Real Estate Description: Choose an Agent Who Knows How To Sell a House P:4

The Importance of Real Estate Description

Are you about to hire a real estate agent to sell your home for you? You need an agent who knows how to sell a house. There are 5 key skills an agent needs to have to qualify as an agent who knows how to sell a house (see our handy checklist below). #4 is the mastery of the real estate description.

Gone are the days of buyers choosing houses solely based on their empirical value. No longer are number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage and price/square foot what's top of the mind when buyers are looking. The searches on real estate websites (where all your buyers are looking) weed out the listings that don't have the right number of bedrooms, bathrooms square footage, etc. By the time buyers are reading the description that accompanies your listing photos they're interested in more than the basics.

The most important thing to buyers is feeling that their quality of life will be great if they buy your house. They want to understand the lifestyle that goes along with owning your house. So, if if your house is in the type of neighborhood they want - whether that be deep in the forest or within shouting distance of their neighbors - is important to them. If it's their idea of convenient - whether that means walking into town to grab a bite to eat or within 10 minutes of the thruway so they can commute easily - is important to them. What condition the house and grounds are really in - whether they need fixing up or don't - is important to them (remember some people want a project). How can you tell if an agent you're considering knows how to write real estate description? Look at their current listings. If their listings say something like this,

"Adorable charmer in the cute village of Phoenicia. 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, fireplace in living room. Great stainless steel cook's kitchen. Recently renovated by current owners, new Pella Windows, furnace, siding, carpet etc. So many wonderful upgrades. This won't last long, so see it today!"

Instead of something like this,

"Welcome to Phoenicia, one of Budget Travel's "Top 10 Coolest Small Towns". Restaurants, tubing, trout fishing, hiking, and a thriving music, theatre and art scene are all w/in walking distance. Skiing is just up the road. Become part of this welcoming community in this oversize cape on a quiet side street in the village. Nearly 2000 square feet of space that feels like it's in New England but is really just 2 hours from NYC! Wood-burning stove, firepit in the backyard, large garage for storing outdoor gear. The home was fully gutted and renovated in 2005 so with new systems, roof, windows, siding and insulation, it is energy efficient, low maintenance and worry-free. Downstairs: Entry hall, formal dining w/fireplace, comfy living room, 2 bdrms (one used as an office), and a full bath. Upstairs: 2 large bedrooms, and full bath. Spacious master with access to the eaves on both sides of the house which provide excellent storage. The full bath has a nice vintage claw-foot tub for soaking. Stream stone paths cross the front yard where two massive maple trees provide cooling shade in the summer months and landscaping includes magnolia, lilies, hydrangeas and other flowering bushes. In backyard is a large sunken firepit. Fire it up at night and lean back for a star show as bright as any planetarium. The one car garage with an extra storage room in back has plenty of space for all your outdoor gear and star-gazing equipment."

If you want to work with an agent and find that they don't write compelling real estate description. Either insist that they give this type of description a whirl (some agents are set in their ways because the basic description highlighting the value of the home used to be la mode - they can probably do better if asked). If their real estate description of your house makes you want to stay there and never leave, shake your head to clear it, and hire them. They know how to sell a house.

Up next.....#5 Listing Optimization. See Also #1 Photography Skills, #2 Video Capability, #3 Staging Skills.

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