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For Sale, By Owner: How To Write A Real Estate Ad

You want to put your home on the market, but you’d like to test the waters and try to sell it yourself before giving up 6% of the sales profit to Realtors. You’ve done your research, think you’ve got the home staged and well-priced. Now how do you write the perfect real estate ad and should you advertise your home in the newspaper?

It seems that folks born prior to 1968 — the year of the Democratic convention in Chicago — have brain wiring programmed to think that everything you want to sell must be advertised in the newspaper. (I think this is the result of subliminal advertising.) People under age 40, however, have been wired differently. The fact that the dividing line seems to be those born during or after 1968 strikes me as ironic. Social networking such as Facebook, Linked In, Plaxo and Twitter are quickly becoming the marketing vehicles for younger agents and buyers. So, how to write a real estate ad for this hip generation and not ignore those who still read newspapers? Consider first the AGE of your buyers: Over 50, toss a few bucks on a Sunday classified. Under 50, you’d better have a presence on CraigsList, the web and Facebook.

Write with your customer in mind.Let’s say that you’re a lover of history, and you bought a historic house on Swiss Avenue. Who is your customer? Someone who also likes the grace and character of older homes. Keep that in mind when you write your ad copy — what does your historic home have that the run-of-the-mill McMansions don’t have, things like “original maple hand-bordered floors” or “Victorian tile fireplace surround”. Picture your buyer as you write, and think about what would appeal to them.

Describe the property, not the customer. Be careful not to run afoul of Fair Housing laws – phrases like “family-friendly” and “exclusive gated community” sound tantalizing but may discourage potential shoppers. Better to stick to absolute descriptions of your real estate like “four bedrooms”, “mature”, and “quiet ‘hood.” Never, never mention a target buyer’s race, color, or religion – that’s clearly against the law!

Name drop brand names and materials.Two of the top five real estate word/phrases words are “granite” and “Corian”? (Others: “state of the art”, “gourmet”, and a nod to our love of nature, “Maple” as in wood, not sirup.) Those words describe specific materials, and that says something valuable to the customer. Of course, you have to know what shoppers in your price point want and expect. If the preference at your price point is for a “Viking” range, you might not want to highlight your dependable “Sears” low-end stove. Descriptive words like “oak flooring,” “soapstone counter tops,” or “Miele dishwasher” – buzz them like the nuggets of a society column.

Look at the competition’s ads. Sounds simple, but you’d be amazed how many FSBOs never do this. Look for repeated phrases that might be evidence of what customers are interested in. Also look to see what differentiates your house. If the competition is a sea of typical North Dallas 1950’s ranches you have a mid-century modern, you might want to emphasize your “open floor plan” or “entertainment flow”.  Show you’ve got that extra pizzazz.

Be careful with code words. There are lots of real estate euphemisms – “fixer-upper” equals shack, ”cozy” equals  “small” – but customers sometimes over-correct for them as they go in and out of fashion.  “Motivated seller”  seems to be the catch-phrase of the day, don’t use it if you don’t plan to slice and dice your price. “Starter home” is another term that’s useful today to attract buyers pepped up with the $8000 first time home buyer credit.

Get ready to rewrite. Rewriting classifieds is one of the big agent secrets; if an ad doesn’t pull right, agents tweak and start over. It’s a good idea to tweak ads weekly and keep careful notes of what works best.