Be honest: have you ever judged a book by its cover? This is totally natural behavior. It's also a huge spotlight shining on the importance of having a strong property listing. You know the property you're listing inside and out, and you need to make sure its potential is highlighted to the fullest when you post it on your MLS, real estate portals, and market the home.

As you know, a listing comprises two parts: the pictures and the listing description. These two components need to work together to tell the story of the property — not just the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage. The goal of having a strong listing description? Hook in prospective buyers with great photos and a compelling listing description, get them interested and eager to learn more about the property and bring those buyers in to get the home sold.

Once buyers have scrolled through the listing photos, where do they head next? To the listing description. Here's everything you need to know about what to do, and what not to do, when you're writing your listing descriptions:

Do put yourself in potential buyers' shoes

Before you even start writing your listing description, take a moment to ask yourself what you would want to know about the property if you were interested in purchasing a home. Potential buyers are coming into this without a clue, and they're browsing at least a dozen other properties. So, what sets your listing apart from the rest? 

As a real estate expert, and a pro who's protecting the interest of your seller clients, it's easy — and natural — to get right down to brass tacks. But taking prospective buyers' perspectives (say that three times fast!) into account can help you craft a compelling listing description.

Don't hesitate to get some help from AI

Did you know you can completely outsource your listing descriptions using artificial intelligence chatbots? We talked about how you can do this here in our article "6 ways to supercharge your listings with AI." Using a chatbot can be a powerful way to have a strong starting point to craft a compelling listing description. 

Just keep in mind you'll want to keep a close eye to ensure the listing descriptions created by tools like ChatGPT are accurate, thorough, and sound human. It's also a good idea to use a tool like Grammarly to ensure your listing description has good grammar, punctuation, flow, and much more.

Do open with a hook

When home shoppers land on your listing description, they need to be hooked in right away. The first sentence of your listing description needs to capture their attention and make them want to keep on reading. Consider a short title for your listing, kinda like you're making its own tagline or movie title. Think things like:

• Fall in love with the lakeside life here!

• Say "hello" to the ranch-style home of your dreams.

• This charmer is ready for your special touch!

The possibilities are endless. Brainstorm based on the features of the home, its style, and the surrounding area. Keep it brief, punchy, and exciting.

Don't just copy and paste

Sure, you can take the information you have about the property from public records or an appraisal, but buyers can look all that up, too. Instead, you need to also tell them all the things they can't readily know about the property without reading your listing description. Include details about the home's features, any upgrades, and other key callouts they can't miss.

Do tell a story

Like we said earlier, your listing description should be the perfect complement to your listing photos. You're creating a story for potential buyers to read to help get them in the door and ready to buy. Skip out on telling them the basics, or going overboard with superfluous details. Instead, tell them how they'll live there and help them set the scene in their mind. This can look like weaving in details like:

• "Picture yourself whipping up weekend breakfasts in this stunning kitchen."

• "Enjoy long summer nights on the back patio and bust out your best grilling recipes."

• "Greet the day with an abundance of natural light in the living room."

• "The finished basement is perfect for a man cave, she-shed, or playroom."

See how a little oomph can make all the difference?

Don't get too long-winded

A compelling listing description shares key information, tells the story of the property, and helps buyers imagine what life will be like living there. It may seem counterintuitive to say this, but you want to keep your listing description concise, too. Nearly all buyers will see your listing description online, and the last thing they want to encounter is a wall of text to try and make sense of below the property of their dreams. 

Try to keep things as brief as you can without losing out on important information. When in doubt, write out the perfect, most compelling listing description. Then, drop it into ChatGPT and ask the tool to shorten it, but keep the same tone.

Do tell the truth

While we are encouraging you to tell a story, we're not saying you need to spin a tall tale. You need to make sure you're honest, truthful, and thorough in your listing description, even if the property has less than ideal features or issues present. Throwing buyers off course from the reality of the property can cause tremendous issues between you and them, their agent, and your clients. Avoid miscommunication or unrealistic expectations altogether by committing to crafting a compelling listing description in the most truthful light possible.

Don't use red-flag words, terms, or phrases

Put your buyer perspective hat on again and take a look at the following words:

• Charmer

• Cozy

• Needs TLC

• Fixer-upper

• DIY

• Investment opportunity

If you're cringing or wincing, you've officially uncovered red-flag words and phrases in listing descriptions. While these may be technically accurate for your listing, you don't want to flat-out deter potential buyers from the property. Again, you need to tell the truth, but consider rephrasing these terms or less-than-ideal features of the property. Frame any issues as positives or opportunities for personalization or customization, rather than negatives.

Do have a powerful call to action

Once buyers reach the end of your compelling listing description, what do you want them to do? Get in touch and see the property! Make sure you explicitly call out their next steps in your listing description. 

This is your call to action, or CTA. Think of this like the neat bow that wraps up your listing description. It's also a good idea to drive urgency with a little sense of FOMO here, so consider phrases like:

• "You can't miss this. Schedule a tour today!"

• "Don't let this home slip! Schedule your showing."

• "Your dream home is here, let's schedule your private tour now!"

Don't forget any caveats or transaction details

Your listing description is a story and also a hub of property information, so don't forget to add in any transaction-specific footnotes buyers need to know about. If your seller clients are offering to help finance the down payment, add that in. Maybe buyers have an option to pursue an assumable mortgage — make sure that's present. Is your seller expecting to reach an occupancy agreement? It's probably a good idea to share that sooner rather than later, so include it. A compelling listing description provides home shoppers with a download of key information about your listing, so don't skip including these if they're present.

Got listings? Make sure you're promoting them

Now that you're armed with the crucial dos and don'ts of writing compelling listing descriptions, you need to get more eyes on your listings. After all, home shoppers need to read the greatness you wrote! It's how they'll equip themselves with the key information they need to feel empowered to make their next move. Promoting your listings is critical, not just for your business, but to demonstrate your impact to your seller clients. This is where Local Expert can make all the difference.

With Local Expert, you can attract serious buyers to your listing with customizable ads when they're searching for a home on Realtor.com. Then, they'll see your listing promoted again in their feed when they're on Facebook and Instagram. You can customize your ads in minutes, saving you time you'd spend creating content, uploading online, and setting up a campaign. What's more, listing ads drive 6x more engagement than other Local Expert ad templates. What are you waiting for?

Click here to learn more about how you can be a Local Expert and get more eyes on your listing!