Listing of the Day - Shaker Heights OH

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.


21249 Colby Rd Shaker Heights, OH 44122 $297,000 3 + 2.5


http://realestate.cleveland.com/RealEstate?classification=real+estate&temp_type=detail&tp=RE_cleve&property=cleveland.com&finder=buy&ad_id=287746080


This home is not the most or least expensive property in this area, yet this ad makes all of the necessary selling points.

Excellent use of photos, with only 1 of 8 available being an exterior shot. The primary photo is the exterior one, and it draws a potential buyer's interest by showing off the nice landscaping and gardening, along with the well kept up look and feel. You can instantly tell this home is well kept up and looks lived in.

As the potential buyer reaches the point of decision, the ad moves in the right direction for either choice. Those who initially go to the photo spread can immediately tell they have a spread of interior photos, while the important description copy guides them properly through the best selling points.

Each of the interior photos is carefully chosen. There is enough furniture and items on display to give us a true indication of how nice the interior can look, rather than a cluttered appearance.

What I like even more is how the photos show windows and brightness in each room. It is an excellent example of showing it without saying it.

Just below, the all-important description portion presents non-stop selling points. The style, the street, the fireplace, the porch, the yard, the storage space, the library, and the "oversized" bedrooms.

Even the "convenient to shopping and restaurants" is well placed at the end of the description. Just as an interested potential buyer (which they are having looked and read this far) would feel good about the home and start to wonder about its location, they now learn that this property is not out in the middle of nowhere. Good timing.

One more plus to this listing ad. It is focused on the property and not the agent. At first impression, it is far more important to determine whether or not the property is a potential fit than to know who is representing it.

However, in this instance there is actually too little information about the listing agent. From my having created, looked at, and listened to thousands and thousands of property descriptions over the years, it is very very rare that I have to point out when there is not enough information about the agent.

All that is shown on this listing ad is the name of the firm. No phone number or contact information. (I actually had to take the time to seek out the realty firm's web site and track down the name of the listing agent on this property.)

Other listings shown on this search do have contact information, so this is the fault of the agent. A potential buyer should not have to take extra steps to make a contact after having looked at and read this well orchestrated advertisement for this home. Once I have to click elsewhere, I am immediately exposed to other homes and other agents.

If I were a potential buyer and called some other agent because it is easier, there is a darn good chance the agent listing this property would never know it. Another agent would most likely present additional options to that potential buyer. It hurts to see a property ad which is so well done, but suffers because of the lack of a call to action. One phone number placed above the primary photo would have made this a "A" grade listing.

Did you ever watch a "great" commercial or show, start telling someone about it, and then you can't remember the name or the network showing it? If you have, you know how the person or people you are telling will say, "Then it couldn't have been that great if you don't remember where it was". That applies here.

Grade: B-But in this instance, add the contact information, and I would change it to "A".

(There was no agent name, phone, or other contact information as of 8 PM September 27, 2009.)


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.