How To Create The Perfect Listing Description For The MLS In 5 Steps

Nobody loves to write listing descriptions.

If you are like most real estate agents, writing compelling, effective sales copy for your listings is one of the most annoying and painful parts of your job.

Even if you love to write, creating listing descriptions for the MLS can be boring and challenging. After all, how many ways can you possibly describe a listing?!

If you can’t afford to hire me to write your listing descriptions for you, don’t worry because this post will help you generate perfect listing descriptions every time.

Step 1. Establish Your Priorities

The first thing that you need to do is decide what your biggest priorities will be in describing your new listing.

As a general rule, I would say to make a short list of the most beneficial elements that the property offers a potential buyer. That might be the size, the price, or the location.

Even if your listing is a total dump, there are some benefits that you can draw out to highlight in the listing description that aren’t otherwise obvious.

Step 2. Avoid Your Instincts

One of the most common mistakes that I see every day with listing descriptions is that they a lame summary of everything that is in the listing details.

There is literally no fucking point in saying the same thing in the listing description that is in the summary at the top.

For example, the MLS description already says how many bedrooms and bathrooms the house contains so you don’t need to drone on and on in the copy about how many bedrooms and bathrooms there are. It is a waste of space, time, and attention.

Instead, give more descriptive details of the benefits that each room offers.

Step 3. Select Strategic Emotions

You can’t write sales copy that doesn’t include emotion!

Emotions are the active ingredient in any piece of effective sales copy.

That does not mean that you have to explicitly use the names of the emotions right within the content. Instead, you should brainstorm the emotions that you want to invoke in the reader.

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions to leverage in order to force people to take action.

Let’s say you wanted to play off of people’s fears with a hurricane proof waterfront listing in a tropics. You can talk about how safe and secure they will feel knowing that their home has had the most modern and upgrades to protect the property in the event of a storm.

Step 4. Welcome Them To The Neighborhood

Everyone knows that location is a major factor for people when they are searching for their perfect home.

Do not make the mistake of failing to talk about the location and the neighborhood. Not only will talking about the location help boost the SEO of the listing description, it gives a clearer picture of the lifestyle that comes with the home.

Remember, you are not just trying to sell a house, you are trying to sell a lifestyle!

Make sure that you include nearby attractions, proximity to nearby cities, and anything else that could be a selling point to living in that house.

Step 5. Toss Out The Cliche Words

For the love of god please don’t use lame cliche words.

You know that you laugh at, roll your eyes, and criticize other agents when you see them do it, so why would you?

Don’t think for a minute that your clients haven't seen a thousand other listing descriptions before and won’t recognize the lack of effort you put in when you describe their cottage as “charming”.

There are plenty of other words out there to use other than “quaint” and “charming” and you are more than capable of using them.

Real Estate Listing Descriptions | Listing Descriptions That Sell - Sarah Layton

"Real Estate Listing Descriptions | Listing Descriptions That Sell - Sarah Layton Writing listing descriptions that sell is an art and a science. Whether you are a real estate agent, property manager, vacation rental specialist, or you are trying to sell your house yourself, I will write a powerful listing description that will make the property come alive.