This is the most important blog post you will read this year.
Why?
Because it’s imperative you understand that every listing you put up is really a marketing move.
If you have lousy images, typos, skip the drone footage and house plans, you’re being penny-wise, pound stupid because every person who views your listing is a prospective client.
Yes, people note both exceptional listings and lousy listings. Many people looking at listings are also looking for a realtor.
I’ve noted down realtors in my area who put together the best listings. I’m not the only person. I figure if a realtor puts that much care an investment in each listing, they’re doing a crackerjack job everywhere else.
Here are the 10 worst listing write-up mistakes.
10. No house plans
There are inexpensive services and software that will generate house plans for you. I publish thousands of house plans on this website and I know for a fact, people love them. Prospective buyers will love that you include house plans.
I know this costs more money but given how big commissions are these days, it’s worth throwing some marketing money at selling homes… even non luxury homes.
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9. No drone footage
Buy your own drone for a few hundred bucks and become good at it or hire a service. There’s no shortage of options.
Drone footage is the coolest. There’s nothing like aerial photos and videos to give prospective buyers a really good idea what a property looks like.
Again, it costs money but it boils down to selling the home and collecting fat commissions.
8. Decent photos
In this day-in-age, there is no reason you should be posting only decent photos of the properties you represent. You should be posting exceptional, scroll-stopping photos.
On the flip side you don’t want to over optimize images either. When they veer into that “fake” look due to filtering, it definitely detracts from the listing.
7. Poorly selected featured image
A major pet peeve of mine is when a listing’s featured image is some boring interior photo. This is so dumb yet I see it all the time on Zillow and Redfin.
The featured image is the image that shows up in the listings pages on these real estate websites. Your featured image must attract attention. Aerial shots are the best IMO.
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6. Unengaging photo order
Do not kick off your photos of any property with some boring foyer or family room photo. Yes, those photos must be included but they should not be the first photo.
The first photo should be a throat-grabbing aerial image of the property or some beautiful shot of a landscaped backyard or handsome curb image of the home.
I’ve been been publishing high end real estate articles for years and trust me when I say photo order matters.
In case you care, I order photos of home as follows:
- Aerial (if available)
- Front exterior home view
- Entry
- Living room / great room
- Kitchen
- Dining room
- Home office / powder room and other main floor photos
- Primary bedroom / bathroom
- Other bedrooms
- Other upper rooms
- Patio /deck
- Backyard
- More aerials if available.
5. Empty room photos
There is absolutely no reason that your photos are of empty rooms. There is no shortage of inexpensive software that can magically furnish empty room photos. A year ago this software wasn’t quite good enough but it is now.
Take the time to fill each image with furniture.
As for staging a home, that’s a different matter. When you can and a client agrees, do it. However, while investing some money into listings is important, not all prices support paying for full home staging. Obviously if it’s a million dollar listing and the interior is less than ideal, then staging is worth doing.
4. No walkthrough video
Every realtor has a phone with a video camera. Walk through and take video. Yes, this is raw and may not be the best but it’s better than nothing. A decent video editor can make it good.
At the very least turn your photos into a video. But seriously, it takes very little time or money to do a proper walkthrough video.
Ideally, you’ll hire a videographer to do it professionally, but again, not all listing prices warrant this (floor plan and drone footage is more important IMO).
=> Discover how to double or triple your real estate leads overnight
3. Typos
I am amazed every day how many typos I see in real estate listings. It’s unacceptable. If I were a client and saw a typo on a listing where the potential commission is five figures, I’d not be happy.
There’s AI such as ChatGPT and Claude to spell check or just use built in spell-checkers. There’s absolutely no excuse for typos. It makes you look like a total amateur.
2. Hyperbole
Yes, you want your listing write-ups to ooze excitement and positivity but at some point adjectives lose their effect. Choose flowery language with care. Not everything is amazing or stunning or elegant.
Write like a professional with a little personality injected in there but leave the emoji ladened hyperbole listings to your personal communications.
1. Lacks detail
This is so annoying. I understand most people who view listings don’t read every word; they rip through the photos. However, your true prospective buyers will carefully read every word on the listing page. This is your chance to sell the property.
When you skip over important features, you’re shortchanging not only your client but prospective buyers.
You never know what that one thing will be that makes the sale. For example, when we bought our home, while not having a sauna would not be a dealbreaker, I was intuitively most interested in the home with a sauna because I’m an avid sauna user.
Thoroughly include every feature, nearby attractions… everything.
=> Discover how to double or triple your real estate leads overnight
Isn’t all that expensive?
It’s an investment into selling the house and landing more clients.
Given the size of commissions these days, spending a few thousand to promote it properly not only serves your client, but it ultimately serves your pocket book and landing new clients.
Please please please put great care in every listing. It’s one of the most important marketing activities you pursue.
The good news is most agents are lazy which is good for you.
=> Discover how to double or triple your real estate leads overnight
