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.
177 Morris Ave., Providence R I - 5 + 2 1/2 $599,000
http://projo.sawbuck.com/property/Providence_Metro/Providence/Blackstone/3389685-177-Morris-Avenue
This listing advertisement was randomly selected (as these all are) yet makes for a very interesting study. The photo spread is among the very best I have ever seen, while the description copy leaves a lot to be desired.
Although the primary photo is the only one of the exterior, it is taken from an excellent angle which makes the home show very well. However, it also clearly shows trees with no leaves. Not exactly a reflection of the July day on which I found this ad. (The largest newspaper in town's online site, on which this ad still appears as of press time, also shows that this home has been for sale 113 days as of this writing.)
On a separate note, I understand that the realty agents have little to no control over advertising sources which continue to show the number of days or period of time a property has been for sale. However, I don't understand why they, as advertisers, do not take a stand to have that information removed. Showing how many days creates a negative impression of "this house hasn't sold yet so there must be a problem with it" to a potential buyer.
Those who are impressed with the primary photo and click on the "additional photos" link get a wonderful full page with a 12 photo spread, including most of them being interior shots. Every photo in the spread features a different area of the interior. Even if some of the current colors may look a bit loud for some tastes, these photos display a wonderful feel for this home and do not duplicate. It is clearly the quality of the photos as much of the quantity. (Having 12 photos doesn't mean much if 4 of them are the same room from different angles - not the case here.)
However, after the wonderful buildup with impressive photos, the description copy quickly kills the momentum the listing agent had built up.
A family seeking a 5-bedroom home is not likely to be as concerned with the age of the home nearly as much as the features and appearance. In this instance, starting the copy with "Elegant 1927 Tudor with charming period details" is insane. Frankly, it might as well have read "This is really an old house so be aware" instead.
While the remainder of the description copy is somewhat more focused, it also ends on a lesser note than what it could be. I don't know for sure what an "Integral garage" is, and the closing "great opportunity" is what I call Realtor fluff since it tells me nothing. This copy might fit if it were a $150,000 home in a middle income area, but not for a half million dollar plus property.
What a difference it would make to update the primary photo to include the greenery and to create a realistic description copy befitting this home.
GRADE: C
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Listing of the Day - Advertising Critique - Jackson MS
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.
14 Eastparke St. Jackson MS 4 + 4 1/2 $649,000
http://us.mg4.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.gx=0&.rand=cmhgce4qa31od
This advertisement is a classic example of "set it and forget it" that far too many realty agents do. I would think that the listing agent might want to make an effort to generate a commission on a $649,000 property.
The primary photo makes the house look impressive, but the "photo spread" is an insult to the intelligence of a potential buyer of a home in this price range. It wastes our time to click on the 2 additional pictures when they are really the same shot taken a few feet further down the street. Makes me wonder if the photographer even bothered to get out of the car. As a result, we have no idea what the inside of this home might look like, or where the residents park.
Those who continue to review the advertisement are then greeted with "New construction!" as the first words of the description copy. Normally, that isn't a bad way to start. Except that the upper left portion of the ad states that the home was "Year Built: 2007" and that it was added to this advertisement listing in March of 2009. Seems to me that 3 years is well past the "new" anything stage, but plenty of time to add more photos.
Although the description copy targets the "georgous finishes, huge bonus room, great keeping room" and more, there is nothing visually or within the description copy to support that. Or to tell us what a "keeping room" is. The final sentence of the copy reads "All the best." It certainly does not describe this advertisement.
GRADE: D+
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
14 Eastparke St. Jackson MS 4 + 4 1/2 $649,000
http://us.mg4.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.gx=0&.rand=cmhgce4qa31od
This advertisement is a classic example of "set it and forget it" that far too many realty agents do. I would think that the listing agent might want to make an effort to generate a commission on a $649,000 property.
The primary photo makes the house look impressive, but the "photo spread" is an insult to the intelligence of a potential buyer of a home in this price range. It wastes our time to click on the 2 additional pictures when they are really the same shot taken a few feet further down the street. Makes me wonder if the photographer even bothered to get out of the car. As a result, we have no idea what the inside of this home might look like, or where the residents park.
Those who continue to review the advertisement are then greeted with "New construction!" as the first words of the description copy. Normally, that isn't a bad way to start. Except that the upper left portion of the ad states that the home was "Year Built: 2007" and that it was added to this advertisement listing in March of 2009. Seems to me that 3 years is well past the "new" anything stage, but plenty of time to add more photos.
Although the description copy targets the "georgous finishes, huge bonus room, great keeping room" and more, there is nothing visually or within the description copy to support that. Or to tell us what a "keeping room" is. The final sentence of the copy reads "All the best." It certainly does not describe this advertisement.
GRADE: D+
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Listing of the Day - Advertising Critique - San Francisco CA
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.
48 Turquoise Way, San Francisco CA 3 + 2 $1,050,000
http://realestate.sfgate.com/homes/listing/123-2891/San-Francisco-CA-USA/2-beds/2-baths/SINGLE-FAMILY-type/1000000-3000000-price/Priority,0,,Price_Sales,0-ns/20-CH5521534--123-2975--290-371870--20-CH5522942--123-2891--20-CH5523019--20-CH5523010--193-367710--20-CH5522400--312-81000129-ls/199-t
For anyone that gets past the photospread, this is an excellent job of marketing a million dollar property. The primary exterior photo looks like a gated castle wall entrance and not the property itself, along with appearing to be very close to the curb for a mansion. A poor choice for catching the eye of an interested potential buyer. The remaining photos are mostly exterior and do not provide a scope of the size and features of the home. The last photo shows some of the interior, but appears to be to spotlight an exterior entrance to the inside.
For those who stick around long enough to read the description, it is compounded by having approximately half of the copy touting the location and the exterior features, including some Realtor fluff. The "incredible street presence" and "spacious public rooms" mentions could be turn-offs to buyers or investors of this caliber of property wishing to maintain a degree of privacy. Let alone that they have no idea of what the interior actually looks like after all of this time.
The lower 1/2 of the description, finally addressing the interior, is among the best I have ever seen in my 21 years of reviewing property advertisements. The agent's ability to walk you through with his description becomes a 'written tour' and is excellently done. He makes it seem like a million dollar property without any further Realtor fluff.
It took getting to that point to understand why the seller listed with this agent. That is before the ad reveals at the end that this property has a street address web site with more information.
However, the effective part is too late into the package. Think of a job resume where the applicant lists his/her most significant experience at the bottom, underneath the entry level positions. An employer probably isn't going to keep reading long enough to see the potential of the applicant. That's what happens here.
This problem could be easily fixed, even without adding photos of the interior (although that would certainly help). Simply reverse the order of the content, putting the interior description as prominent.
Until or unless adjustments are made:
GRADE: B-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
48 Turquoise Way, San Francisco CA 3 + 2 $1,050,000
http://realestate.sfgate.com/homes/listing/123-2891/San-Francisco-CA-USA/2-beds/2-baths/SINGLE-FAMILY-type/1000000-3000000-price/Priority,0,,Price_Sales,0-ns/20-CH5521534--123-2975--290-371870--20-CH5522942--123-2891--20-CH5523019--20-CH5523010--193-367710--20-CH5522400--312-81000129-ls/199-t
For anyone that gets past the photospread, this is an excellent job of marketing a million dollar property. The primary exterior photo looks like a gated castle wall entrance and not the property itself, along with appearing to be very close to the curb for a mansion. A poor choice for catching the eye of an interested potential buyer. The remaining photos are mostly exterior and do not provide a scope of the size and features of the home. The last photo shows some of the interior, but appears to be to spotlight an exterior entrance to the inside.
For those who stick around long enough to read the description, it is compounded by having approximately half of the copy touting the location and the exterior features, including some Realtor fluff. The "incredible street presence" and "spacious public rooms" mentions could be turn-offs to buyers or investors of this caliber of property wishing to maintain a degree of privacy. Let alone that they have no idea of what the interior actually looks like after all of this time.
The lower 1/2 of the description, finally addressing the interior, is among the best I have ever seen in my 21 years of reviewing property advertisements. The agent's ability to walk you through with his description becomes a 'written tour' and is excellently done. He makes it seem like a million dollar property without any further Realtor fluff.
It took getting to that point to understand why the seller listed with this agent. That is before the ad reveals at the end that this property has a street address web site with more information.
However, the effective part is too late into the package. Think of a job resume where the applicant lists his/her most significant experience at the bottom, underneath the entry level positions. An employer probably isn't going to keep reading long enough to see the potential of the applicant. That's what happens here.
This problem could be easily fixed, even without adding photos of the interior (although that would certainly help). Simply reverse the order of the content, putting the interior description as prominent.
Until or unless adjustments are made:
GRADE: B-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Listing of the Day - Advertising Critique - Miami FL
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.
3617 Bayview Rd. Miami FL 3 + 4 $1,049,000
http://www.homefinder.com/FL/Miami/50985199d_3617_Bayview_Rd
The primary photo is an attention grabber and does set the tone for the description. It is a challenge to promote an 85 year-old mansion as a million dollar property, but this agent handles it quite well. Those potential buyers who would be attracted to this type of property are going to click on it, even if not a majority. My best analogy is the employment one where "the purpose of the resume is to get the interview". Good resume.
The remainder of the photo spread cleary show why this is a million dollar property. From the prominent swimming pool to the unusual room and window designs to the views to the sparkling kitchen. Clearly well planned and thought out photos, which a 7-figure property deserves.
Although the description copy is far too short, it does pack the punch of delivering strong selling points, even if not enough. It does, however, refer to being on a "private cul-de-sac in the grove". I personally have no idea of what "the grove" is, and wonder if people looking from out of area (and this is Miami, after all!) have any idea. Including that there is a 1 bed 1 bath cottage with the property is also a strong selling point, especially for a large family looking for this type of property.
At least there is no "Realtor fluff" in this copy. However, the advertisement fails to provide information about parking (garage?), whether or not there is a basement or storage, and other possible selling points.
Yet, this is a rare instance where even without enough information, a potential buyer interested enough to click ahead for details could be enticed to contact the agent to learn more. I can see why the seller is working with this agent.
GRADE: B
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
3617 Bayview Rd. Miami FL 3 + 4 $1,049,000
http://www.homefinder.com/FL/Miami/50985199d_3617_Bayview_Rd
The primary photo is an attention grabber and does set the tone for the description. It is a challenge to promote an 85 year-old mansion as a million dollar property, but this agent handles it quite well. Those potential buyers who would be attracted to this type of property are going to click on it, even if not a majority. My best analogy is the employment one where "the purpose of the resume is to get the interview". Good resume.
The remainder of the photo spread cleary show why this is a million dollar property. From the prominent swimming pool to the unusual room and window designs to the views to the sparkling kitchen. Clearly well planned and thought out photos, which a 7-figure property deserves.
Although the description copy is far too short, it does pack the punch of delivering strong selling points, even if not enough. It does, however, refer to being on a "private cul-de-sac in the grove". I personally have no idea of what "the grove" is, and wonder if people looking from out of area (and this is Miami, after all!) have any idea. Including that there is a 1 bed 1 bath cottage with the property is also a strong selling point, especially for a large family looking for this type of property.
At least there is no "Realtor fluff" in this copy. However, the advertisement fails to provide information about parking (garage?), whether or not there is a basement or storage, and other possible selling points.
Yet, this is a rare instance where even without enough information, a potential buyer interested enough to click ahead for details could be enticed to contact the agent to learn more. I can see why the seller is working with this agent.
GRADE: B
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Listing of the Day - Advertising Critique - Hampton Bays NY
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.
Oak Lane, Hampton Bays NY 3 + 2 $1,500,000
http://newsday.optimumhomes.com/homes/listing/2112752-2274273/Hampton-Bays-NY-USA/2-beds/2-baths/SINGLE-FAMILY-type/1000000-1500000-price/80-H0150311--2112752-2274273--80-H44129--80-2279145--80-H0157167--80-H0147535--80-2262834--80-H0111249--80-H35324--80-2261484--80-H37338--80-H46210--80-H28332--80-2258219--80-H50633-ls/20-t/CodeFeatured,0,,Price_Sales,1-ns
My first reaction to seeing this advertisement was "What was the seller thinking?". A home listed at $1.5 million, with less than two lines of description copy?
Not only that. The photo spread also leaves a lot to be desired. I found this advertisement by seeking out the leading newspaper in the area's web site in the middle of June. Yet, the primary photo has trees with no leaves coming in to the photo from two sides. One would think that, especially for a 7-figure property, the agent would have the common sense to update the photos.
The second photo looks across a small waterway. However, there is no description copy to tell a potential buyer whether or not the house on the other side of the water is the one that is advertised, OR if this is a view from the back of the home for sale. Considering that what little description copy there is indicates there is a "private beach", this photo is probably more of a negative than a plus.
Plenty of solid interior photos help to "save" the photo spread from total disaster. However, without captions or even an adequate description, we have no idea what is upstairs or downstairs, and whether or not there is a basement, or any idea of the quality of the bathrooms.
There is no information about the size of the house, number of rooms, or parking. There is nothing about a garage, if there is one. As if this isn't embarassing enough, at the very top of the ad (above the outdated primary photo), the square footage indicates "0". Nowhere in the remainder of this ad is that even addressed.
Meanwhile, the exact street address of this home does not appear within this ad, nor does it appear on the real estate office's web site. One can't even drive by to try and get an idea of the size and scope of the home.
To top it all off, the mere almost 2 lines of description copy end with "Truly A Must See!!". Gee, thanks.
GRADE: D-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Oak Lane, Hampton Bays NY 3 + 2 $1,500,000
http://newsday.optimumhomes.com/homes/listing/2112752-2274273/Hampton-Bays-NY-USA/2-beds/2-baths/SINGLE-FAMILY-type/1000000-1500000-price/80-H0150311--2112752-2274273--80-H44129--80-2279145--80-H0157167--80-H0147535--80-2262834--80-H0111249--80-H35324--80-2261484--80-H37338--80-H46210--80-H28332--80-2258219--80-H50633-ls/20-t/CodeFeatured,0,,Price_Sales,1-ns
My first reaction to seeing this advertisement was "What was the seller thinking?". A home listed at $1.5 million, with less than two lines of description copy?
Not only that. The photo spread also leaves a lot to be desired. I found this advertisement by seeking out the leading newspaper in the area's web site in the middle of June. Yet, the primary photo has trees with no leaves coming in to the photo from two sides. One would think that, especially for a 7-figure property, the agent would have the common sense to update the photos.
The second photo looks across a small waterway. However, there is no description copy to tell a potential buyer whether or not the house on the other side of the water is the one that is advertised, OR if this is a view from the back of the home for sale. Considering that what little description copy there is indicates there is a "private beach", this photo is probably more of a negative than a plus.
Plenty of solid interior photos help to "save" the photo spread from total disaster. However, without captions or even an adequate description, we have no idea what is upstairs or downstairs, and whether or not there is a basement, or any idea of the quality of the bathrooms.
There is no information about the size of the house, number of rooms, or parking. There is nothing about a garage, if there is one. As if this isn't embarassing enough, at the very top of the ad (above the outdated primary photo), the square footage indicates "0". Nowhere in the remainder of this ad is that even addressed.
Meanwhile, the exact street address of this home does not appear within this ad, nor does it appear on the real estate office's web site. One can't even drive by to try and get an idea of the size and scope of the home.
To top it all off, the mere almost 2 lines of description copy end with "Truly A Must See!!". Gee, thanks.
GRADE: D-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Listing of the Day - Advertising Critique - Huntington WV
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.
5183 West Pea Ridge Rd., Huntington WV, $194,000 4 + 3
http://hdhomes.trulia.com/property/1048600908-5183-W-Pea-Ridge-Rd-Huntington-WV-25705
The seller of this house should be extremely disappointed with this agent. For that matter so should other agents. No wonder this property has been on the market for more than 6 months. It must be a one-year listing and the seller is stuck.
I actually chose this one to review because the online advertisement through the Herald-Dispatch (the area's leading newspaper) listing indicated there are 28 photos. My expectations were for a motivated seller and an advertisement overloaded with information, descriptions, and photos to die for.
Not here. After a couple of exterior photos make the house look very appealing, the interior photos show us that the house is practically empty. Some are taken from poor angles. Rooms without furniture do not allow a potential buyer to envision what their furniture might look like, or get an idea of the scope and depth of a room. In addition, a couple of the photos have items left laying around. It reflects that the photographer wouldn't take 30 seconds to move a few items over for the sake of a photo. Not acceptable if I was the seller. Or the manager of that agent.
Yet, it gets worse.
The description copy, which is supposed to provide selling point after selling point, reads "Large updated home, main bedroom suite, lots of amenities". And nothing else. We don't even know what is "updated".
What we do know is that it has been on the market for a long time, is empty and countless people could have been inside to know security secrets. Nothing about the community, whether or not there is a garage or parking, or any reasons for a potential buyer to want more information.
At least six months ago somebody whipped through with a camera and took a ton of photos, and they are probably all on the spread without reviewing each. Then one sentence was typed in for the ad copy. And so it sits.
I think it will sit there until this listing expires through this agent and the seller wises up.
What hurts even more is that with using a few of the existing pictures (and taking out the bad ones) and adding even a mid-level description, this home could easily be attractive to potential buyers.
GRADE: F
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
5183 West Pea Ridge Rd., Huntington WV, $194,000 4 + 3
http://hdhomes.trulia.com/property/1048600908-5183-W-Pea-Ridge-Rd-Huntington-WV-25705
The seller of this house should be extremely disappointed with this agent. For that matter so should other agents. No wonder this property has been on the market for more than 6 months. It must be a one-year listing and the seller is stuck.
I actually chose this one to review because the online advertisement through the Herald-Dispatch (the area's leading newspaper) listing indicated there are 28 photos. My expectations were for a motivated seller and an advertisement overloaded with information, descriptions, and photos to die for.
Not here. After a couple of exterior photos make the house look very appealing, the interior photos show us that the house is practically empty. Some are taken from poor angles. Rooms without furniture do not allow a potential buyer to envision what their furniture might look like, or get an idea of the scope and depth of a room. In addition, a couple of the photos have items left laying around. It reflects that the photographer wouldn't take 30 seconds to move a few items over for the sake of a photo. Not acceptable if I was the seller. Or the manager of that agent.
Yet, it gets worse.
The description copy, which is supposed to provide selling point after selling point, reads "Large updated home, main bedroom suite, lots of amenities". And nothing else. We don't even know what is "updated".
What we do know is that it has been on the market for a long time, is empty and countless people could have been inside to know security secrets. Nothing about the community, whether or not there is a garage or parking, or any reasons for a potential buyer to want more information.
At least six months ago somebody whipped through with a camera and took a ton of photos, and they are probably all on the spread without reviewing each. Then one sentence was typed in for the ad copy. And so it sits.
I think it will sit there until this listing expires through this agent and the seller wises up.
What hurts even more is that with using a few of the existing pictures (and taking out the bad ones) and adding even a mid-level description, this home could easily be attractive to potential buyers.
GRADE: F
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Listing of the Day - Advertising Critique - Boston MA
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.
2360 Centre St., (West Roxbury) Boston MA $249,997 3 + 1
http://realestate.boston.com/homes/listing/2205-71066925/Boston-MA-USA/2-beds/200000-250000-price/142-71072605--431-71072664--2190-71026759--2190-71026758--13699-136006--1049-71072671--2190-71026751--3195-71068710--2205-71066925--1745-71058035-ls/159-t/Price_Sales,1-ns
This one is typical of listing advertisements I like to use when meeting with a realty agent or group of agents who are potential clients. Here is an example of a home that has challenges but could be presented much better than this agent is.
The primary photo provides little more than an example of why agents need to ride herd over the photos of their listings. There is absolutely no reason for this to be such a wide shot from further back. All that does is show what a dreary weather day it was and the bare trees. (I found this ad in mid-May, so it is obviously an older photo, which is another negative.) We see a vehicle parked in the drive way on the right, and a poorly landscaped open stretch on the left. Both of those, plus some of the bare trees, would not have been in the photo had it been taken from closer in.
There is only one other exterior photo in the photo spread. While I understasd they want to show the "large yard", the photo that shows it with a clearly temporary fence not even completely upright and what looks like mud taking up much of the space. It is poorly landscaped. This photo does more harm than good, which is also the case on a couple of the interior photos shown.
Overall, the photo spread does more harm than good. Especially when it is obvious by the bare trees that it was taken weeks ago. Frankly, there is no excuse for these photos to be in a Boston Globe advertisement weeks after the fact.
Those who stick around long enough to read the copy read a careless description. It is then that we find out it is only the 2nd floor unit that is for sale. Because the primary photo is so far removed, it appears to be the entire house for sale. Nothing about this being a duplex or two-flat.
How about the copy reading "newer replacement windows"? One would think that an agent from a nationally known firm would know not to have "newer" and "replacement" together like that. Another red flag to a potential buyer. The "private driveway for 1+ parking" is not a plus when it tells us there is no garage while the exterior photos were taken on a rainy day.
At the end, the last sentence is "Walk to T, commuter rail....." and names a school. Besides "walk to" being an outdated term for Realtors in recent years, naming the school without telling a potential buyer whether it is a grammar school or high school does not help very much.
Based on a couple of the (good) interior photos, and with an exterior one taken to show this home properly, combined with description copy written by someone with expertise, this could be presented as an attractive property. This seller should be extremely disappointed in how their home is being presented.
GRADE: C-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
2360 Centre St., (West Roxbury) Boston MA $249,997 3 + 1
http://realestate.boston.com/homes/listing/2205-71066925/Boston-MA-USA/2-beds/200000-250000-price/142-71072605--431-71072664--2190-71026759--2190-71026758--13699-136006--1049-71072671--2190-71026751--3195-71068710--2205-71066925--1745-71058035-ls/159-t/Price_Sales,1-ns
This one is typical of listing advertisements I like to use when meeting with a realty agent or group of agents who are potential clients. Here is an example of a home that has challenges but could be presented much better than this agent is.
The primary photo provides little more than an example of why agents need to ride herd over the photos of their listings. There is absolutely no reason for this to be such a wide shot from further back. All that does is show what a dreary weather day it was and the bare trees. (I found this ad in mid-May, so it is obviously an older photo, which is another negative.) We see a vehicle parked in the drive way on the right, and a poorly landscaped open stretch on the left. Both of those, plus some of the bare trees, would not have been in the photo had it been taken from closer in.
There is only one other exterior photo in the photo spread. While I understasd they want to show the "large yard", the photo that shows it with a clearly temporary fence not even completely upright and what looks like mud taking up much of the space. It is poorly landscaped. This photo does more harm than good, which is also the case on a couple of the interior photos shown.
Overall, the photo spread does more harm than good. Especially when it is obvious by the bare trees that it was taken weeks ago. Frankly, there is no excuse for these photos to be in a Boston Globe advertisement weeks after the fact.
Those who stick around long enough to read the copy read a careless description. It is then that we find out it is only the 2nd floor unit that is for sale. Because the primary photo is so far removed, it appears to be the entire house for sale. Nothing about this being a duplex or two-flat.
How about the copy reading "newer replacement windows"? One would think that an agent from a nationally known firm would know not to have "newer" and "replacement" together like that. Another red flag to a potential buyer. The "private driveway for 1+ parking" is not a plus when it tells us there is no garage while the exterior photos were taken on a rainy day.
At the end, the last sentence is "Walk to T, commuter rail....." and names a school. Besides "walk to" being an outdated term for Realtors in recent years, naming the school without telling a potential buyer whether it is a grammar school or high school does not help very much.
Based on a couple of the (good) interior photos, and with an exterior one taken to show this home properly, combined with description copy written by someone with expertise, this could be presented as an attractive property. This seller should be extremely disappointed in how their home is being presented.
GRADE: C-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Listing of the Day Advertising Critique - Albany GA
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.
277 Willow Lake Dr., Albany GA 4 + 2 (no price)
http://www.albanyherald.com/home/misc/86877137.html (page 6)
This magazine ad shown online provides plenty of information; however it does not provide a price or an agent name. As a result, a potential buyer scanning the ad before reading the copy has no idea of price, and most likely moves his/her attention to the ad immeidately to the right. The one with homes in 4 different price ranges, two of which appear more attractive (based on the photos) than our featured one.
There is only one photo, which is an exterior shot taken from a good angle. However, the garage is open and shows a car parked inside, which is considered a "no-no" for advertisements.
While the concept of featuring an Open House with directions at the top is a solid one, the failure to include the price wipes out any reasonable chance of good attendance. Even though the ad includes 3 phone numbers including a cell number, there is no agent name at all within. As if people are going to call a person whose name they don't know to ask the price of an open house?
The description copy includes notes such as "2225 Living Area". I suppose it means square feet, but the garage is attached. More confusion shown by the nameless person. There is the "Wooded Lot With Green Space In Rear (Just Completed)" line. Does this mean there was no lot in back until recently? I won't even comment on the use of a capital letter to start every word.
If I were the seller, I'd be upset at how poorly what information is there is communicated, and even more upset that no price is given.
What might have been......
GRADE: D
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
277 Willow Lake Dr., Albany GA 4 + 2 (no price)
http://www.albanyherald.com/home/misc/86877137.html (page 6)
This magazine ad shown online provides plenty of information; however it does not provide a price or an agent name. As a result, a potential buyer scanning the ad before reading the copy has no idea of price, and most likely moves his/her attention to the ad immeidately to the right. The one with homes in 4 different price ranges, two of which appear more attractive (based on the photos) than our featured one.
There is only one photo, which is an exterior shot taken from a good angle. However, the garage is open and shows a car parked inside, which is considered a "no-no" for advertisements.
While the concept of featuring an Open House with directions at the top is a solid one, the failure to include the price wipes out any reasonable chance of good attendance. Even though the ad includes 3 phone numbers including a cell number, there is no agent name at all within. As if people are going to call a person whose name they don't know to ask the price of an open house?
The description copy includes notes such as "2225 Living Area". I suppose it means square feet, but the garage is attached. More confusion shown by the nameless person. There is the "Wooded Lot With Green Space In Rear (Just Completed)" line. Does this mean there was no lot in back until recently? I won't even comment on the use of a capital letter to start every word.
If I were the seller, I'd be upset at how poorly what information is there is communicated, and even more upset that no price is given.
What might have been......
GRADE: D
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Listing of the Day advertising critique - Biloxi MS
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.
227 Rue Petit Bois, Biloxi MS 3 + 2 $249,999
http://www.homefinder.com/MS/Biloxi/60147845d_227_Rue_Petit_Bois
There is only one photo in this advertisement and it leads to a mixed reaction upon first glance. The house itself looks to be solid, well built, newer, and large, which is a positive. We can clearly see that there is an attached garage, also a positive in this warm climate environment. However, we have a car and a van in the driveway, a less-than-spectacular looking lawn, and what appears to be an empty house inside.
The description copy is also a mixed bag. Terms such as “amazing style” and “open concept living” were probably put in to add sizzle, but they fail to tell a potential buyer anything helpful. Even after personally reading thousands of property ads over the years, I’m not sure I know what “bullnose corners” are, while I have to guess that “s.s. appl’s” refers to stainless steel appliances.
The last sentence is Realtor fluff at its best, ending with “convenient w. Biloxi location too!”. We are left with no idea of what makes this property a good location. We can tell from the address of the property that it is in Biloxi, along with the fact that many potential buyers probably find this advertisement because they search by city. There are only 4 lines of description copy as it is, and wasting words wastes the selling opportunity for the listing agent. We are never told how many cars fit in the garage anywhere in this advertisement.
Worse yet, this ad still needs editing. One sentence starts with a lower case letter, it shows “s. S. Appl’s” just like that, which is not correct casing in addition to being a confusing abbreviation. Sorry, but this typesetting makes everyone look bad. If this is really how the listing agent turned in this ad, the newspaper should have made the necessary punctuation changes.
Meanwhile, the description does not enhance the photo, and vice versa. Too little thought went into the preparation. If this is a “custom home”, we have nothing in the photo to support that since it doesn’t look lived in. If this is a newly built home (which we are not told), the photo would support that, but the current description copy does not. For a quarter-million dollar property, when there are other homes in the same price range and area now available, potential buyers do not need to be seek clarification when they can easily click ahead to the next property. The seller is entitled to having the agent do more than put in a hastily snapped single photo and some fluff in the copy being the representation of this property.
GRADE: D
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
227 Rue Petit Bois, Biloxi MS 3 + 2 $249,999
http://www.homefinder.com/MS/Biloxi/60147845d_227_Rue_Petit_Bois
There is only one photo in this advertisement and it leads to a mixed reaction upon first glance. The house itself looks to be solid, well built, newer, and large, which is a positive. We can clearly see that there is an attached garage, also a positive in this warm climate environment. However, we have a car and a van in the driveway, a less-than-spectacular looking lawn, and what appears to be an empty house inside.
The description copy is also a mixed bag. Terms such as “amazing style” and “open concept living” were probably put in to add sizzle, but they fail to tell a potential buyer anything helpful. Even after personally reading thousands of property ads over the years, I’m not sure I know what “bullnose corners” are, while I have to guess that “s.s. appl’s” refers to stainless steel appliances.
The last sentence is Realtor fluff at its best, ending with “convenient w. Biloxi location too!”. We are left with no idea of what makes this property a good location. We can tell from the address of the property that it is in Biloxi, along with the fact that many potential buyers probably find this advertisement because they search by city. There are only 4 lines of description copy as it is, and wasting words wastes the selling opportunity for the listing agent. We are never told how many cars fit in the garage anywhere in this advertisement.
Worse yet, this ad still needs editing. One sentence starts with a lower case letter, it shows “s. S. Appl’s” just like that, which is not correct casing in addition to being a confusing abbreviation. Sorry, but this typesetting makes everyone look bad. If this is really how the listing agent turned in this ad, the newspaper should have made the necessary punctuation changes.
Meanwhile, the description does not enhance the photo, and vice versa. Too little thought went into the preparation. If this is a “custom home”, we have nothing in the photo to support that since it doesn’t look lived in. If this is a newly built home (which we are not told), the photo would support that, but the current description copy does not. For a quarter-million dollar property, when there are other homes in the same price range and area now available, potential buyers do not need to be seek clarification when they can easily click ahead to the next property. The seller is entitled to having the agent do more than put in a hastily snapped single photo and some fluff in the copy being the representation of this property.
GRADE: D
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Listing of the Day advertising critique - Annapolis MD
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 infomation about the property.
2572 Riva Rd. #7B Annapolis MD, 2 + 1 $194,000
http://www.homesinannapolis.com/homedetails.html?lid=11655
This is another example of the carelessness of realty agents and how much it adds to the challenges of today’s marketplace. The seller should be livid over this.
After the good primary photo, it is all downhill from there. The remainder of the photo spread is of the interior, which normally is a solid strategy. However, in this instance it shows that the unit is empty, which does not allow a potential buyer to get a feel for the depth and scope of a room. In addition, there are 2 photos of the bathroom, which does not appear as having been upgraded or anything spectacular.
The agent is also hurt by the headline key facts which show this 2-bedroom unit as reportedly being under 1,000 square feet. The description copy starts out reasonably well even if it only highlights exterior features such as the view and the location. It goes totally downhill from there. We learn that the “condo fee includes pool, gas heat, cooking, water……” and more, yet are not given any indication as to whether or not the fee is a large amount or not. But we need to back up. The condo fee includes “cooking”??? Not to be a wise guy, but does this mean that someone cooks your meals for you? That if the buyer doesn’t cook their own food, they are still charged?
Somehow, the copy gets even worse. I found this advertisement on April 14th. Yet, the last 2 sentences of the description refer to the tax credit, with the last line reading “Must settle by November 30, 2009 for credit!”. The photos were clearly not updated, since even this agent wouldn’t replace furnished rooms with shots of empty rooms. Therefore, this unit must have been empty for at least 7 months by now. With no indication of a price reduction (after all this time!), and zero urgency communicated anywhere in this advertisement.
It is more than just the poorly composed advertisement. How does copy outdated by nearly 5 full months continue running? Here is proof positive that this agent does not do a thorough job. This is a poor reflection on the property, her, and the (large) firm she represents.
GRADE: F
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
2572 Riva Rd. #7B Annapolis MD, 2 + 1 $194,000
http://www.homesinannapolis.com/homedetails.html?lid=11655
This is another example of the carelessness of realty agents and how much it adds to the challenges of today’s marketplace. The seller should be livid over this.
After the good primary photo, it is all downhill from there. The remainder of the photo spread is of the interior, which normally is a solid strategy. However, in this instance it shows that the unit is empty, which does not allow a potential buyer to get a feel for the depth and scope of a room. In addition, there are 2 photos of the bathroom, which does not appear as having been upgraded or anything spectacular.
The agent is also hurt by the headline key facts which show this 2-bedroom unit as reportedly being under 1,000 square feet. The description copy starts out reasonably well even if it only highlights exterior features such as the view and the location. It goes totally downhill from there. We learn that the “condo fee includes pool, gas heat, cooking, water……” and more, yet are not given any indication as to whether or not the fee is a large amount or not. But we need to back up. The condo fee includes “cooking”??? Not to be a wise guy, but does this mean that someone cooks your meals for you? That if the buyer doesn’t cook their own food, they are still charged?
Somehow, the copy gets even worse. I found this advertisement on April 14th. Yet, the last 2 sentences of the description refer to the tax credit, with the last line reading “Must settle by November 30, 2009 for credit!”. The photos were clearly not updated, since even this agent wouldn’t replace furnished rooms with shots of empty rooms. Therefore, this unit must have been empty for at least 7 months by now. With no indication of a price reduction (after all this time!), and zero urgency communicated anywhere in this advertisement.
It is more than just the poorly composed advertisement. How does copy outdated by nearly 5 full months continue running? Here is proof positive that this agent does not do a thorough job. This is a poor reflection on the property, her, and the (large) firm she represents.
GRADE: F
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Listing of the Day - St. Augustine FL
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.
1323 Powis Rd. St. Augustine FL 4 + 4 $275,000
http://homes.jacksonville.com/realestate?tp=homes2.jacksonville.com&classification=mdRealEstate&temp_type=detail&listing_id=43830433
This advertisement is actually quite interesting. The potential buyer is not told this is really for a Short Sale until the very last part of the description copy, appearing at a point by which they have been well 'sold' on the appeal of this property.
It will be interesting to check the reaction of my clients as well as agents who always read these critiques about the ethics of burying the fact that this is for a Short Sale. From a marketing standpoint, I'm somewhat impressed at how the agent does her job of "selling" the property first. Well, almost first.
The primary photo is an impressive view, showing the scope of the home with the photo taken at the best possible angle to show the large driveway and 3-car attached garage. However, there are no interior photos at all on the spread, and that is a big waste of opportunity. A family (or investor) looking at a 4-bedroom home, especially one that shows as well as this one does from the exterior, is bound to be curious to see how the inside looks. In addition, the side and back exterior photos appear to be taken in different light and make the house look to be in a different color than the front. While I can understand showing a home in relation to a pond or lake, we don't know whether this photo was taken looking from the home for sale, or from across the pond looking toward it. At least two of these photos should have been interior shots.
Although the description copy highlights several prime sales points, the "Realtor fluff" that starts it out should be eliminated and it would make the copy much more effective. The "Look no further" bit explains absolutely nothing about the property.
I like how the description copy (after the first line) provides an excellent balance of interior and exterior selling points. It furthers the point about the need for interior photos to appear within the picture spread and what a tremendous reinforcement opportunity is lost.
Holding off revealing this is a Short Sale until the end could entice investors to pursue it, but might lose a family looking for a home for the immediate future. Personally, I prefer this approach, since it reflects better on the listing agent. Far too many agents listing short sales make it obvious they spent about 10 seconds on the advertisement and make an investor skeptical that the agent is capable of getting a deal done.
GRADE: B-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
1323 Powis Rd. St. Augustine FL 4 + 4 $275,000
http://homes.jacksonville.com/realestate?tp=homes2.jacksonville.com&classification=mdRealEstate&temp_type=detail&listing_id=43830433
This advertisement is actually quite interesting. The potential buyer is not told this is really for a Short Sale until the very last part of the description copy, appearing at a point by which they have been well 'sold' on the appeal of this property.
It will be interesting to check the reaction of my clients as well as agents who always read these critiques about the ethics of burying the fact that this is for a Short Sale. From a marketing standpoint, I'm somewhat impressed at how the agent does her job of "selling" the property first. Well, almost first.
The primary photo is an impressive view, showing the scope of the home with the photo taken at the best possible angle to show the large driveway and 3-car attached garage. However, there are no interior photos at all on the spread, and that is a big waste of opportunity. A family (or investor) looking at a 4-bedroom home, especially one that shows as well as this one does from the exterior, is bound to be curious to see how the inside looks. In addition, the side and back exterior photos appear to be taken in different light and make the house look to be in a different color than the front. While I can understand showing a home in relation to a pond or lake, we don't know whether this photo was taken looking from the home for sale, or from across the pond looking toward it. At least two of these photos should have been interior shots.
Although the description copy highlights several prime sales points, the "Realtor fluff" that starts it out should be eliminated and it would make the copy much more effective. The "Look no further" bit explains absolutely nothing about the property.
I like how the description copy (after the first line) provides an excellent balance of interior and exterior selling points. It furthers the point about the need for interior photos to appear within the picture spread and what a tremendous reinforcement opportunity is lost.
Holding off revealing this is a Short Sale until the end could entice investors to pursue it, but might lose a family looking for a home for the immediate future. Personally, I prefer this approach, since it reflects better on the listing agent. Far too many agents listing short sales make it obvious they spent about 10 seconds on the advertisement and make an investor skeptical that the agent is capable of getting a deal done.
GRADE: B-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Listing of the Day - Dearborn MI
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.
711 Meridian St., Dearborn MI 4 + 1.5 $299,900
http://www.homefinder.com/MI/Dearborn/60187617d_711_Meridan_St
This advertisement is another example of why the primary photo is so important toward attracting potential buyers on first impression. The angle is not favorable at all. The eyes are drawn to the left side of the home, which has what is either an enclosed patio or an add-on. (The description copy doesn't even clarify.) We don't get to see whether or not there is a driveway and/or garage from this photo. This is Dearborn, home to a lot of auto company executives, and yet the parking situation is not dealt with at all in the exterior photo or the description.
In addition, this advertisement is still running in April, and the only exterior photo shows snow all over the property. Put these factors together, and the initial impression is that this home has been on the market for weeks, looks smaller because of the emphasis of the add-on or patio in the photo, and may not have any form of covered parking, despite an asking price touching $300,000.
As for the remainder of the photo spread, the majority of the interior photos are well done, but with one exception. Most of the time, including a photo of a bathroom is a positive, showing a nice design, plenty of room, new or modern fixtures, and the like. The bathroom photo on this spread is nothing but a negative. This enables us to see how narrow the room is, how "basic" its contents are, and how people can see into the room from the outside. (You can see the house next door looking out through the bathroom window in this photograph.) How on earth is that a selling point?
For those that stay on this property long enough to read the description copy, we have a case of too many abbreviations. I would like to think that for a nearly $300,000 property the agent would spend a few more dollars to have enough lines in the ad to actually indicate the selling points. What likely really happened is that the agent (or whoever handles the advertising) merely took the already written copy for the MLS and stuck it in the ad. As if that isn't bad enough, the opening line of copy refers to the "$150,000 in updates". Hopefully the view of the neighbor's house from the bathroom isn't one of those updates, but it's hard to say what they are.
It's the very end of the ad copy that tells a lot, "fam rm w/heatilator f/place, and sep kitchen eating". I'll admit that I don't know what a "heatilator" fireplace is, so I'm not sure if that's good or bad. (And if I don't know after seeing thousands of property descriptions, it likely isn't good for the occasional home shopper either.) The "sep kitchen eating" (without a period to punctuate the end of the copy) makes no sense. Do people have to eat in a separate kitchen? Or did they intend to say "eat-in kitchen". Guess we'll never know.
As careless as this advertisement is, it doesn't take that much time and effort to turn it around and make it effective. A more recent exterior photo from a better angle, one less interior photo, and copy written to show the true selling points would make all the difference.
GRADE: C-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
711 Meridian St., Dearborn MI 4 + 1.5 $299,900
http://www.homefinder.com/MI/Dearborn/60187617d_711_Meridan_St
This advertisement is another example of why the primary photo is so important toward attracting potential buyers on first impression. The angle is not favorable at all. The eyes are drawn to the left side of the home, which has what is either an enclosed patio or an add-on. (The description copy doesn't even clarify.) We don't get to see whether or not there is a driveway and/or garage from this photo. This is Dearborn, home to a lot of auto company executives, and yet the parking situation is not dealt with at all in the exterior photo or the description.
In addition, this advertisement is still running in April, and the only exterior photo shows snow all over the property. Put these factors together, and the initial impression is that this home has been on the market for weeks, looks smaller because of the emphasis of the add-on or patio in the photo, and may not have any form of covered parking, despite an asking price touching $300,000.
As for the remainder of the photo spread, the majority of the interior photos are well done, but with one exception. Most of the time, including a photo of a bathroom is a positive, showing a nice design, plenty of room, new or modern fixtures, and the like. The bathroom photo on this spread is nothing but a negative. This enables us to see how narrow the room is, how "basic" its contents are, and how people can see into the room from the outside. (You can see the house next door looking out through the bathroom window in this photograph.) How on earth is that a selling point?
For those that stay on this property long enough to read the description copy, we have a case of too many abbreviations. I would like to think that for a nearly $300,000 property the agent would spend a few more dollars to have enough lines in the ad to actually indicate the selling points. What likely really happened is that the agent (or whoever handles the advertising) merely took the already written copy for the MLS and stuck it in the ad. As if that isn't bad enough, the opening line of copy refers to the "$150,000 in updates". Hopefully the view of the neighbor's house from the bathroom isn't one of those updates, but it's hard to say what they are.
It's the very end of the ad copy that tells a lot, "fam rm w/heatilator f/place, and sep kitchen eating". I'll admit that I don't know what a "heatilator" fireplace is, so I'm not sure if that's good or bad. (And if I don't know after seeing thousands of property descriptions, it likely isn't good for the occasional home shopper either.) The "sep kitchen eating" (without a period to punctuate the end of the copy) makes no sense. Do people have to eat in a separate kitchen? Or did they intend to say "eat-in kitchen". Guess we'll never know.
As careless as this advertisement is, it doesn't take that much time and effort to turn it around and make it effective. A more recent exterior photo from a better angle, one less interior photo, and copy written to show the true selling points would make all the difference.
GRADE: C-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Listing of the Day - Chicago IL
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.
8156 S. Luella Ave. 3 + 2 $275,000
http://homes.searchchicago.suntimes.com/properties/search/detail.php?qBackToSearch=qTerms%3Dsell%26qSearchTab%3Dsell%26qAction%3Dsearch%26qRegion%3DChicago%252C%2BSouth%260%26qMinPrice%3D200%252C000%26qMaxPrice%3D300%252C000%26qBedrooms%3D2-%26qBathrooms%3D1-%26propertyType%255B0%255D%3DHouses%26pagesize%3D20%26view%3Ddetailed%26qtotal%3D42%26qSortBy%3DPrice%26qSortDirection%3DDESC&qAdid=mls-07480039&propertyNumber=8
A classic example of a property that could be marketed much better than it is in this advertisement.
In this instance, the choice of the primary photo is not a good one. Just because it is the only exterior photo in the spread should not make it an automatic choice. The big tree takes away from the exterior view while the wide shot serves to diminish the big size of this home, as touted within the description. In addition, the first line of the description copy indicates "Double Corner Lot", even though one cannot tell that due to the angle of this photo.
Ideally, the exterior photo should have been taken from a closer angle without the tree in the way and showing the scope of the corner lot. Furthermore, at least 2 of the interior photos in this spread would have better served to have been the primary photo and demonstrate the size and luxury of this home. For that matter, it appears that the leaves are falling off the trees, meaning this photo could well have been taken last fall (or earlier), and this ad appears at the end of March. Not exactly a "fresh" looking property based on the one exterior photo.
Most of the interior photos are the strongest selling points for this home, showing the size and lavish potential.
Not only is the description copy far too brief, but it fails to prioritize the selling points. Starting with "5 Minutes To Lake" is not an important consideration for the majority of potential buyers considering this community. Especially with a custom built home on a "double corner lot" located in Chicago. Listing an approximately 2,600 square foot home within a large city for under $300,000 is a significant headline, yet there is such little emphasis on this fact.
The picky potential buyer will also notice that the "Details" under the photo show "3 bedroom 2 bath" before the brief description copy shows "3 br, 1.5 ba", and that is a negative to, in effect, 'take away' 1/2 of a bath from a potential buyer.
In addition, the onslaught of abbreviations makes it appear that the advertiser was more concerned about saving money on the ad than presenting the selling points of the home. Even with my experience, I had to stop and think of what a "custom designed wbfp" is. I'm sure that will be another potential selling point that will go untouched by any potential buyers who stick around beyond the primary photo.
Yes, what might have been. A primary photo of one of the wide interior shots and a description about the large size and custom features for under $300,000 would make a huge difference for this seller, who should be very disappointed in the agent's efforts.
GRADE: C+
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
8156 S. Luella Ave. 3 + 2 $275,000
http://homes.searchchicago.suntimes.com/properties/search/detail.php?qBackToSearch=qTerms%3Dsell%26qSearchTab%3Dsell%26qAction%3Dsearch%26qRegion%3DChicago%252C%2BSouth%260%26qMinPrice%3D200%252C000%26qMaxPrice%3D300%252C000%26qBedrooms%3D2-%26qBathrooms%3D1-%26propertyType%255B0%255D%3DHouses%26pagesize%3D20%26view%3Ddetailed%26qtotal%3D42%26qSortBy%3DPrice%26qSortDirection%3DDESC&qAdid=mls-07480039&propertyNumber=8
A classic example of a property that could be marketed much better than it is in this advertisement.
In this instance, the choice of the primary photo is not a good one. Just because it is the only exterior photo in the spread should not make it an automatic choice. The big tree takes away from the exterior view while the wide shot serves to diminish the big size of this home, as touted within the description. In addition, the first line of the description copy indicates "Double Corner Lot", even though one cannot tell that due to the angle of this photo.
Ideally, the exterior photo should have been taken from a closer angle without the tree in the way and showing the scope of the corner lot. Furthermore, at least 2 of the interior photos in this spread would have better served to have been the primary photo and demonstrate the size and luxury of this home. For that matter, it appears that the leaves are falling off the trees, meaning this photo could well have been taken last fall (or earlier), and this ad appears at the end of March. Not exactly a "fresh" looking property based on the one exterior photo.
Most of the interior photos are the strongest selling points for this home, showing the size and lavish potential.
Not only is the description copy far too brief, but it fails to prioritize the selling points. Starting with "5 Minutes To Lake" is not an important consideration for the majority of potential buyers considering this community. Especially with a custom built home on a "double corner lot" located in Chicago. Listing an approximately 2,600 square foot home within a large city for under $300,000 is a significant headline, yet there is such little emphasis on this fact.
The picky potential buyer will also notice that the "Details" under the photo show "3 bedroom 2 bath" before the brief description copy shows "3 br, 1.5 ba", and that is a negative to, in effect, 'take away' 1/2 of a bath from a potential buyer.
In addition, the onslaught of abbreviations makes it appear that the advertiser was more concerned about saving money on the ad than presenting the selling points of the home. Even with my experience, I had to stop and think of what a "custom designed wbfp" is. I'm sure that will be another potential selling point that will go untouched by any potential buyers who stick around beyond the primary photo.
Yes, what might have been. A primary photo of one of the wide interior shots and a description about the large size and custom features for under $300,000 would make a huge difference for this seller, who should be very disappointed in the agent's efforts.
GRADE: C+
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Listing of the Day - Evansville IN
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.
734 Greengate Ct. Evansville IN 4 + 3 1/2 $249,900
http://realestate.courierpress.com/for-sale/listing/344-172834/Evansville-IN-USA/2-beds/1-baths/SINGLE-FAMILY-type/150000-250000-price/364-167557--344-172834--7821-172313--7821-170382--307-171616--24-5501655--7821-172750--323-170106--323-168044--1993-171681-ls/218-t
This advertisement is a mixed bag of good and bad. The primary exterior photo is a positve, showing off a well landscaped larger home with a unique entrance way that should attract potential buyers to click in for more.
However, as much as I like multiple interior photos within an advertisement, the use of photos of empty rooms takes away more than it adds. The left column clearly states that this is a newly listed property (showing as 6 days at press time). Showing us that the home is empty when this home does not appear to be new construction (and it doesn't appear to be, but that is a guess) is a negative. It raises questions. If this is new construction or just rehabbed to be sold, there is no indication. If the seller has just moved out, it seems odd that the photos and the actual listing would have been so recently done.
With other choices in this area and same price range, a percentage of potential buyers won't stick around past the photo spread to find out.
On to the description. It starts with a line of "Realtor fluff". The "You'll be proud to give out this address...." line is laughable. In this day and age, people are not into "giving out" an address. At least not a family that would seriously consider a 4-bedroom neighborhood home. For an investor it could be a different story, but use of this line to start narrows the focus toward investors only. That is not fair to the seller to narrow down the possibilities with the first sentence.
Some of the description copy does a good job at hitting interior selling points, such as the "full bath and a whirlpool bath", "walk-in closet", "large kitchen has a nook area", and how "one of the garages has been converted to an office". Yet, we don't see anything of the supposed 2 large garages on this property in any of the photos, not even the primary exterior shot. Same with the "beautiful fenced back yard".
Furthermore, the lack of any details whatsoever about the neighborhood, schools (and this is a 4-bedroom home), or the community, fails to support the first line about "You'll be proud....". We are not given one reason why a buyer would be proud of that address, whether that copy works or not.
The creator of this advertisement failed to coordinate between the photo spread, the description copy, and the adjacent information. If the listing agent had someone create this ad, he should have made certain it flowed a lot better before letting it go public. The seller has reason for concern, especially about people so easily able to find out the home is empty. Potential buyers are not given any reasons to possibly pursue this property until well after they have been shown reasons not to. If presented right, this property could be justified at over a quarter-million dollars. Presented the way it is now, it doesn't come close.
GRADE: C
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
734 Greengate Ct. Evansville IN 4 + 3 1/2 $249,900
http://realestate.courierpress.com/for-sale/listing/344-172834/Evansville-IN-USA/2-beds/1-baths/SINGLE-FAMILY-type/150000-250000-price/364-167557--344-172834--7821-172313--7821-170382--307-171616--24-5501655--7821-172750--323-170106--323-168044--1993-171681-ls/218-t
This advertisement is a mixed bag of good and bad. The primary exterior photo is a positve, showing off a well landscaped larger home with a unique entrance way that should attract potential buyers to click in for more.
However, as much as I like multiple interior photos within an advertisement, the use of photos of empty rooms takes away more than it adds. The left column clearly states that this is a newly listed property (showing as 6 days at press time). Showing us that the home is empty when this home does not appear to be new construction (and it doesn't appear to be, but that is a guess) is a negative. It raises questions. If this is new construction or just rehabbed to be sold, there is no indication. If the seller has just moved out, it seems odd that the photos and the actual listing would have been so recently done.
With other choices in this area and same price range, a percentage of potential buyers won't stick around past the photo spread to find out.
On to the description. It starts with a line of "Realtor fluff". The "You'll be proud to give out this address...." line is laughable. In this day and age, people are not into "giving out" an address. At least not a family that would seriously consider a 4-bedroom neighborhood home. For an investor it could be a different story, but use of this line to start narrows the focus toward investors only. That is not fair to the seller to narrow down the possibilities with the first sentence.
Some of the description copy does a good job at hitting interior selling points, such as the "full bath and a whirlpool bath", "walk-in closet", "large kitchen has a nook area", and how "one of the garages has been converted to an office". Yet, we don't see anything of the supposed 2 large garages on this property in any of the photos, not even the primary exterior shot. Same with the "beautiful fenced back yard".
Furthermore, the lack of any details whatsoever about the neighborhood, schools (and this is a 4-bedroom home), or the community, fails to support the first line about "You'll be proud....". We are not given one reason why a buyer would be proud of that address, whether that copy works or not.
The creator of this advertisement failed to coordinate between the photo spread, the description copy, and the adjacent information. If the listing agent had someone create this ad, he should have made certain it flowed a lot better before letting it go public. The seller has reason for concern, especially about people so easily able to find out the home is empty. Potential buyers are not given any reasons to possibly pursue this property until well after they have been shown reasons not to. If presented right, this property could be justified at over a quarter-million dollars. Presented the way it is now, it doesn't come close.
GRADE: C
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Listing of the Day - New Haven CT
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.
Fountain St., New Haven CT $216,900 3 + 2
http://homes.localhomesinct.com/sales/detail/203-N297656
Listing advertisements such as this one are the reason I first got involved with the advertising and marketing of properties more than 20 years ago. The people have a right to know.
This home was built in 1937. This advertisement comes off as if it was designed when the house was brand new. There is no address given. I even checked on the company web site and didn't find one there either. The map feature shows the arrow on Fountain Street, but that isn't confirmed. Thus, no one could possibly drive by this property.
There is no description copy either. No selling points. Not even fluff copy. Other than being told 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and the square footage, we get only one other "fact". As of press time, this so-called advertisement shows "Monthly tax: $4,961". Say what? If I read that right the owner of this property pays $59,532 per year in taxes alone. No wonder the address is a secret.
All of this "information" comes after the primary photo, which I couldn't even identify when I first clicked on the ad to review it. Turns out it is a photo looking down on top of a fireplace. Unless this is the only fireplace in a house within miles, this is hardly a big deal. In more than 20 years of looking at property ads, I have never seen a single fireplace given such priority.
Out of 8 photos in the photo spread (the only redeeming part of this "ad"), only 3 have any merit toward a potential buyer. One of the exterior shots shows 2 cars in the driveway. Besides being a security concern, it reminds us that we don't know if the garage appearing in one of the photos is for this property or not. If it is only single lane parking for 2 cars, it means that a home owner with more than 1 car has to be concerned with the order of the cars being parked and struggle getting in and out on a daily basis.
Two photos show the back yard. Normally that would be fine, except that the lawn is in poor shape. Even if due to the season, these photos do not show the property in a good light. One of the living room photos reveals a poor quality table covered with a cheap looking table cloth. Not flattering for a home asking more than $200,000.
After all this, there is no agent name listed (which is almost understanable given the presentation), and the "Contact Information" link goes to the office web site and not a specific name or anything further about this property.
How a seller would allow this as a representation of their property is beyond me. How an agent from a name brand real estate office can, in 2010, put an advertisement online with no selling points and a possible serious financial error (not sure what to think about the "tax" line) is even further beyond me. The only way this agent would get a commission is to sell others a list of anyone who would actually inquire about this home based on this advertisement.
That there are a couple of decent photos raises the grade from F- to a straight F.
GRADE: F
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Fountain St., New Haven CT $216,900 3 + 2
http://homes.localhomesinct.com/sales/detail/203-N297656
Listing advertisements such as this one are the reason I first got involved with the advertising and marketing of properties more than 20 years ago. The people have a right to know.
This home was built in 1937. This advertisement comes off as if it was designed when the house was brand new. There is no address given. I even checked on the company web site and didn't find one there either. The map feature shows the arrow on Fountain Street, but that isn't confirmed. Thus, no one could possibly drive by this property.
There is no description copy either. No selling points. Not even fluff copy. Other than being told 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and the square footage, we get only one other "fact". As of press time, this so-called advertisement shows "Monthly tax: $4,961". Say what? If I read that right the owner of this property pays $59,532 per year in taxes alone. No wonder the address is a secret.
All of this "information" comes after the primary photo, which I couldn't even identify when I first clicked on the ad to review it. Turns out it is a photo looking down on top of a fireplace. Unless this is the only fireplace in a house within miles, this is hardly a big deal. In more than 20 years of looking at property ads, I have never seen a single fireplace given such priority.
Out of 8 photos in the photo spread (the only redeeming part of this "ad"), only 3 have any merit toward a potential buyer. One of the exterior shots shows 2 cars in the driveway. Besides being a security concern, it reminds us that we don't know if the garage appearing in one of the photos is for this property or not. If it is only single lane parking for 2 cars, it means that a home owner with more than 1 car has to be concerned with the order of the cars being parked and struggle getting in and out on a daily basis.
Two photos show the back yard. Normally that would be fine, except that the lawn is in poor shape. Even if due to the season, these photos do not show the property in a good light. One of the living room photos reveals a poor quality table covered with a cheap looking table cloth. Not flattering for a home asking more than $200,000.
After all this, there is no agent name listed (which is almost understanable given the presentation), and the "Contact Information" link goes to the office web site and not a specific name or anything further about this property.
How a seller would allow this as a representation of their property is beyond me. How an agent from a name brand real estate office can, in 2010, put an advertisement online with no selling points and a possible serious financial error (not sure what to think about the "tax" line) is even further beyond me. The only way this agent would get a commission is to sell others a list of anyone who would actually inquire about this home based on this advertisement.
That there are a couple of decent photos raises the grade from F- to a straight F.
GRADE: F
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Listing of the Day - West Chester PA
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.
330 St. James Rd., West Chester PA 3 + 1 $297,500
http://dailylocal.localre247.com/homes/listing/223-5476160/West-Chester-PA-USA/2-beds/1-baths/SINGLE-FAMILY-HOME-type/200000-300000-price/261-2492505--223-5476160--261-5623524--326-5669536--261-5604939--261-5488494--261-5580547--223-5478740--261-5558314--261-5597694-ls/13-t/Price_Sales,1-ns
Overall this advertisement is well done. The photo spread is prominent and includes numerous interior shots to give the potential buyer a fast but thorough overview. More importantly, it gives reason to continue along to the description, which gets right into the selling points without fluff copy. All of this combines to lend credibility to the agent, who clearly worked on presenting this advertisement.
If I was a potential buyer looking at this property, I would be satisfied with this advertisement, probably enough to want to follow up. If I was the seller, I would be pleased with how the home is presented and feel as though the key selling facts are included.
Yet, I see the need for some touching up that would take this ad up another notch.
The primary exterior photo does not do all that it can and should to present this home. This photo needs to be re-shot from a side angle over the left (from our current view) and extending the shot out to the right. Even though this shot gives a good perspective on the house, my feeling is that a potential buyer over the age of 50 would not go any further.
From this angle, we do not see a sidewalk or walkway leading toward the front steps. We do not see the garage or its proximity. But we do see a huge front lawn. These are concerns for many middle-aged and seniors who prefer a single level home but are more concerned about easy access. This house may have easy access, but it doesn't show on this photo. Granted, a young family needing a 3-bedroom home is probably enticed by the big and roomy front lawn, but in this market properties need to be well presented to all age groups.
While the description copy hits upon selling point after selling point (which is a big plus), a few simple changes would take this from a good advertisement to a great one.
One of those changes, however, is to fix the typo which appears as this is being written. The term "double oven" shows as "double overn". Yes, mistakes happen, but for the agent to take the time he did to formulate this advertisement, a few minutes to check and double-check upon publication would have saved him the embarassment. (I have had several agents and consumers tell me it is a red flag when another agent leaves any type of error in a listing, especially one in the $300,000 range.)
The other part to fix is the last part of the copy, which reads "outside entrance to attached 1 car garage". The idea of having the last few words be a selling point instead of the "must see!" type of fluff is excellent. However, this choice of words sends potential buyers out on a lesser note, right at the point where he/she is deciding whether or not to contact the agent and pursue this listing.
I'm confused. Is there a SEPARATE outside entrance? Is there ONLY an outside entrance? I don't know that I could go from inside the house right into the garage or if I would need to go outside, which partially defeats the purpose of an "attached" garage.
Since there is a 1-car garage for a 3-bedroom home, there are 2 better ways to handle presenting this. If, for example, there is a driveway with room for more parking (and we don't know based on what we see here), this would be a better way to go. Better choices to present this would be "parking for 3 cars" or "attached garage".
Overall, this advertisement is a few minor changes away from excellence.
GRADE: B
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
330 St. James Rd., West Chester PA 3 + 1 $297,500
http://dailylocal.localre247.com/homes/listing/223-5476160/West-Chester-PA-USA/2-beds/1-baths/SINGLE-FAMILY-HOME-type/200000-300000-price/261-2492505--223-5476160--261-5623524--326-5669536--261-5604939--261-5488494--261-5580547--223-5478740--261-5558314--261-5597694-ls/13-t/Price_Sales,1-ns
Overall this advertisement is well done. The photo spread is prominent and includes numerous interior shots to give the potential buyer a fast but thorough overview. More importantly, it gives reason to continue along to the description, which gets right into the selling points without fluff copy. All of this combines to lend credibility to the agent, who clearly worked on presenting this advertisement.
If I was a potential buyer looking at this property, I would be satisfied with this advertisement, probably enough to want to follow up. If I was the seller, I would be pleased with how the home is presented and feel as though the key selling facts are included.
Yet, I see the need for some touching up that would take this ad up another notch.
The primary exterior photo does not do all that it can and should to present this home. This photo needs to be re-shot from a side angle over the left (from our current view) and extending the shot out to the right. Even though this shot gives a good perspective on the house, my feeling is that a potential buyer over the age of 50 would not go any further.
From this angle, we do not see a sidewalk or walkway leading toward the front steps. We do not see the garage or its proximity. But we do see a huge front lawn. These are concerns for many middle-aged and seniors who prefer a single level home but are more concerned about easy access. This house may have easy access, but it doesn't show on this photo. Granted, a young family needing a 3-bedroom home is probably enticed by the big and roomy front lawn, but in this market properties need to be well presented to all age groups.
While the description copy hits upon selling point after selling point (which is a big plus), a few simple changes would take this from a good advertisement to a great one.
One of those changes, however, is to fix the typo which appears as this is being written. The term "double oven" shows as "double overn". Yes, mistakes happen, but for the agent to take the time he did to formulate this advertisement, a few minutes to check and double-check upon publication would have saved him the embarassment. (I have had several agents and consumers tell me it is a red flag when another agent leaves any type of error in a listing, especially one in the $300,000 range.)
The other part to fix is the last part of the copy, which reads "outside entrance to attached 1 car garage". The idea of having the last few words be a selling point instead of the "must see!" type of fluff is excellent. However, this choice of words sends potential buyers out on a lesser note, right at the point where he/she is deciding whether or not to contact the agent and pursue this listing.
I'm confused. Is there a SEPARATE outside entrance? Is there ONLY an outside entrance? I don't know that I could go from inside the house right into the garage or if I would need to go outside, which partially defeats the purpose of an "attached" garage.
Since there is a 1-car garage for a 3-bedroom home, there are 2 better ways to handle presenting this. If, for example, there is a driveway with room for more parking (and we don't know based on what we see here), this would be a better way to go. Better choices to present this would be "parking for 3 cars" or "attached garage".
Overall, this advertisement is a few minor changes away from excellence.
GRADE: B
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Listing of the Day - Anchorage AK
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.
3051 Brookview Dr. Anchorage AK $250,000 3 + 3
http://www.homefinder.com/AK/Anchorage/60203813d_3051_Brookview_Dr
The expression "one picture is worth 1,000 words" was obviously not in the mind of whoever decided to use the only photo for this property advertisement. What a horrible injustice to the seller!
When the only photo is of what could be the front door area of a home with a snow covered bench in front, there is no reason for a potential buyer to want to look any further. If there is nothing more positive to show, it can't be good.
Yet, the description of this home is reasonably well written. Frankly, this ad would be better off without that photo at all. We read on and on about how much of the home has been remodeled and how much "new" there is. How can there not be photos?
In addition, we are not told anything about the community other than the nearby schools.
Those amenities which are included in the description, such as marble fireplace, master bedroom with attached bath, and granite counters, make this home seem appealing. There is only a minimal amount of "Realtor fluff" in the copy, and that is at the very end with "Top-of-the-line remodel".
This listing agent would argue with me that when a potential buyer clicks on the "Click here for listing details" link it brings them to an extended group of interior photos which do highlight the remodeled parts of the home.
However, this home is one of several in this area and price range. Potential buyers have a choice and can easily click to the next listing. The first thing they see is that photo, and the early description about a remodeled home. Neither will entice a potential buyer to click to the next link before clicking out to look at the next listing.
Unlike many other listing ads I see and review, this one is among the easiest to fix quickly by putting up one of the other interior photos. Until or unless that happens, this will remain a struggle.
GRADE: C-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
3051 Brookview Dr. Anchorage AK $250,000 3 + 3
http://www.homefinder.com/AK/Anchorage/60203813d_3051_Brookview_Dr
The expression "one picture is worth 1,000 words" was obviously not in the mind of whoever decided to use the only photo for this property advertisement. What a horrible injustice to the seller!
When the only photo is of what could be the front door area of a home with a snow covered bench in front, there is no reason for a potential buyer to want to look any further. If there is nothing more positive to show, it can't be good.
Yet, the description of this home is reasonably well written. Frankly, this ad would be better off without that photo at all. We read on and on about how much of the home has been remodeled and how much "new" there is. How can there not be photos?
In addition, we are not told anything about the community other than the nearby schools.
Those amenities which are included in the description, such as marble fireplace, master bedroom with attached bath, and granite counters, make this home seem appealing. There is only a minimal amount of "Realtor fluff" in the copy, and that is at the very end with "Top-of-the-line remodel".
This listing agent would argue with me that when a potential buyer clicks on the "Click here for listing details" link it brings them to an extended group of interior photos which do highlight the remodeled parts of the home.
However, this home is one of several in this area and price range. Potential buyers have a choice and can easily click to the next listing. The first thing they see is that photo, and the early description about a remodeled home. Neither will entice a potential buyer to click to the next link before clicking out to look at the next listing.
Unlike many other listing ads I see and review, this one is among the easiest to fix quickly by putting up one of the other interior photos. Until or unless that happens, this will remain a struggle.
GRADE: C-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Listing of the Day - Knoxville TN
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.
844 Tanner Lane Knoxville TN $249,900 3 + 2 1/2
http://realestate.homemarketnow.com/for-sale/listing/7714-702574/Knoxville-TN-USA/2-beds/1-baths/SINGLE-FAMILY-type/150000-250000-price/7647-693905--7714-684396--7714-684460--7714-703151--7714-702574--7714-701563--7714-701075--7714-700916--8029-700692--7714-700136-ls/915-t
This listing agent spent more time on this ad than many other agents do, yet there is room for improvement - with the advertisement. The primary exterior photo is a very good photo for presenting the size and scope of the house and clearly shows the 2-car (or more) attached garage and the attractive landscaping. However, there is a very noticeable shadow covering the front lawn. Even though the house itself is in sunshine, there is no clear explanation for the shadow on this photo, leaving us to speculate.
It could be another home or building close by, thus limiting the amount of sunshine onto this property. My hunch is that it was a big cloud rolling in and the photographer was in a hurry to snap this photo while the house was still in sunshine. Sorry, but either way this doesn't cut it with me. The photographer didn't have to be in that big of a hurry, since he or she is helping to get a quarter-million dollar property sold. He or she could have taken the exterior photo from a different angle and not had that huge shadow be such a negative to an otherwise attractive property.
On a positive note, the use of extensive interior photos, including showing everything including the kitchen sink (literally) with most rooms from different angles is excellent. We can clearly see that this home is well taken care of based on the layout and the coordination of the furniture and appliances.
The description does what it is supposed to do, which is to begin with strong selling points right away. In this case the focus is on the community, and the copy sets the scene quite well. The best terms are "Landcapted yard - fenced and fully private w/large patio", and "filled with natural light". Terms like this which describe a definitive positive image in a few words are key in advertising an upscale property.
However, there is too much "Realtor fluff" instead of what are additional selling points. The use of "stunning showplace!" doesn't help a large family which isn't looking to entertain in this 3-bedroom home. The "Look no further - this is it!" at the end is a complete waste of space.
Instead, the facts found below in the description are left out of the places they would have had much more impact. For example, we are not told anywhere on the page (or I couldn't find it - and I was specifically looking) anything about the size of the attached garage. Facts such as this home being just over 5 years old are among those which would "sell" a lot better than "This is it!". Once a potential buyer loses interest, he/she/they are not going to continue reading below to see if there are additional selling points.
What starts out as a description with punch slowly deteriorates into Realtor fluff, and there were more sales points that should have been used.
A few changes to the description and the seller and agent would have a winner.
GRADE: B-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
844 Tanner Lane Knoxville TN $249,900 3 + 2 1/2
http://realestate.homemarketnow.com/for-sale/listing/7714-702574/Knoxville-TN-USA/2-beds/1-baths/SINGLE-FAMILY-type/150000-250000-price/7647-693905--7714-684396--7714-684460--7714-703151--7714-702574--7714-701563--7714-701075--7714-700916--8029-700692--7714-700136-ls/915-t
This listing agent spent more time on this ad than many other agents do, yet there is room for improvement - with the advertisement. The primary exterior photo is a very good photo for presenting the size and scope of the house and clearly shows the 2-car (or more) attached garage and the attractive landscaping. However, there is a very noticeable shadow covering the front lawn. Even though the house itself is in sunshine, there is no clear explanation for the shadow on this photo, leaving us to speculate.
It could be another home or building close by, thus limiting the amount of sunshine onto this property. My hunch is that it was a big cloud rolling in and the photographer was in a hurry to snap this photo while the house was still in sunshine. Sorry, but either way this doesn't cut it with me. The photographer didn't have to be in that big of a hurry, since he or she is helping to get a quarter-million dollar property sold. He or she could have taken the exterior photo from a different angle and not had that huge shadow be such a negative to an otherwise attractive property.
On a positive note, the use of extensive interior photos, including showing everything including the kitchen sink (literally) with most rooms from different angles is excellent. We can clearly see that this home is well taken care of based on the layout and the coordination of the furniture and appliances.
The description does what it is supposed to do, which is to begin with strong selling points right away. In this case the focus is on the community, and the copy sets the scene quite well. The best terms are "Landcapted yard - fenced and fully private w/large patio", and "filled with natural light". Terms like this which describe a definitive positive image in a few words are key in advertising an upscale property.
However, there is too much "Realtor fluff" instead of what are additional selling points. The use of "stunning showplace!" doesn't help a large family which isn't looking to entertain in this 3-bedroom home. The "Look no further - this is it!" at the end is a complete waste of space.
Instead, the facts found below in the description are left out of the places they would have had much more impact. For example, we are not told anywhere on the page (or I couldn't find it - and I was specifically looking) anything about the size of the attached garage. Facts such as this home being just over 5 years old are among those which would "sell" a lot better than "This is it!". Once a potential buyer loses interest, he/she/they are not going to continue reading below to see if there are additional selling points.
What starts out as a description with punch slowly deteriorates into Realtor fluff, and there were more sales points that should have been used.
A few changes to the description and the seller and agent would have a winner.
GRADE: B-
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Listing of the Day - Midland TX
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.
3115 W. Louisiana Ave, Midland TX 3 + 3 $154,900
http://www.homeswesttexas.com/property.php?id=80986
Could this agent be any more careless about this listing? Two of the photos in the photo spread are sideways. As much as I like interior photos in a property ad, this one lacks even one exterior shot. Makes me think it must look like a dump from the outside.
Yet, the agent has topped that. There is one item under "Amenities" on the left column. That is "Auto Garage Opener". We find this out before we are told there is a garage. Right under "Not Listed" shown for "Window Treatments".
There is no paragraph description at all. The photos show this house is empty. There is nothing about the community. We can see that this home is now 60 years old.
This is not the only home available in this area and price range. If the agent puts this little effort into getting the home sold, how is it ever going to happen?
An embarassment to the industry.
GRADE: F
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
3115 W. Louisiana Ave, Midland TX 3 + 3 $154,900
http://www.homeswesttexas.com/property.php?id=80986
Could this agent be any more careless about this listing? Two of the photos in the photo spread are sideways. As much as I like interior photos in a property ad, this one lacks even one exterior shot. Makes me think it must look like a dump from the outside.
Yet, the agent has topped that. There is one item under "Amenities" on the left column. That is "Auto Garage Opener". We find this out before we are told there is a garage. Right under "Not Listed" shown for "Window Treatments".
There is no paragraph description at all. The photos show this house is empty. There is nothing about the community. We can see that this home is now 60 years old.
This is not the only home available in this area and price range. If the agent puts this little effort into getting the home sold, how is it ever going to happen?
An embarassment to the industry.
GRADE: F
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Listing of the Day - Tucson AZ
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.
3460 E. Nugget Canyon Place, Tuscon AZ, 3 + 2 $275,000
http://www.tucson.com/homes/resalehomes/index.php?action=view&ml_number=20926912
This is a terrible photo spread. From what I can see of the house through the trees and broken shrubbery in the photo, I cannot tell if this is the front or the back or tell where an entrance is.
Only 1 of the 6 photos in the spread does an acceptable job of presenting this property (the one with the front entrance and part of the driveway). One of the photos looks like 2 chairs that were thrown out into the forest. (And I doubt those chairs would be a bargaining point for a potential buyer.)
The description picks up on "several patio areas and a screened-in patio!", along with the 2-car garage. That is fine and dandy for someone that wants to spend the maximum amount of time outside. However, this is a house listed for more than 1/4 of a million dollars, and a potential buyer needs more than "large master suite with separate reading area and a big walk-in closet" and "fireplace" as the entire description of the interior portion.
There are at least 10 other homes in the area at the exact same price as of press time. That translates to at least 10 other reasons to click on the next property.
While the description itself has only a small amount of "Realtor fluff", the web page has a larger profile of the husband and wife agent team than it has a description of the property itself. Granted, it is the format of the advertisement and not the fault of the listing agents, but because of that situation these agents need to work a lot harder to market this listing. They fail to present enough reasons to contact them about this or any other listing.
If I were a betting man, I would bet that these agents are the first to tell colleagues that "we're not getting any calls and there is no business out there". Not if they keep driving it away.
GRADE: D
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
3460 E. Nugget Canyon Place, Tuscon AZ, 3 + 2 $275,000
http://www.tucson.com/homes/resalehomes/index.php?action=view&ml_number=20926912
This is a terrible photo spread. From what I can see of the house through the trees and broken shrubbery in the photo, I cannot tell if this is the front or the back or tell where an entrance is.
Only 1 of the 6 photos in the spread does an acceptable job of presenting this property (the one with the front entrance and part of the driveway). One of the photos looks like 2 chairs that were thrown out into the forest. (And I doubt those chairs would be a bargaining point for a potential buyer.)
The description picks up on "several patio areas and a screened-in patio!", along with the 2-car garage. That is fine and dandy for someone that wants to spend the maximum amount of time outside. However, this is a house listed for more than 1/4 of a million dollars, and a potential buyer needs more than "large master suite with separate reading area and a big walk-in closet" and "fireplace" as the entire description of the interior portion.
There are at least 10 other homes in the area at the exact same price as of press time. That translates to at least 10 other reasons to click on the next property.
While the description itself has only a small amount of "Realtor fluff", the web page has a larger profile of the husband and wife agent team than it has a description of the property itself. Granted, it is the format of the advertisement and not the fault of the listing agents, but because of that situation these agents need to work a lot harder to market this listing. They fail to present enough reasons to contact them about this or any other listing.
If I were a betting man, I would bet that these agents are the first to tell colleagues that "we're not getting any calls and there is no business out there". Not if they keep driving it away.
GRADE: D
Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. 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!
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