By Meghan Belnap
It's time to list your home for sale. You've invested in updating and improving your home, so it should be smooth sailing from here, right? Although much of the difficult work has been completed, there is one more area that is going to need 100% of your focus: your home listing. Simply posting a For Sale listing is not going to be enough to attract the right type of buyers.
Related: 4 Tips to Get Your Home Listing Noticed in Today’s Hectic Market
Here are a few things to keep in mind when setting up an attractive home listing for your property:
Your Listing's Headline
Thousands of home listings are posted on the internet every day. Therefore, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd, especially if your home looks like many of the others in the search results. So, how can you make sure your listing is being seen and clicked on? Having a headline that stops people in their tracks should be the first step in creating your listing. Your headline should contain enough information to let people know what it is while selling how amazing the property is.
First Paragraph of Your Listing
Congratulations! A potential buyer has clicked on your listing. Now all you have to do is keep them from leaving, which can be achieved with your first paragraph. Your first statement should be quick and to the point. This means describing the home (beds, bathrooms, outdoor additions, etc.) and the benefits that come from living in the area (schools, grocery store, hospital, etc.)
Include Any Incentives Being Offered
It's unlikely that your home will sit for an extended period of time given today's hot market, but in the event that it does, the real estate professional you're working with may recommend offering incentives in order to get the offers rolling in. For example, you may offer to pay all the closing fees if an offer is made within a certain amount of time. This type of information is critical and must be added within a special section of your listing.
Don't Forget a Call to Action
Once the buyer has gone through your listing, it's time to help them take action. That comes from applying a Call to Action button at the end of your listing. For example, writing "Call Now" followed by your phone number or your agent's number is a good way to get prospective buyers to take action. By providing potential buyers with their next step, you are making the process that much easier for both parties.
Get It on a Great Site
While this may not seem like the most relevant part of the listing process, it will have a major impact on the number of offers you get. For starters, using a trusted listing site adds credibility to your listing. People will feel secure in sending offers and personal information when they’re working through a reputable site that handles thousands of these sorts of interactions a day.
Home listings are critical to getting your home seen by potential buyers; however, with so many homes on the market, this can be a difficult goal to accomplish. Therefore, it is highly recommended to work with an agent to implement the tips posted above into your own home listing.
Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She finds happiness in researching new topics that help expand her horizons.
I totally agree, the listing text is still important even in a market. The same holds true for photos and their placement.