You Can’t Sell a Secret (Part 3)
Welcome to the final instalment in this series looking at the importance of advertising your property if you want to achieve the best result. This week the focus is on what makes an effective advertisement by looking at the two elements – images and text.
Images
In real estate advertising, first impressions are everything. We have a few seconds to capture the interest of a potential buyer before they move to the next listing. The photos need to get their attention, enticing them to seek further information. Think about what attracted you to your property and what is its best feature and discuss this with your agent. Quality images are vital – I guarantee that all of the images will be viewed before a word of text is read. We recommend engaging a professional photographer – and it is actually cheaper than you think. Their knowledge and experience behind a camera can make even a plain room seem more appealing. Providing a quote for professional photography and scheduling a photoshoot can be organised by your agent.
Advertising, especially for properties, is a visual medium. First, make sure your home is picture perfect. Keep the ‘less is more’ principle in mind – make sure the home is not cluttered inside or out. You might want to revisit our earlier blog on this topic for more detailed information and tips.
Property videos are becoming popular – certainly amongst the agents who charge for them. But a word of warning here. Consider the cost. The money spent on a video may be better off spent on a boost to the advertisement or on better styling. Also, if an agent is pushing a video, take a look at their previous video listings. Frankly, some property videos are more about the agent than the property. If you see more of their face than you do of the home, then do not pay for a video.
Text
The property text should be clear and concise. Again, buyers only spend a short time on each listing so it is critical that we make it is easy to find the basic property information and highlight the property’s key features in the first paragraph. An effective property description keeps the flowery adjectives to a minimum and should not rely on clichés. Hidden treasures, gorgeous, charming, forever-home; the list of overused real estate descriptors is endless.
Most importantly, the text must be well structured and free of errors. Poor spelling and grammar will create a poor impression of your home.
You be the editor
Insist that you see the images and text before anything is published. This is not an unreasonable request, especially if you are paying for the advertising.
Monitor the advertising’s effectiveness
Your agent should give your regular (at least weekly) feedback on how the ads are doing. If you are getting plenty of hits/views for the ad, but very few inspections, then the agent needs to talk to you about the list price. The market is saying that “We’ve looked at the ad, but we think it is too dear so we are not going to waste time and inspect.”
If the advertisement is getting very few views, then there is probably something wrong with the images and or the description. The ad (or maybe the property) needs an urgent revamp.
When making the decision to engage an agent, check out their current and sold listings online. The manner in which a listing is presented is often a reflection of the service you are likely to receive from that agent.
