Listing of the Day - Columbia SC

For more than 20 years, I have worked with realty agents and mortgage lenders regarding a variety of marketing and advertising matters, including writing literally thousands of individual property descriptions. In an effort to improve the impact of the marketing of listings, I randomly choose current listings around the country in a variety of price ranges and comment on their effectiveness. No current clients of mine are used, nor do I know any sellers or buyers or have any additional information about the property.

http://www.cbcarolinascolumbia.com/property/property.asp?PRM_MLSNumber=248101&PRM_MlsName=ColumbiaSC&VAR_AgentCode=FELICIJ&VAR_OfficeCode=cbjg03


226 Philmont Dr, Columbia SC 2 bed 2 bath $106,000


This one is not the least or most expensive listing the agent currently has.

As much as I preach making interior photos a part of advertisements and online profiles, this listing shows why it depends on the property. The exterior shot is an excellent one. It showcases an attractive well painted home with nice landscaping, the driveway, and the attached garage.

However, the interior photos which are used feature noticeably little or no furniture, making it impossible to tell if the house is really empty or if someone lives there that can't afford furniture. A couple of the photos could use an explanation and don't have them. My impression started out quite high based on the exterior photo but dropped significantly while viewing the interior ones. Since I knew this was not even the listing agent's lowest priced current listing, it is not as though this is a "fixer" or the lowest priced property in town.

The all-too-brief description tells us about the "open floor plan", but frankly that seems a stretch after seeing photos of an entire room with no furniture. Does this mean you should only have one or two pieces per room?

All we are told about the surrounding area is that this home is "convenient to interstate", but there is nothing about proximity to schools, shopping, services, or other forms of civilization. Otherwise, there really is not any appealing description. I don't see where this home is a bargain or has a desirable location.

I'm pretty sure that the listing agent (and other agents) would counter my last point by reminding me that there are places on the page to click for "Local Services", "school" and map information. Had I only been shown the primary exterior photo and an enticing description, I might have looked longer. This is a big part of the reason for doing this "Listing of the Day" feature. This agent spent time and effort to secure this listing. This property has some good selling points including curb appeal, especially for a home in this price range. It is not up to a potential buyer to look hard enough to find them.

Grade: D


Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property and is its accuracy is not guaranteed. Neither Dave Kohl nor First In Promotions shall be held responsible for any representations.


At this time, I have openings for more realty agent/office clients to critique current and brand new listings on an hourly basis. No current or past client listings are featured on this blog.Random listings are chosen around the country.


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