In the world of real estate marketing, getting people to see a property is half the battle. Assuming you can get them to look, you are much more likely to get them to buy. After all, why wouldn’t they see all the many benefits the given home offers, benefits that made you invest in the property in the first place?

Take this to heart: you have to get them interested. The first impression your home makes on a buyer–-I’m talking at the advertising stage even-–is all-important. You want stunning photographs and quality copy. In this article, let’s talk about the copy.

What is important in a good real estate ad?

1. PRIORITIZING
Depending on the length of your ad, this may be more or less important. When I sold through Buy Owner, I had a large amount of text included with my ad package, and professional writers did the hard work for me. But whether your text is short or long, you need to figure out which features are most important to highlight. Hardwood floors? good. Updated lighting? good. The fact that the bathrooms have sinks? probably a given, and you don’t need to say it.

Yes, this is a little tongue in cheek, but I’ve seen bad ads. Sometimes I think marketers just don’t know what’s worth highlighting.

2. ATTENTION-GRABBING BEGINNING
Think about something that will grab a reader’s attention. What might be helpful is a quick skim of current real estate ads–look at all kinds of sites and note what seems to be working. If something captures your eye, it might work on others. Don’t be afraid to get inspired!

3. CALL TO ACTION
Very important: include a way for the buyer to contact you. List a phone number or, even better, list the next open house date. After he or she is interested, there needs to be a next step to keep them mindful of your property.

Above all: think like a buyer!

, , , ,