Given my recent posting on the horrendous state of listing photos online, here's an idea that tackles the problem from the other end. While it's true that listings with no photos get no clicks; those with bad photos chase buyers to other listings. But listings with good photos and TERRIBLE descriptions do just as much damage to consumer interest levels.

NAR studies tell us that, after photos, the property description is the second most important piece of information the consumer seeks online. Most property descriptions suffer from three common problems:

1. They are automatically "pulled" from the MLS system, which frequently has limitations on words, so the agent is forced to abbreviate or create weird sentence structures. Plus MLS descriptions are really aimed at getting other MLS users' attention, so the kinds of things being written are not always consumer-oriented. Weird stuff like "come by open house this Sunday" which ends up in the comments on the web!

2. Too many agents are using the web like a glorified classified ad. So they're busy writing in that strange, newspaper language like "2 BR, Fam RM, FROG" language (that's Family Room Over Garage) on the web. So, once again, it seems like too many agents completely misunderstand the purpose of web marketing - and that's to go BEYOND the crummy limitations of MLS, newspaper and print... To wit:

   

3. Even if a listing description escapes from the first two errors, and the agent proactively spends the time writing specific marketing copy for the listing on the web, there is still one more challenge: And that's to avoid using the description to simply "recount more features about the property." Too many descriptions are simply more 'filler" about the "stuff" in the house. And this sets the property up to be compared to OTHER homes with OTHER - and potentially MORE - stuff. And that's no way to sell a home.

Instead, agents must learn to use the property descriiptions to TELL A STORY. Create a paragraph that addresses how it would FEEL to LIVE in the HOME. It's not a house in an area; it's a potential home in a neighborhood. Descriptions have to aim at what it would be like to live in the home. In fact, most buyers compromise on lots of STUFF in their purchase, so essentially, home features are rarely the "decision" makers/breakers. But when a buyer can imagine what it would be like living there, enjoying free time there, raising their family or enjoying time with friends there, retiring there or just waking-up each day there - now that's what sells a home.

So, while we can hope agents will try better not to scare away too many buyers with their scary photos, we must also work harder to make sure the listing descirptions - the text that replaces our "voices" online - do a much better job at telling the STORY of the home. And that doesn't mean the laundry-list of stuff. That means focusing on the emotional experience that a potential buyer could have - once they buy it, we hope!