Listing of the Day - Sept. 6th

NOTE: 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.slcity.com/manager/listings/l10772.shtml


1349 Zenith Ave., Salt Lake City UT $358,900

The property is not the most nor the least expensive home listed in the area.

This listing ad starts with a solid exterior photo that brings a positive first impression of the curb appeal of this home. Other than the photo that concentrates on the garage (which is helpful to get a feel for the home), any of the interior photos could also be used as the most prominent. The nice furniture that helps to scale the room sizes for the viewer, and these interior photos add to the appeal.

I like how the description paragraph goes right into the selling points of the interior. Maple cabinets along with granite and steel have appeal to many buyers, and this is enticing information which is not available or certain to those who look at the pictures before reading the description.

In other words, this is what a property ad is supposed to do. The exterior photo shows the look of the home and the nice garden and landscaping. Enough to entice a potential buyer to read the description. Wisely, rather than recapping about the landscaping right away, the first sentence targets selling points about the interior.

At this point, the potential buyer has a good impression of the exterior, and within seconds learns a plus about the interior, and wants to know more.

Frankly, one sentence in and I already know that this agent understands how a property advertisement should flow. Everywhere a potential buyer or client can start shows a different positive, and gives one or more reasons to continue to look at this property. He is helping to let this home sell itself, instead of him selling his services.

We go on to learn that the home has central air, a laundry room, dishwasher, and disposal and is well maintained. The photos reinforce the "well maintained" aspect.

The less appealing points, such as the age of the home, that it is not 2 "full" baths, and does not have a fireplace, are all included in the description. It is significant to note that these facts are further down, coming AFTER the positives. As obvious as this would seem, I have re-written hundreds of listings for clients which buried the positives, compared with how they are first here. In addition, this ad emphasizes how this property has been well maintained and refurbished over the years.

Also, factors such as "new and refurbished baths" and "converted patio" when combined with the good photos, help the potential buyer to accept the 'less appealing' points because it appears those have been addressed by the seller.

The copy and the photos tie together and it makes a big difference. As a potential buyer, if you only read about refurbished rooms and no fireplace in an older house and did not see any interior photos, chances are you would move on to the next property.

Another positive is that the names of the elementary, middle, and high school on the page, with a link to school information just below. Especially helpful for a 4-bedroom home.

For this listing ad, there is little that I would change. A potential buyer cannot tell from the photos that there is a downstairs level. The description says bedrooms are "2 main, 2 down" rather than "4 bedrooms". It is hard to tell from the exterior photo if this is a 2-level home or if there is a true basement. Whether or not there are a lot of stairs and the distance between a master bedroom and a possible child's room could be important.

One other matter is the neighborhood. We are not told if this home is close to schools and maybe a fact or two about the area. A "near elementary school", "close to expressway", or nearby point of interest could all help, especially for a buyer comparing this home to others in the same general area.

GRADE: B+


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.

Your comments are most welcome!