How Important is Your Agent’s Listing Description?

Real estate listing agents didn’t have to do much to sell homes in the past couple years. Homes were selling at record-speed. Now that the real estate market is balancing out and home values aren’t rising as fast as they were the past couple years, it’s time for real estate agents to get a little more creative when listing homes. One such way to get creative is with a unique listing description in your multiple listing service (MLS.)

Verbal Video Tour

Video tours and virtual tours are trending. Give your MLS listing description a verbal video tour vibe. In your description, start at the front door and create verbiage that takes potential buyers on a tour of the home, room by room. Literally pretend you are walking through the home, in the order that you would show the home in person, and describe it in words. Use creative and unique adjectives and descriptive terms to catch the buyers’ attention.

Set Scenes

Set a few scenes in your MLS listing description. For example, if the home has a back patio or deck facing east or west, describe how relaxing it would be to sit and watch the sunrise or sunset with a cup of coffee in the morning or a relaxing beverage of their choice in hand while watching the sunset at the end of the day. If the home has an open-concept kitchen and family or gathering space, set the scene about how nice it would be to have extended family together over the holidays while reminiscing and eating food from old family recipes. If the main bedroom has an upgraded, private bathroom with a soaking or jacuzzi tub, describe how relaxing it would be to soak in warm water with the lights dimmed, candles lit, bubbles and a good book. If the home has an area that could be a reading nook, in your description ask the buyers to imagine sitting in their most comfortable chair with a pillow and their favorite blanket while indulging in a good book with a delicious, warm beverage in hand.

Unique Terms For Rooms

Catch the attention of your readers with unique terms for rooms in your MLS descriptions. What’s on trend now is some old-fashioned terms for rooms. For example, use the term “study“ instead of “office“ or “den.“ “Keeping room“ is a creative and unique term for a living room right off the dining room or kitchen. Back in the day, hosts used to “keep“ their guests in a front room and entertain them before the meal was served. Don’t use the term “master bedroom“ anymore. “Primary bedroom“ is the leading and trending term currently.

Why MLS Descriptions are Important

A creative and unique MLS listing description can really make listings stand out and attract buyers on paper. Some buyers are attracted by verbal descriptions while others are visual and are attracted by photos, videos and virtual tours. The written word can be powerful.

The Impact

Well written, profound MLS listing descriptions can also impact home values. Buyers may pay more for homes that have created a visual of a warm, welcoming and comfortable environment delivered through a top-notch MLS listing description.

If you're a home seller, work with your agent and encourage them to be unique with the description. When you’re interviewing potential agents, don't forget to ask for creative MLS description samples they've used to help their listings stand out.

If you're a listing agent and creative writing is not a strength, have your broker or a more experienced agent take a look at your MLS listing descriptions before you publish in the MLS.