Real Estate Copywriting

[Mark Andrews]

Can you point me in the direction please of some excellent examples of real estate copywriting?

Also, have you noticed any discernible differences between real estate / estate agent copywriting across different countries?

The approach used by realtors in America for example, is this much different to estate agents use of sales copy in Europe in your considered opinion?

If you have spotted any real differences... what are these please?

Same question goes for the use of photography in real estate copywriting, have you spotted any difference in approach between North America and the European real estate markets?

Best,


Mark Andrews

[Mark Andrews]

Okay, one of the reasons I asked this question was because of the often appalling sales copy used by many estate agents in Europe especially.

Quite often I look at the property websites in Europe and all too often - I'm absolutely appalled at the very low quality copywriting used.

Take this property for example...

Now I just went to Google and thought let's start in the west - Portugal...

So I typed in "Portugal Property For Sale"

Clicked on the top link which goes to PortugalProperty.com and then clicked on the first link on the navigation bar to look at their luxury properties for sale.

And then clicked on the very first property available for 6 million euros - ($8.5+ million) - Not small change by any stretch of the imagination!

And here is their sales copy for this property...

*****
Property description:

On top of a small hill, opposite the emblematic área of Belém, this property has a privileged location, the surrounding gardens, agricultural area, play area were designed to an infinite detail so that everything fits and welcomes its surroundings. The main house has all the prime areas with river, or sea views, or towards an extensive olive grove - quiet and peaceful - which descends slowly down to the river. With a small agricultural and riding infrastructure, this property is just 15 minutes away from downtown Lisbon, 10 minutes from the beach and 5 minutes from main (inter)national road access.

This 50,000m2 property, formerly owned by Bordalo Pinheiro, was acquired ina state of ruin by the present owners, renovated and transformed into a paradise: by the river Tejo ... or by the sea. A thousand words could not describe the beauty of this property: delight yourselves with the pictures: it is a request!

*****

Don't tell me this sales copy couldn't be improved upon massively!

It's appalling. Here we have a luxury property for sale and a worded description of this property which looks like it was flung together like mud to a wall in about 5 minutes flat. Very little care or attention has obviously gone into the copywriting for this property, despite the rather hefty price tag.

Do you honestly think this is going to inspire many inquiries from potential buyers internationally? Hazarding a guess I would say a resounding no!

Eight million five hundred thousand dollars plus and this is the best they can come up with? It's dreadful.

And this is just one example from the first link at the top of Google going to the very first home for sale on this business owners real estate website.

Believe you me there are tens of thousands of similar real estate ads in Europe. At my estimate, well over 75% of them written in English which doesn't even make any sense. Nevermind using words which actually connect the properties in question to their ideal potential target buyers!

If you're a copywriter struggling for work... dare I suggest to you to look at some of these property advertisements, contact the estate agents concerned and offer to rewrite their sales copy for them on each of their properties for sale on their respective websites.

It's a numbers game, the more estate agents you contact telling them the benefits of using very well written sales copy to connect said properties with their ideal target market, the more money you'll both make.

They want to sell these properties they're acting as agents for and you can easily help them to do this with some flair and creative imagination on your part.

Best,


Mark Andrews

[livitweb]

There's heaps of stuff on the copywriting for realestate... too much sometimes I think. and it can get very confusing...
I suppose I like looking for descriptors in any good copy. (Hot, delightful, Beautiful, great value, etc etc..). some of them don't match the picture sometimes !
my thoughts anyway.
David

[kellyburdes]

I don't know about copy for agents, but I have a tendency late at night to watch Real Estate infomercials on TV and a lot of them are pretty good and idea's from them find their way into my copy pretty often.

[dreamcube]

Real Estate Copywriting samples.

[Jamesgregory]

Get on the lists of Than Merrill of FortuneBuilders.com and Preston Ely of Learntowholesale.com. Their copywriting is geared more for their info products, not necessarily for listings per se. Real estate nonetheless. They are both FANTASTIC marketers and have very unique styles.

I highly recommend checking them out for marketing guidance at the very least... They influenced the heck out of me and I have much to thank them for. Hope this helps and good luck!

[ThomasOMalley]

See if you can find Bill Myer's Unfair Advantage binders. He has some excellent examples of real estate copy in them.

[marciayudkin]

Real Estate Copywriting samples.

But these are full of cliched real estate adjectives (fabulous, magnificent, gorgeous), stilted verbs (see below) and grammatical mistakes ("it's" instead of "its," "cities" instead of "city's" and more).

"Three opulently-appointed bedroom suites reside just off of the main living area. " Reside? Ugh.

Marcia Yudkin

[fluffythewondercat]

"A thousand words could not describe the beauty of this property: delight yourselves with the pictures: it is a request!"

This sounds as though it was written by someone who's been told he needs to end his spiel with a call to action but just can't think of one.

"It is a request!" is hilariously close to "Please look at the pictures, I'm begging you."

fLufF
--

[seobirk]

Pete, you shouldn't be surprised that most of the realtors don't pay much attention to the texts written. They somehow translate it, in your case from Portuguese, and they are quite happy with it. Of course the language skills might not be the best as well. If it is a Portuguese realtor who is mainly selling the property to the Portuguese speaking market, then he doesn't care much about English. Although he should with a property like that

[Mark Andrews]

Originally Posted by seobirk

Pete, you shouldn't be surprised that most of the realtors don't pay much attention to the texts written. They somehow translate it, in your case from Portuguese, and they are quite happy with it. Of course the language skills might not be the best as well. If it is a Portuguese realtor who is mainly selling the property to the Portuguese speaking market, then he doesn't care much about English. Although he should with a property like that

Well obviously they do care enough, otherwise why translate it (or attempt to do so) into English in the first place?

I cannot speak for other parts of the world but for the European estate agents the northern European potential buyers are a large part of their potential market share. And I don't care for the excuse saying it doesn't matter. Of course it matters.

Buying a first or a second or a third home is often a huge investment. And a very poorly written house for sale ad simply isn't going to attract the interest from potential buyers that it could do with superbly crafted sales copy / photos.

In the example I provided above that was literally the very first link from a Google search. Look around and my point is... it's a huge market out there for good copywriters to home in on. And there's plenty of room for any copywriter looking for more high paying copywriting projects to take on.

House prices here are also just starting to move upwards again, it's a buyers market out there at the moment. And with competition so feirce in this market sector these estate agents need to do everything they can to get potential buyers nibbling interest.

Best,


Mark Andrews

[Mark Andrews]

Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat

"A thousand words could not describe the beauty of this property: delight yourselves with the pictures: it is a request!"

This sounds as though it was written by someone who's been told he needs to end his spiel with a call to action but just can't think of one.

"It is a request!" is hilariously close to "Please look at the pictures, I'm begging you."

fLufF
--

Give me a thousand words for that property description and I'd belt it out of the park. Fact. Even their pictures leave a great deal to be desired. Especially with that price tag and subsequent commission for the agent.

Before I made the transition into copywriting, I was actually running my own aerial photography company for the estate agency market here in the UK. It's a niche very dear to my heart. I've actually just sold a lot of my aerial photography equipment to a former police officer who has just moved to Poland in the past few days.

Goodness knows what planet that particular estate agent is on. May sound a bit harsh (fair enough) but with this price tag, if I was the property owner - I'd be furious with them if that was the best they could come up with. It's terrible by any stretch of the imagination!

[Joe Ditzel]

Not to dredge up an old post, but I have a real estate client that needs some copywriting. These are high-end properties so I'm trying to get a benchmark on fees. Does 1% sound right for a copywriting fee on a $1,000,000+ home? What would you charge if they can supply you with several leads a month?

[Mark Andrews]

I just sent you a pm Joe if you would like to check your inbox.

All the very best,


Mark Andrews

[TheNightOwl]

Actually, Joe, I'm glad you brought this one back to life because I missed it first time around and I recently got a flyer from a local agent which I have to say is pretty ordinary (the flyer, that is; not the agent. Although he could be, too, I suppose).

What's interesting about the flyer - and what made it stand out from all the usual real estate guff - is that it appears the agent paid for it himself. That is, it seems not to have been produced by the agency.

So this guy's out there promoting himself directly. Good on him! And I reckon I can help him do even better.

But... I don't have any experience working in the real estate market so I'm not sure how agents are used to working with copywriters.

* Is it mostly inhouse?
* Is it commonplace for realtors to work with freelancers?
* Are they amenable to percentage of sale deals?

Etc.

If anyone who has worked with realtors would be kind enough to chime in on any of that, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks a lot!

TheNightOwl

P.S. I'm in Australia, by the way, if that makes any difference.

[Steve Hill]

Originally Posted by TheNightOwl

But... I don't have any experience working in the real estate market so I'm not sure how agents are used to working with copywriters.

* Is it mostly inhouse?
* Is it commonplace for realtors to work with freelancers?
* Are they amenable to percentage of sale deals?

As a former Realtor, I can say it depends on the Realtor and the particular property. For most "average" commission-only listings, most "average" Realtors will do the marketing copy, photos, and takeaways themselves, or have them done in-house. This is because any expense is out of pocket with no guarantee of selling the home and recouping the expense. (This also means Realtors are often, shall we say, conservative about spending.)

For higher-end listings, successful Realtors will often hire companies specializing in higher-end RE promotions, including video, scripts, and dedicated websites. However, that is no assurance of quality copywriting - many voiceovers and web pages sound like the example that Mark cited.

Ads in the RE magazines usually rely on the Realtor to provide the copy.

Some smarter clients will give the Realtor a separate promotional budget up front (removed from the commission if it sells) to encourage the Realtor to invest in quality marketing.

Some smarter Realtors (usually specializing in higher-end properties) will always work with quality marketing in the first place (including good copywriters, graphics/print people, and video companies). This probably applies globally.

There is always room for improvement in real estate copywriting. The trick is in finding a pricing model or client that can work well with the commission model (maybe it will sell and maybe it won't), which all too often limits investment in quality marketing materials.

[Mark Andrews]

Originally Posted by rajivweb

Reputable copywriting services are usually expensive. This mostly has to do with the facts that good creative writers are at a premium, and that copywriting as a trade is time-intensive by nature. If you, or someone working with you is able to write compelling sales copy for your real estate business, then that could be a huge money saver when developing, revamping, or building upon the original resources of your website. Here are some handy tips that, when practiced together, will help you avoid the biggest common mistakes amateur sales writers make.
1. Be Confident
2. Express The Personality Of Your Business
3. Write With Purpose And Substance
4. Use Proper Spelling And Grammar
5. Address Your Core Demographics
6. Underpromise And Overdeliver
7. Emphasize Your Qualifications
8. Direct Attention Towards Actions
9. Keep Keyword Relevance In Mind
10. Monitor Your Readership

Originally Posted by Joe Ditzel

You should at least credit the source on this.

I agree with you Joe.

Give credit where credit is due...

The above post by RajivWeb was obviously swiped directly from here... 10 Real Estate Copywriting Tips For Sales | Real Estate Marketing Blog

[TheNightOwl]

Steve,

Thanks for responding. That gives me a much clearer idea of how it operates.

Thank you.

So given those "restrictions" (for want of a better term), any ideas for how to approach realtors? What kind of angle do you think would -- at the very least -- get them nibbling on the line?


I need to get my thinking cap on about this obviously important point:

Originally Posted by Steve Hill

The trick is in finding a pricing model or client that can work well with the commission model (maybe it will sell and maybe it won't), which all too often limits investment in quality marketing materials.

[Steve Hill]

Originally Posted by TheNightOwl

So given those "restrictions" (for want of a better term), any ideas for how to approach realtors? What kind of angle do you think would -- at the very least -- get them nibbling on the line?

You're certainly welcome.

As for approaches, it depends on your locality and market (i.e., big city, suburbs, lots of commercial real estate or not, farmland, resorts, tourist areas, etc.).

I'd try to determine the most successful local Realtors in the chosen niche (commercial, residential, farmland, specialty properties, etc.) and contact them directly. If they are successful, they are going to be busy people, but always looking for anything to give them an edge or save them time and money.

Successful Realtors will recognize the importance of quality marketing, but still need to be conservative with expenditures in a slow market. Being able to offer a one-stop solution is helpful. Be prepared to travel and visit properties personally. Anything to save them time is appreciated.

If just starting out, a good approach (depending on your location) is to see if you can make a presentation at the local board meetings (where Realtors get together weekly or so to present new properties to other Realtors, go on tours, etc.). You can give away handouts, have a drawing for a freebie, or use other creative marketing in your ten minutes.

Alternatively you can sometimes get, buy, or rent the mailing list for all board members and send information to them. That's more of a scattershot, though - I'd focus on the top agents if possible.

There's a few ideas off the top of my head, hope it helps.

[TheNightOwl]

Some wonderful tips there, Steve. I really appreciate it.

Thank you very much.

Here's an idea your comments sparked...

Contact the local realtors' organisation and discuss giving a short workshop on how to write better ads that will sell properties faster and for bigger commissions. Get the organisers to contact a couple of their members and ask for some sample ads to critique. Three would be plenty.

Ideally, you get these ads in advance so you can make notes and build them into the presentation.

Then do a presentation starting with the problem you pointed out above: the commission model (maybe it will sell and maybe it won't), which all too often limits investment in quality marketing materials. And how this could be costing them a fortune in both tail-chasing and money.

Then slide into a section that builds the desire for good copywriting and how it will rock their world to have better performing ads.

Sprinkle in a couple of classic stories where copywriting is the hero. Schlitz could be a good one. Or the hail-damaged apples. Tired to us, perhaps, but probably fresh to a room full of real estate agents.

Then tell them you're going to show them how to do it themselves... for free!

Go through the summer school version of Copywriting 101.

Take some questions from the floor.

Then do your "hotseat", where you take the ads you were given and critique them right before their very eyes (well, kinda... more like "Here's one I prepared earlier" style. It should still have the same kind of effect).

Then classic "Before & After" set up. Thank the anonymous realtors who were kind enough to submit their ads. Make a joke that they can have the "After" version for 50% discount of $1500. Then say "Aw, shucks, just joking, of course. Thank you for letting me use them. Whoever submitted them, please come and talk to me afterwards. I'm not going to charge you anything. But I do need to work out a couple of details" (namely, that you have the right to use them as exampes, blah blah blah -- have a release with you, ready to be signed). This should signal that you're not cheap.

Sidenote: Beforehand, expand the presentation a little bit to include more commentary, include some pictures, format it nicely and turn it into a pdf & workbook.

Take some more questions from the floor.

Offer your Whitepaper at the end for anyone interested. Be sure to bring far fewer than you expect to give out. Then you can legitimately say "Gee whiz, it looks like I've run out. How about you give me your business card and I'll email you a copy."

Whaddyathink?

[Steve Hill]

Originally Posted by TheNightOwl

Here's an idea your comments sparked...

Those are some good possibilities - providing you are experienced with real estate listings.

Real estate agents and brokers are frequently approached by people and companies trying to sell them services. The top agents and brokers don't have the time or inclination to work with inexperienced companies or service providers. Their reputation is on the line with their clients too.

Listing copy will also vary depending on property type and target buyer audience - copy written to sell a home will differ from copy for a commercial building. There are many abbreviations used for various types of property listings too, so you would need to become familiar with those.

Having said that, a free lightweight workshop on writing better listings could be well received, again providing you have real estate experience to back it up. (I've seen many amateur board presentations be poorly received because of the lack of real estate experience - it's a waste of time for professional agents to sit through them, and to them, time is money.)

As specific properties are associated with specific agents, you might have difficulty getting current listing copy to pick apart in front of all their peers. Perhaps a better approach (especially if you don't have real estate copywriting experience) would be to find an existing poorly-written ad (preferably for a high-end property), and make an offer directly to the listing agent to rewrite it for free.

Then, when (and if) the property sells, you'll have a winning before and after example to use, as well as some verifiable local real estate copywriting experience.

If you are good, much of your business will come from referrals, and you may never need to make that presentation before the board. It's probably not a good idea to educate them too much about real estate copywriting, anyway - there are expensive paid seminars available for that.

If you do go with the board presentation, having a free giveaway is one of the best ways to collect business cards.

Good luck in your venture.

[Lori Kelly]

As a licensed Realtor, when I look through our local MLS I am extremely disappointed in the agents' quality of work.

When we put a listing in our MLS, we are allowed to use 24 photographs. Some of the listings have two photographs (one is required). Other listings have 24 photos but the quality is very poor. When I see the listings that have fewer than 24 photographs, I cannot imagine why an agent would not take advantage of putting the maximum number of photos on the listing.

Some of the descriptions of the property are extremely poor.

Realtors are not copywriters and most here in the US do not have the skills to write good copy.

Here is a description of a $2 million listing.

This east facing , open water house had a total, high end, face lift in 2007. Granite, marble, new air conditioners, kitchen, fixtures,etc. This exquisite place also includes an upscale outdoor living area complete with kitchen & bar. Located on a private cul-de-sac, words can't describe how elegant this place is. The master bathroom has an inside & outside shower! From the gated entry to the sunrise over Lake L.B.J. in the back yard, amazing! Seeing is believing. This house is being sold as is where is.

The agent used 14 photos.

The US has Boards for Realtors in every city. Most of the Boards are online with a link to the membership.

After a listing is entered into local Multiple Listing Services', the majority of the listings are picked up on realtor.com.

There are Realtors, mostly in the higher end of the market, who will spend the money to hire a person to write a good description. They also pay a professional photographer. It is this type of agent who understands the importance of good copy and good photos.

To get your foot in the door, you can try writing a FREE description for the agent and send it to them. Normally, the agent has many listings and if they can see the value of your service from one listing, there's a good chance they will hire you to write the descriptions for their other listings.

The real estate companies have weekly meetings. If you are marketing locally (here in the US), you can ask the managing broker for a quick presentation on how to write effective copy.

[TheNightOwl]

Thanks Steve & Lori

Some extremely good advice in there from folks who clearly understand the real estate business. I appreciate it and I'm sure the lurkers on this thread do, too.

Cheers,
TheNightOwl

P.S. Thanks, as well, Steve, for the link to the abbreviations. That was thoughtful.

[Prouddad]

Several years ago, I attended a Kennedy-Glazer No BS Marketing Conference. I learned there that Dan once mentored a guy who's had much success helping real estate agents and brokers jack up their sales.

I would imagine that a guy like this knows a thing or two about effective copy for real estate sales. His name is Rob Minton. His blog is located at Sales | Renegade Millionaire Blog

I hope this works out for you.

[alfid]

Maybe "Copywriting For Real Estate Advertising" by Gery Deer could be good for you.