Real Estate Ads, words that sell and words that fail
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Selling a house? What single word in your ad can add thousands of dollars to the selling price? Do you know which words work best? Do you know that some commonly used real estate ad words can backfire and harm your sale opportunities?
There are a lot of standard phrases used in real estate ads. Just because you see a phrase used a lot doesn't make it a winner. Some of those common phrases, like "motivated seller" can work against you!
Are you a FSBO? That translates to "For Sale By Owner", pronounced "fizz-bo". Do you use a real estate agent? Either way, you need to pay attention to how your home is marketed. The words chosen for your ad and flyer's can lure in prospects or can turn them off!
A real estate agent's experience can be valuable in marketing your house. But how about adding a little scientific research?
Paul Anglin, a professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario Canada is also a real estate economist. Professor Anglin led a study in two counties in Ontario to study the affect of real estate ad phrasing on sales price and time on market. The results showed that some common words had a demonstrably positive affect on selling price, and shortening the time to sell. The surprise, to me, was that some commonly used words can get in the way and cost you money!
What's the magic word?
One of the words that can put more money in your pocket is "beautiful". The study showed that using the word beautiful scored an additional 5% in the resulting sales price. That works out to $15,000 on a $300,000 house. I don't know about you, but my house is beautiful!
What are some of the other words that scored positively and negatively in the study?
___________________Words that sell____________________
Some words strike a positive note with today's buyer. Here are some words that have shown a positive effect:
- Curb appeal
- Move-in condition
- Landscaping
- Granite
- Gourmet
- Golf
- must see
__________________Words that can fail__________________
Some good sounding words can double-cross you! Here are some commonly used ad words and how they can be misinterpreted:
- Motivated seller - loosely translated as "I'll take less money so low ball your bid"
- Good Value - loosely translated as "It may not be much, but it's a bargain."
- As-is - loosely translated as "It's a mess and we can't do anything with it, are you dumb enough to try?"
Other words and phrases that can work against you:
- must sell
- good value
- starter home
- vacant
- handyman special
- motivated
__________________A note of caution___________________
It should go with out saying that the words you use must be honest choices. If it's a dump, then the word "beautiful" will get a snicker, not a sale. If you use "curb appeal" then the house better look good as the prospect drives up and gets their second impression. You ad is their first impression; and it should be as good as you can make it!
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What words work for you in real estate ads?Loading...
like to see a layout on how to format the listing on paper do's and dont's wording
I find it interesting that you are giving people advice about writing ads that sell - yet apparently you don't proof your articles for errors! Check the fourth paragraph.
Really useful hub, thanks for the tips, it'll definitely help with my real estate blogging!
This is an excellent hub. I'm about to write ad copy for a flyer for a developer I'll be marketing for, and I needed to find what kind of words will appeal to class A prospects. I'll keep these in mind as I craft the copy. Thanks very much.
Nice hub; there's a couple of words on the don't list that I use too frequently.
good article.. learned a lot.. ^^ thanks!
Also look at the pics. No inside pics? Warning! House cluttered? Might also be in disrepair or agent is not motivated enough on this property to have seller clean up.
Thanks. I needed this advice and shall use it wisely.
Greate article-very helpful thank you
Very informative. Thanks a lot
Thanks for great Info. The information is complete and very organized.
Thanks
thanks for comment. Keep commenting
Thank you for the great comment!
It is always nice to get real feedback from real people
Thanks everyone for your comments – much appreciated!
Nice article! What I find to be important is when we list the updates on the home. Lots of these folks out there don't want to fix a new roof, or spend extra money on new windows. These factors tend to draw in more buyers.
Am I the only one that can see the flaw in the study? Of course houses that advertise "handyman special" will sell for less than those that say "beautiful". pretty houses sell for more BECAUSE they ARE pretty not cuz they SAY it.
Hi J,
I came across this Hub of yours. I enjoyed the read. Thanks.
No wonder copy writers are so expensive. I really believe that copy makes all the difference in conveying what the buyer wants to hear
- Professor Paul Anglin, a real estate economist in Guelph, Ontario
Checkout his web page at the College of Management and Economics, University of Guelph, Ontario Canada His research interests include: house price dynamics, economics of risk and uncertainty, economics of information and computer simulation.
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Acknowledgements
Professor Anglin's study was covered in a news release that found it's way into several major newspaper articles. I saw the study result first in an article written by Ann Brenoff in the LA Times and reprinted in the Arizona Republic.
Other interesting articles on real estate sales
The Cheating Realtor: Shady Real Estate Agents is a very controversial article; be sure to read the comments.
Time Management Tips for Real Estate Agents
How To Stage a Home For Sale
How To Prepare Your Home For Sale: A Guide to Staging
How To Sell My House
OPEN HOUSE!....Risky for Sellers & Agents
FSBO 7 weeks ago
Great article - I used it as inspiration in a blog post here: http://sellingyourownhousenow.com/the-magic-of-wor and of course linked back. I'll be following your hub, excellent work!