it's time to tell the story of the home you're selling. Think of it as you would a dating site, and emphasize all the positives. Here are the kinds of things to include:

As a real estate agent, it's a good idea to keep up to date with trending features and benefits that potential homeowners are looking for.

Step 5: Use the Best Real Estate Descriptive Words

Choosing the right words for home descriptions will encourage more buyers, resulting in a more competitive selling price. Here are some examples of enticing adjectives and other real estate descriptive words that can help to persuade interested parties:

Step 6: Make Note of the Words to Avoid

There are certain code words in home descriptions that most homebuyers recognize right away. For instance, "fixer-upper" means the property is falling to ruin. If it really is in bad shape and your audience is comprised of flippers who want to buy low, renovate and resell, calling this out may be to your advantage. But generally, this is a term you'll want to avoid. Here are other words in real estate property descriptions that can discourage prospective buyers:

Step 7: Comply With Fair Housing Laws

You're prohibited from mentioning gender, race, national origin, disability, familial status, and more in your listing. Make sure you comply with the Fair Housing Act and any other laws in effect in your area.

Step 8: Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!

Once you know how to write a real estate listing, it's time to put your skills to the test. Create your final copy, dotting all the "I's" and crossing all the "T's." Now it's time to run your real estate descriptions by a colleague or broker. You want to ensure no typos, grammatical errors or other mistakes will take away from a perfect presentation. In addition, someone who's been in the business for a long time can give you helpful tips you may not have known about.

A Real Estate Listing Example

If you need a little inspiration, you'll find many examples of creative real estate listing descriptions online and in print. Here's one of the real estate description examples we created using the steps outlined above: