A ‘beautiful’ word can be worth thousands
Professor Paul Anglin, a real estate economist in Ontario, Canada, says that homes described as “beautiful” in real-estate advertising sell for up to 5% more. It turns out that the right phrasing in real-estate listings can speed a sale and even boost the final price, according to his study, which examined 20,000 listings.
Listings with the words “beautiful” or “gorgeous” in the description sold 15% faster. “Landscaped” hastened a sale by 20%. Interestingly, calling a home a “handyman special” cut sale time by half. “Must see” had virtually no effect on the time before a sale.
The kiss of death appears to be language that reeks of desperation – words such as “motivated” and “must sell.” These slowed sales by 30%. Surprisingly, properties described as “rentals” or “income-producing” took 60% longer to sell – probably because they put home owners off.
While this was a Canadian study, there are certainly lessons in it, so we can word your ads for you appropriately.
Filed under: REAL ESTATE | Tagged: Real Estate