There is an art to writing attention grabbing headlines and stimulating ad copy, but I suspect some agents are so busy taking listings these days that few stop to give more than a few moment's thought to their advertising copy. In older neighborhoods, for example, often the type of home is misidentified. Sometimes I see high-water bungalows identified as Victorians or a Four-Square called a bungalow. That shows the agent is clueless. On top of that, I see lots of ad copy that is vanilla and boring.
That's not to say a seller or the agent should overstate or make the home sound grander than it is, because buyers will spin a 180 and walk out if they feel misled. It's important to pick out the top features and play up those benefits in ad copy. Moreover, don't violate Fair Housing Laws. I had an agent insist it was perfectly acceptable to write that the home was located within walking distance of a popular synagogue. That sentence contains two violations that can carry steep fines.
Read more about Advertising Words for Home Selling.
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
Birding since 1995
I've also hiked through the Ring of Kerry in Ireland. Traveling on foot is a great way to see the countryside and small towns. Couple years ago we went to the Galapagos and toured via a 16-passenger boat most of the islands, which is the best way to see the area. Then we slept in a thatched hut in the jungles of Ecuador for three days on our way back home. You have no idea how loud a jungle can be until you are sleeping in the middle of it. The screeches, howls, croaking -- it's unbelievable. Those 17 guys in Nederland paled in comparison to the sounds wild animals in the jungle can make at night.
Has anyone been following that lawsuit going to trial on Monday in San Diego where a homeowner is suing her agent because she bought at the peak of the market? The homeowner, Marty Ummel, has been picketing her agent's office for more than a year. The agent, Mike Little, Re/Max, is also in the lending business and arranged the financing for the home Ummel bought. It seems that Ummel bought a home based on an appraisal of $1,150,000 in the summer of 2005. Ummel's own appraiser says it was worth $1,050,000.