What Makes a Special Agent?

Tips and hints for writing property descriptions

If someone described a particular style of writing and told you it contained phrases such as ‘compact’ and ‘bijou’, or ‘spacious’ and ‘sought-after’, you could probably guess which market we’re in.

Every profession has its own jargon, but estate agency is among those lampooned the most. Maybe it’s so recognisable because by far the majority of agents are guilty of using it.

Break the mould and write an honest, warts-and-all description and it can go viral – albeit as an amusing item to cheer everyone up while they’re surfing the web.

However, with estate agents on our books from the UK, Portugal and Turkey, we were hoping there might be a halfway house between jaded hyperbole and excruciating honesty.

With help from the experts at Rightmove, we’ve developed a style which seems to resonant both with our clients and their customers.

The five rules we try to follow are:

1/Avoid repetition

If it’s in the headline, it doesn’t need to be in the body copy too. Say, for example, the title indicates the house is semi-detached and has three bedrooms, you don’t need to give that information again in the first paragraph. It’s far better to include other features so a potential buyer learns as much as possible about the property in the first 50 words.

2/ Avoid clichés

Your estate agency might be ‘delighted to introduce to the market’ a particular property, but saying so is superfluous and a waste of those precious 50 words. The hard truth is that no one really cares; they’d prefer to read as much as possible about the property. Stick to facts.

3/ Highlight stand-out features early

Have a brand by all means but try not to be too formulaic. You might want to list features in a logical sequence but, if the property boasts something which makes it remarkable, bring it to the attention of potential buyers as soon as you can.

4/ Beware of assumptions, colloquialisms and opinion

Is that nearby amenity really only an ‘easy walk’ away? If you’re able-bodied, it might well be – but what if you have some physical challenges? And is the leisure centre really ‘a stone’s throw away’ – be honest, could you hurl a stone that far?

It might seem petty or pedantic, but deals can quickly fall through if a viewing is booked on the basis of misleading information or personal opinion – to say nothing of the potential impact on your credibility. It’s better to be as factual as you can rather than cutting corners with lazy language.

5/ Check for typos

It’s always harder to spot your own errors so get a colleague to cast an eye over property particulars if you can. It’s surprising how many descriptions make it onto the portals with addresses spelled incorrectly, which then hinders them from appearing in online searches by potential buyers.

 If you’re a property agent and would like more guidance, we’re sure Rightmove, Zoopla or any of the other portals would be willing to offer some pointers.

However, we’re also more than happy to act as a resource, either through one-to-one consultancy or as your very own wordsmiths producing your blogs, website words and property descriptions at reasonable rates.

Just drop us a line or give us a call if you think we can help – at Dolphin International Communications, we’re only a click away…