Realestate.au have just released the following information that I thought you may find interesting if thinking about selling now or in the future. If you would like to discuss please feel free to give me a call - 0418 667761 The 2 secrets to a listing that pops – creativity and the mandatories by REA , 26 Jun 2014 Good copywriting is obviously the first key to a good listing. But recent data reveals 86% of visitors to your website will ignore properties without an address; and 91% will ignore properties without a price. The key is to match creativity with the mandatories. 1: THE CREATIVITY Have you ever read a property listing that sinks its hooks so deep into you, you start coveting a property about 100 times beyond your price range? Some listings are a powerful adhesive to your attention. We hold a magnifying glass up to the best ways to write a listing that sticks. For something to be memorable, it has to stand out. It’s not often you see property listings describing a house as an Alice in Wonderland adventure. But copywriter Carolyn Moriarty from Hoch & Wilkinson in Queensland has received buyer – and press – attention for her finely crafted listings that are too good to ignore. Consider the introduction to this listing for a country cottage: “Unlike Alice in Wonderland, there will be no need to drink a concoction that has the flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pineapple, roast turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast to enter the garden behind this quaint cottage. No need to find a tiny golden key, although there is a great chance you will discover one…” Light on details, yet strong on intrigue and appeal. When we ask whether her quirky property advertisements attract more interest and enquiries from buyers than their run-of-the-mill, ‘renovator’s delight’ counterparts, Moriarty says yes, they do. “Real estate is a very competitive industry, so we have to differentiate ourselves from our competitors in some way. That initial first impression is so important. If the picture is appealing, and the headline creates intrigue, the listing is a winner. An entertaining listing is well and good, but whether it attracts enquiries is another thing altogether. Moriarty explains that for a listing to not only attract notice but also garner enquiries, “the agent has to paint a scenario that appeals to the reader. Listings that create pictures through words are better.” As an example, she suggests: “‘This property has never been lived in, it’s never had its first red wine spilt on the cool ceramic tiles throughout the low maintenance living areas, it’s never heard the sound of daily conversations over the preparation and serving of the family meals in the open plan kitchen and living areas.’ That sounds much more inviting than, ‘new property, ceramic tiles throughout, open plan living.’” So what first inspired her to create listings that break free from the traditional mold? “I remember listing a 100-year-old home that had sat empty for about 20 years. Inside the house sat all the furniture and belongings of the only family that had ever lived in it. The photos hung in large antique carved frames, the gold plated tea set, the kerosene lamp in the middle of the silky oak dining table, the large piano, the ivory hairbrush in the crystal bowl on the dresser. Honestly, it was like stepping back in time. I think that house made me stop and think about the importance of the impression I get from my initial inspection of a property. That impression then becomes inspiration. And besides,” Moriarty continues, “I was bored writing the same old copy over and over. I needed to amuse myself.” 2: THE MANDATORIES The strength of a listing isn’t all about copywriting. Recent data from a realestate.au study suggests that a property listing that gets the most clicks isn’t all about the way it’s marketed, but rather the core information that the listing contains, like estimated price and the image. That old saying “you only get one chance to make a first impression” is never more true than online, where buyers are scrolling through properties at a quick rate. Make the pictures of the property pop. It doesn’t matter how great and catchy the headline is, if the image beside it looks dull and dreary, viewer attention will slide right on to the next one. The following statistics from the Omnibus are likely to shock: THE STAT 91% of browsers will ignore listings without a price estimate. Include one, and your listing becomes more informative and more relevant to your target audience. THE REASON Many buyers are limited by their borrowing capacity and budget and will only search properties within a price range. THE STAT 86% of online visitors will ignore an online listing without an address. THE REASON Buyers want to get a feel for the neighbourhood and to gauge how close the property is to amenities, transport and cafés. Many buyers will also check the address on Google Earth to assess its street appeal and the quality of the houses around it! Source. Residential Consumer Omnibus, October & December 2013.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 02:12:02 +0000
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