6 ways to craft a quality listing

A carefully crafted listing allows a property to make the right kind of first impression with potential buyers.

A few tweaks here and there can help you produce a top quality listing, that will paint you in good light with potential or future vendors.

With over 1 million unique browsers visiting realestate.co.nz each month, we know what makes our buyers tick and what serious buyers want to see on your listing. 

Here are six steps to creating a quality listing:

1. Keep the listing title clear and simple

Using all capital letters and lots of exclamation points does not make for a better headline. Be clear and concise with your listing title. Use a capital letter for just the first word of your listing title, and keep it under 35 characters (including spaces). The title should be informative - for example, ‘cheap as chips’ doesn’t tell a buyer much about the property but ‘do-up in a great neighbourhood’ let’s them know that the house might need some love.

 

 

2. Include 20+ quality photos

Every great agent understands the importance of high-quality images – they capture the attention (and heart) of your potential buyer. A great set of pictures, ideally at least 20 images, can convince a property hunter to pick up the phone and enquire. Choose your listing’s main image carefully – this is the image that will convince a site browser to click through to learn more about your property. In January 2017 65.6% of the users visiting realestate.co.nz were female, so ensure your pictures appeal to the ladies. 

 

3. Produce a video (no longer than two minutes)

A great video can transport the viewer into a property. A video creates movement and flow, allowing a potential buyer to fall in love with a property before the open home. Ideally, the video should be no longer than two minutes in length, as our data suggests that the average user’s attention span drops after this time. You should not use a slideshow of pictures to create a video – this does not offer the same benefits.

 

4. Include the floor plan in your photo roll

Serious buyers like to absorb as much information as possible, so you should include the property’s floor plan in the photo roll on your listing. Our data tell us that the best position is photo number three. Different users engage with content in different ways, which is why we also include the floor plan as a separate tab above the photo roll.

 

5. Detail, detail, detail

The purpose of your listing is to convince property hunters that this is the home for them. Aim to tell your story in around four paragraphs. By providing as much information as possible, you’ll soon find yourself receiving more genuine enquiries from those who are serious about purchasing that particular property, and spend fewer hours dealing with time-wasters. Use the website's features to your advantage by ensuring, at the minimum, you detail the bedrooms, bathrooms, car parks, land area and floor area of a property. 

 

6. Use the right keywords

“Pool”, “sea view”, “garage” and “freehold” are examples of some of the most popular keywords buyers use when searching on the residential section of realestate.co.nz. If your property has a special feature, character or asset, be sure to include this in your listing description, so it appears in a user’s search results.