Online property sales platforms like rightmove.co.uk offer you the best opportunity to show off your home to thousands of potential buyers. We have put together a list of the key factors you need in your advert to really make it stand out, if your agent isn't taking all of these into consideration you could be missing out on buyers.
Strong Summary
This is the first thing that your potential buyer is going to read about your home. Does it portray the lifestyle that your home can offer? Can it be read in full without clicking through to the main advert? Is it descriptive enough that it will make buyers click through?
Does The Price Work With The Site
Rightmove works with round numbers, and increases by £50,000 from £500,000 to £700,000, then by £100,000 up to £1,000,000, then by £250,000 and so on. If your agent has listed your home at £699,999 and there are another 20 houses priced at exactly £700,000 then your property will appear at number 21+. Therefore buyers will have seen 20 other properties before yours. Additionally, if a buyer searches for £700,000 - £800,000 and your agent has listed the price at £699,999, then your home will not be shown in those results.
Descriptive Address
The address of your property is arguably one of the most important selling features, but it doesn’t have to be as boring as it sounds. Rightmove allow some slight artistic licence within the address. Adding in a little narrative such as “22 Lily Lane, in the heart of the Daisy Village” can offer the buyer a small snapshot of the home even before they see the photographs. The address must include the postcode, helpful in the Sat-Nav, for those people wishing to drive by before booking a viewing.
Property Style
Adding a descriptive term such as “Cottage” or “Country House” is much more accurate and appealing than simply citing “Terraced” or “Detached”. Again your agent's ability to add descriptive and informative narrative adds greater value to your advert.
Bullet Points
8 or 10 key facts about your home should be clearly visible at the start of your advert. Does yours have any? If so, do they list the best features of home and its location? The best bullet points are a great way to pique your buyer’s interest into reading more. They should not simply provide the buyer with the knowledge that your property has double glazing and central heating, but reflect the lifestyle your home can offer.
Poetic Description
Is it easy to read? Does it tell the story of your home and flow through the house with ease? Are the sentences readable, and without spelling & grammatical errors? Is there enough detail unique to your home and not just another draft of the same words from other properties on your agent's books? If your description simply lists where the telephone sockets and television points are, then your buyers will very quickly lose interest and move onto the next property.
Best Features
Are all the best features of your home mentioned in the advert? Log burners, open fires, range cookers and Agas all add to the character and lifestyle of your home, so should be mentioned in your advert. As should ponds, formal gardens, stables, and outbuildings. In addition, if you have a carbon neutral home with renewable energy sources, these should be mentioned.
Photograph Content
Getting the best possible photographs is absolutely vital to really stand out from the many other properties on Rightmove. Buyers will often view the photographs before they even begin to read any of the text. Having cluttered or cramped-looking pictures is a huge turn-off for most buyers. Photographs of the gardens should not show the rubbish bins, or dead/dying plants, tools or wheelbarrows unless of course it is a decorative feature.
Lifestyle Photography
Is there a good range of indoor and outdoor shots? Has your agent used aerial drone photography to fully showcase the property and any adjoining land? Are there photographs at differing times of the day? Twilight shots can look amazing when your house is lit up. Has your agent used a professional photographer to ensure that the best possible shots are obtained or have they been taken with a smartphone?
Photograph Slide-Show & Order
Does the order of the photographs flow through your home in a rational & logical manner? Are the photographs labelled, for example can a buyer distinguish between the main house bathroom and the en-suite? Are all the bedrooms labelled to match the floor plan?
Styling Your Home
Time and care should be taken before your agent takes any photos. Staging and dressing your home in a manner that suitably portrays the lifestyle of your property can vastly increase your chances of a viewing. How you present your home in the photographs can have a huge impact on your results. In our experience, a well-presented home will sell for a higher price in a shorter time period.
Floor Plans
Do you have one? Does it provide any other details, or just the room measurements? Such as what can be viewed from the window. Is the font legible? Does it show the total area in both square metres and square feet? After photographs, buyers are drawn to the floor plan more than any other aspect of your advert.
Virtual Tour
Does it have one? Virtual tours or video walk throughs are great for buyers, but they should not be a replacement for a viewing. If you show every detail in a full 360 degree video, then there is little point in the buyer coming to view your home. The video should be a short, eye-catching summary of your home’s best images and features.
Link To Full Brochure
Is there a link to your full brochure, which is able to be downloaded and printed? Try downloading the brochure and if possible, print it too. Does the layout remain constant? Is it still easy to read or is the font too small? Does the journey through the brochure match the advert?
Surroundings & Location
Is there a description of the local area? Can you tell from reading your advert that the property is a 5 minute walk to the local recreational park or swimming pool, or that there are 3 outstanding coffee shops in the village or along the road? Perhaps there is an active neighbourhood group that meet regularly, or that the local pub doubles as a take-away food outlet? Showing your home to the best it can be is not just about the building, but also about the community in which it’s set.
Directions
Does your advert contain the directions to your home? Buyers of high quality homes will often drive or walk by before booking a viewing. Are the directions easy to follow? Remember that your buyer may not be from the local area and therefore if the directions are too long-winded or too short, your home may not be found.
Services to the property
If your home is set away from the town and your heating runs on oil rather than mains gas then your advert ought really to advise on this. In this modern age of technology it is useful for buyers to know whether broadband is available in the area and what download speed is available.
Schools mentioned?
Local primary and secondary schools can also have an impact on whether a buyer will like your home. School catchment areas play a huge part in determining where someone wants to live. If the local schools are highly rated by Ofsted, then it's worthwhile giving it a mention. Likewise, private schools in the area can also be attractive to your buyers.
Street View & Satellite Maps
Google Street View and maps are very useful tools for buyers in order for them to explore the area around your home. Is the street view option set to face your home, or just in the middle of your postcode?
Call To Action
Is there something for the buyer to do next? Does the advert invite the buyer to call your agent and book a viewing? Are the agent’s contact details readily available?