Month: October 2024

Creating property listing content is a key element of any agent’s day-to-day, but what should your listings actually include?

Homebuyers and vendors no longer accept the bare minimum when it comes to property listings; buyers want as much information as possible to inform their decisions, and vendors want their property marketed effectively.

The bar for agents is now set far higher – so, what does the perfect property listing look like in 2024?

In this blog, we’ll explore how you can optimise your listings for fast sales with content, whilst showcasing your agency’s brand at its best.

Property Photos

Property listing photos – the part of your listing that viewers see first on portals, platforms or your website.

Whether they’re taken by you, or by a professional, your photos should set your listing up for success.

Studies have found, unsurprisingly, that listings with high-quality photos sell up to 50% faster and for a higher price.

(Psst. If you want to learn more about taking property photos we’ve got lots of information on our blog!)

Before we get into the specific photos you should be including in your listing, let’s outline some general tips for property photos.

Specific Photo Checklist for Agents

These are the specific shots you should be considering including in your listing:

Make Your Property Listing Photos Stand Out

You know those listing photos that stop you scrolling and make you go ‘WOW’ – those are the kind of photos that differentiate your listings and your agency.

It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to create this effect either, here are three tips that can help you get that wow factor from clients and buyers.

1. Aerial, Drone and Elevated Shots 

For high-value properties where you are using a professional photographer, these can be a great way to make sure your listing stands out from the rest.

2. Dusk Shots and Blue Skies

Dusk shots and blue skies can easily transform drab property photos. This is a simple but cost-effective way to make your listings jump out at readers.

3. Object Removal

Video

Video content is becoming increasingly common in the world of property listings, with most portals now offering options for video upload.

it’s not a necessity, but it can be a great way to help potential buyers get a better feel for the property you’re listing.

Listings with video get higher engagement and are more trusted. Plus, it may positively impact your listing’s SEO.

Here are some video formats you could include in your listing to boost interest and wow your vendor:

Floor Plans

Floor plans are quickly becoming a standard element of property listings. Including them as a brand helps you stand out as a quality agent and contributes to quicker sales.

In fact, recent studies show that listings with floor plans spend on average 50% less time on the market than those without.

When adding floor plans you will want to make sure they are readable, current and that your branding is included if you have created the floorplan yourself.

Here’s an example of a professional branded floor plan created using the PropertyBox Platform.

Property Description

 
That’s the fun bit done. Now it’s time to get your writer’s hat on.

You’ve got to include high-quality written content to accompany your visuals, or all the effort that has gone into your photos, video and floor plan is redundant.

We’ve got a whole blog on how to write great property descriptions, so below we will just be outlining the information you’ll need to include.

1. Property Basics

These are the basics that the reader wants to know before they go any further:

2. Description Details

Now the reader knows whether the property is suitable for them or not, it’s time to bring it to life with some more detail:

3. Miscellaneous

Got some interesting info about the property? Don’t forget to include it!

4. CTA

Don’t leave your potential buyer hanging. Include your CTA so they know how to organise a viewing.

5. Legal info

Double check you’ve disclosed everything you’re legally required to. You can view an in-depth look at material information requirements for property descriptions here.

6. EPC

Make sure you’ve included your EPC too!

Additional Content

If you’ve got this far you’ve already created a pretty stellar property listing. However, if you want to add a few extra finishing touches here’s a couple of ideas:

Conclusion

There you go. All the components you need for a stand-out property listing!

It may seem like a lot, but remember, there are plenty of tools out there to speed up the listing content creation process. Our PropertyBox platform takes the heavy lifting out of description writing, floor plan creation, EPC ordering and photo editing so you can create standout listings, in a fraction of the time.

 
 

Eleanor Keech

Eleanor has worked in content creation across various industries, including tech, beauty, and fitness. She is excited to support both existing and potential BoxPros through content that will help them enhance their property marketing.

Property descriptions are arguably one of the most important elements of a property listing.

It’s normally photos that grab the buyer’s attention, so property photography is vital, but if your property description isn’t well written, you’re unlikely to convert your reader.

View your property descriptions as an opportunity to make your listings stand out, demonstrate the quality of your agency, and motivate homebuyers to action.

In this blog, we’ll outline how to adapt your property description writing for different audiences, the ideal structure and must-haves, three golden rules for property descriptions and useful AI tips and tricks.

The Benefits of Writing a Good Property Description

You have a million things to be doing as an agent, so why spend your time and effort writing excellent property descriptions?

A good property description will help your property listing stand out in the competitive real estate industry. And when done write, it allows you to:

Effective property descriptions have a lasting impact that goes beyond simply marketing an individual listing. They can influence how home buyers perceive your agency’s brand and contribute to long-term SEO benefits.

How to Write Property Descriptions for Your Target Audience

Considering your audience is the key to any effective piece of marketing copy.

Before you start writing your description, think about who is going to be interested in this type of property, and how you should adapt your writing to connect with them.

As well as considering which features to highlight, consider how your tone of voice could resonate with a particular audience

Take a look at our cheat sheet below for some tips on how to write property descriptions for different audiences.

Writing Your Property Description – What Should Agents Include?

1. Headline

Your headline should give the essential property information. Don’t overcomplicate it, think about the key information buyers are filtering by – the number of bedrooms, type of property, location, and stand-out features.

e.g. ‘Stylish 2-Bed Apartment in the Heart of the City’

2. Opening Statement or Summary

Next, Include a concise opening paragraph expanding on the headline. Provide a brief overview of the property, highlighting its benefits.

Introducing this luxurious 2-bedroom flat located in the city centre. Featuring panoramic city views, modern amenities, and excellent public transport links, this apartment is ideal for young couples or professionals.

3. Detailed Property Description

This is where you’ll include the details of the property. Remember, you want to provide the reader with the required information to make an informed decision, without losing their interest.  

Avoid adding information that has already been included in the headline and opening statement. Aim for 250 words or less to keep the reader engaged.

Highlight features of the property that were not essential enough to be included in the headline and opening statement, but still add value to the property e.g. balconies, number of bathrooms, basements, integrated appliances, fireplaces.

This is also the time to include details about the property’s condition, any recent renovations, and provide further insights into the surrounding area and local amenities e.g. schools, hospitals, and shopping centres.

Also, ensure you include any relevant information regarding the sale e.g. no onward chain, immediate exchange of contracts available.

Unsure which features to highlight? A report by RightMove found these are the 10 most popular features for homebuyers and renters:

How to Highlight the Property’s Features

As this full-length segment is substantially longer, you can be more descriptive. Take advantage of this and try to integrate emotive language and adjectives to characterise the features and to help your readers envision themselves in the property (e.g. “Charming roof terrace” “Airy dual aspect living room”.)

Buying property is an emotionally driven experience, so storytelling can be an effective copywriting tactic for listing descriptions.

Elaborating on the property’s features and explicitly stating the benefits is another way to demonstrate the potential of the property to the reader.

e.g. The dual-aspect design of the living room ensures an abundance of natural light, creating a bright and inviting open space

4. Bullet list

Look back at the content you have written and create a bullet list of the property’s most appealing features. This could be anything from chain information to security systems to location details. Ask yourself if you could only tell the homebuyer 4-8 things about the property – what would they be? Remember to keep your target audience in mind!

Listing features like this allows buyers to skim-read and quickly digest the property’s best features. It acts like a hook to entice them to read the rest of your full description. This will normally be positioned towards the top of a listing.

5. Call to Action

Last, but definitely not least, is the call to action. What good is it writing a fantastic property listing if you’re not telling the reader what to do if they are interested?

You, of course, know what you want an interested reader to do, so make sure they do too! Make it easy for them by ensuring your CTA Is direct, simple and stands out.

E.g. Contact the agent here, Schedule your tour here

3 Golden Rules for Property Description Writing

1. Be Concise and Clear

No one likes waffle. Yes, you want your property listings to be descriptive and compelling, however, you want to ensure that the listing is easy to read and to the point.

Homebuyers are reading hundreds of property descriptions, so they want to get the information they need quickly, without unnecessarily complicated phrasing.

2. Be Positive

We’re sure we don’t need to tell you this, but just in case, ensure your listing is filled with positive adjectives and imagery that paint an enticing vision for the reader.

Stuck using the same boring adjectives for your properties? Here are a few you could use to keep things interesting:

3. Be Honest

It may be easy to get carried away with rule number two, but our most important guidance is to be honest! Only include factually correct information and don’t bend the truth. The ramifications for being dishonest in property listings can be reputationally damaging, and legally impactful.

How to Write Property Descriptions Using AI?

It’s hard to talk about copywriting in 2024 without mentioning AI. Here are ways you can use it to simplify property description creation.

Creating an Initial Draft

If you find getting started with your property description hard, using ChatGPT or Perplexity is a good way to create a starting point. Enter your property information and prompt it to create a draft property description. You can then use this as a building block to edit and refine as you choose.

Grammar Checking

AI is making spelling errors an increasingly rare occurrence in property descriptions. Make sure you don’t stand out for the wrong reasons and ensure you are checking your content before posting the listing. You can do this again by using the tools mentioned above, pasting your listing, and prompting for a grammar check.

Property Description Generators

Description generators like PropertyBox’s AI Descriptions tool allow you to create your property listings in seconds. After inputting core information about the property, you can choose your tone of voice, and description length the tool will generate a full-length description, a summary and a feature bullet point list. This tool is specifically created to write descriptions for agents, so you don’t have to worry about getting a prompt right.

All the content will be grammatically correct and you can make any tweaks you wish to make it sound a little more like you!

There you go – an in-depth guide on how to write property descriptions!

To conclude: write for your audience, follow a description structure, stick to our three golden rules, and utilise AI where necessary.

Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to creating listing descriptions that rocket your listing engagement, and get those leads rolling in.

Happy Listing!

Eleanor Keech

Eleanor has worked in content creation across various industries, including tech, beauty, and fitness. She is excited to support both existing and potential BoxPros through content that will help them enhance their property marketing.

Video marketing: You might not want to hear it, but the truth is estate agencies can’t escape it in 2024.
 
Video content has now become the most popular content format.

89% of consumers want to see more video from brands. Marketers who use video grow 49% quicker than those who don’t.

More importantly for estate agencies, 73% of homeowners say they are more likely to choose an agent that uses video.

So, if you want your agency to have an effective digital presence and reap the rewards of content marketing, you need to start creating video.

We get that video is hard work – it takes time, and getting started with filming and editing can feel overwhelming. 
 
However, the benefit of marketing in a world increasingly obsessed with video content is that helpful tools and resources (like this blog) are more accessible than ever. So, you’ve got no excuses!

In this blog, we’ll cover why your agency should utilise video marketing, the types of video marketing that may be valuable to you, tools to help streamline video content creation and distribution, and how to track the success of your video marketing strategy. 

Why Does Video Marketing Matter to Estate Agencies? 

It’s no secret that content is an important element of a successful agency.  
 
Bad content (low-quality descriptions, blurry photos, old floorplans, etc.) means your listings are unlikely to get the attention they deserve, resulting in slower sales and potentially a lower selling price. Uh oh. Unhappy vendor, unhappy agent. 

In fact, a significant 62% of homebuyers stated they would offer below the asking price of a property they liked if it was presented badly online.

It’s important to note that the impact of poor content or a lack of content extends beyond individual sales. Not investing in content marketing can severely hinder your brand’s growth, significantly reducing your visibility and leaving you far behind competitors who are actively engaging in effective content strategies.

On the flip side, good content offers a multitude of benefits to agents. And good content now means video, so it needs to be part of your content strategy.

The Benefits of Video Marketing for Estate Agencies

The benefits of video marketing can not only help accelerate the sale of your properties and improve the experience for your current vendors, but also play a crucial role in developing your brand and sales pipeline by enhancing brand awareness and reputation. 

What Video Content is Right for Your Estate Agency

Okay, so you’ve recognised the need to incorporate video marketing into your strategy. But where do you begin? 
 
When considering which type(s) of video would be valuable for your agency, take a step back and reflect on your objectives. 

What business goals are you aiming to achieve through video marketing? 

For many agents, their primary business objective is to secure more instructions from potential clients. However, you may also have other supporting goals, such as establishing yourself as a thought leader to develop your reputation or providing exceptional service to your current clients to increase word-of-mouth referrals. 
 
Work backwards from these goals and consider who you need to target with video in order to achieve them. 
 
Is it your current vendors, home buyers, or potential clients? If it’s thought leadership you’re prioritising, you’ll be looking to connect with other agents and industry professionals.  
 
These two questions will help you focus your video marketing efforts on the most relevant content and audiences for your agency’s success

Video Marketing Ideas For Estate Agencies

 Here are some content ideas to support different agency objectives:

Tools and Equipment for Content Creation  

 
Now you’ve hopefully figured out which type(s) of video content you want to focus on to support your business goals, it’s time to stop planning and start recording. 

Filming Equipment

When getting started with video content, it’s best to begin with the basics. For most of your content, your phone will do the job. The quality of recent phone cameras is more than sufficient for most content creation unless you need professional-quality footage for high-value property listings, in which case you’re likely hiring a professional photographer anyway. 

Tripod

While not essential, a tripod can be useful. It’s especially useful for talking head-style content or if you want to film yourself in front of a property. This tripod is a great and affordable option, particularly for agents, as it is portable and lightweight. 

External Mic

If you plan to record a lot of voiceovers or venture into audio content, consider investing in a good external microphone. This will save you time by reducing background noise, and provide a crisper finish to your video content. We use this mic for our voiceovers—it’s simple to use and delivers excellent sound quality. 

Screen Recording

The previously mentioned equipment is nfor if you’re shooting live people or properties. However, there may be times when your content doesn’t include ‘live’ footage, and you may want to use screen recordings or incorporate photos as the main content of your video. 

For screen recording, I recommend using Loom, this tool will also allow you to record yourself simultaneously if you want to talk through a property tour you’ve filmed. 

How to Film Content for Estate Agencies

When recording video content you really don’t want to wrap up filming and get to editing, only to realise you haven’t got the right footage for what you need.

These simple points will help you capture the best footage possible, streamline the editing process and ensure you avoid the frustration of having to refilm.

Video Editing Software for Beginners

Now you have your well-shot clips you’ll want to piece your content video together. Like with your equipment, the simpler you keep your editing tools in the beginning, the better.  
 
If you’re looking for a simple and cost-effective way to splice clips together some good examples are Inshot, or Clipchamp if your agency uses Microsoft.  
 
If you want something that gives you more graphic and special effects options, Capcut Pro is a really good option. It also has a decent mobile app if you’re looking to edit content on the move.  
 

If your agency already has a business Canva account this can also be a super-efficient option. Although the editing options are fairly limited, Canva is clearly investing in video, and it is more than sufficient for basic editing. Plus, it makes the inclusion of animated graphics quick and easy. 

Creating Engaging Video Content for Marketing Channels  

There are so many different formats of video content you can create for different channels. This makes it impossible to give a cookie-cutter set of guidelines on how to create video that performs. 
 
However, there are some transferable guidelines for video marketing. This rules will help make your content more engaging and effective, regardless of where it’s uploaded:  
 

For specific video marketing channels, consider optimising video for these video lengths and channel features:

Measuring Video Marketing Success – What metrics should you use?

The metrics you’ll want to focus on largely depend on the goals you set for your video marketing. For example, if you’re only focused on winning new business for your agency through video marketing, CTR and conversions will likely be your key metrics.  
 
However, if you’re looking at building your brand awareness and reputation, metrics such as shares and engagement rates will also be important to you.  
 
For almost all video, you should be looking at your demographics to ensure your target audience is viewing your content, and you should also be looking at watch time/retention rate to see whether your content is engaging viewers.  

Conclusion and Video Creation Alternatives

So there you go, embracing video marketing is no longer optional for estate agents in 2024; it’s a necessity.  
 
The majority of your customer base prefers video content, so integrating it into your marketing strategy is key to increasing your agency’s visibility and engagement.  
 
By focusing on the right types of videos for your agency’s goals you can effectively reach your target audience, and convey your message in a more engaging way.  
 

If filming and editing all video content seems too time-consuming for you, PropertyBox has a Social Media Campaigns feature! This allows agents to create property highlight reels in a matter of minutes and post them directly to marketing channels. You can even track your analytics and send your vendor the content directly via SMS. Check out our free trial offer, and best of luck with your video marketing!

Eleanor Keech

Eleanor has worked in content creation across various industries, including tech, beauty, and fitness. She is excited to support both existing and potential BoxPros through content that will help them enhance their property marketing.