With more and more people looking to take advantage of the stamp duty holiday, your properties need to stand out from the crowd. That’s why this week we’re going to take a look at how to write a kickass Rightmove description to stop people scrolling.
A conversation that took place pre-Covid…
Friend: Katie, can I ask you a favour?
Me: Sure, what’s up?
Friend: Our flat’s been on the market for a while, and hasn’t been getting many Rightmove clicks, you write words can you help us rewrite the description please?
Me: *Cracks knuckles* LET ME AT IT.
For the sake of not boring you, that’s a condensed version. I wondered why my friend’s home wasn’t getting many enquiries because it’s a very lovely flat in a desirable part of the UK, and then I looked at the listing and well, I’m just going to dive right in and hopefully my observations will help you.
Rightmove Key features
First of all, I know we’re talking about the description in this post – but I can’t ignore the key features bullet points.
They’re the first thing potential buyers see, and you get ten of them. 10. TEN. Despite counting in disbelief several times, there were only six on my friend’s listing. Agents, you pay for this – please utilise it!
The key features don’t just need to relate directly to the property either, my friend’s flat was less than ten minutes walk from the beach. No mention of it anywhere on the entire listing, and least of all in the bullet points. WHAT is all that about?! You can bet it was the first thing I added.
- Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
- Especially large rooms
- Double doors opening on to a patio overlooking a landscaped garden
- Easy stroll to the train station
- Shops within walking distance
- Good outdoor space
- Award-winning beaches close by
- Popular schools
- Built-in storage
- Quiet road
- Recently refurbished
- Period features
There are twelve ideas off the top of my head for inspiration.
Top tip:
At the moment, Rightmove’s research is showing that post-lockdown, people are prioritising outdoor space and extra bedrooms over proximity to work – so maybe bump up mentions of gardens, local parks or beaches in your listings to capture attention.
Writing a Rightmove description
And now, the description. This is an art form, which is wasted by so many. In the case of my friend’s listing, the description was half the length that space allows and it just repeated all of the key feature points – what a waste!
I painted a bit more of a picture about the great local schools, the beach, the shops, mentioned (with their permission) that the current owners were newly married and were looking to grow their family – but it had been the happiest first home for them.
They sent it to their agent who was a bit incredulous about how ‘fluffy’ it was but they uploaded it, and within a couple of weeks their Rightmove stats were looking healthy and they had a couple of viewings booked.
I’m not giving myself all the credit for that but by thinking a little bit out of the box with the description, there was certainly an uptick in traffic which can only be a good thing.
Top tips for creating a great property description:
- Keep it snappy – make sure every sentence is telling the potential buyer something they didn’t already know. This could mean expanding on a couple of the key feature bullet points.
- Use capitals (sparingly). This isn’t one to overuse, otherwise it just feels a bit like you’re a market trader assaulting the ears of your poor potential customers with shouts, but if you use capitals selectively it can capture the attention of someone scrolling through a list of properties if a word they’re looking for jumps out at them. ‘LARGE GARDEN’ might be one to pick out at the moment, for instance.
- Don’t know what to say? Why not ask the vendor for a quote (you might have to lead this) “We’ve had 60 happy years in this house, it’s a lovely friendly neighbourhood, perfect for bringing up a family.” It does your job, and will give a potential buyer warm and fuzzy vibes before they even view the house.
The description is there as a marketing tool, and each one should be as unique as the property that’s being sold. If you’re not comfortable telling ‘fluffy’ stories because it’s not your style, that’s absolutely fine – there’s more than one way to sell a property – but you do need to make sure that every word counts.
Are you looking for other ways to promote your properties? You might also like our post: Are Facebook ads worth paying for?
Jane Gardner
I work all over the UK with various business owners, dedicating my creative and expert property knowledge from 35 years in the industry. I am a Level 4 ARLA Propertymark examiner, I sit on the board of Agents Giving Charity and I love everything property related! I can be contacted on 01923 627777 or by email to jane@social-angels.co.uk
