Good house selling ads often means avoiding the promotion of some features and phrases

Features with minimal value

Would any of the following features or statements really make you want to see a property?

New sump pump                                          New gutters, downspouts

80-gallon water heater                                 Electric updated

Glass block windows                                     Mirrored walls/kitchen backsplash

On a slab                                                     1 car garage

Invisible fence                                              Double bowl vanity

Peninsula in kitchen                                     Remote light/ceiling fan

1 bath                                                          Storage shed

Detached garage                                          New garage door

Electric door openers                                    Not a drive-by!

Ceiling fans                                                  Won’t last!

Use your advertising space wisely. If a lot of minor upgrades have been made, simply say, “lots of new upgrades,” don't elaborate on them in the ad.

Consider what a phrase implies. “Immediate possession” means vacant to lots of folks and a desperate seller to most. On the other hand, “doll house” is a nice way of getting across that it’s rather small. When agents say it’s a home where you can add your “decorating touch”, you can bet that it needs a lot of decorating.

Excessive abbreviations can sour any ad

Heavy usage of abbreviations creates confusion. Your home buyers don’t all embrace text messaging and abbreviations. These can also make the reader feel like an outsider; unfamiliar with the local lingo, or just get turned off. For example, try to decipher this:

Hm is vry klen, flat bkyd, new wwc in 04, profess fin LL w/ w-o,

repl wndws, wbfp, SGD in E-IK, 2 cr gar w/opnr. 

Obviously it would have eaten up a lot of space to say,

"Home is very clean, flat backyard,new wall to wall carpet in 'o4,

professionally finished lower level with walk out, replacement

windows, wood burning fireplace, Sliding Glass Door, Eat-In Kitchen,

2 car garage with opener."

This text would be very expensive to run in most newspapers.

Avoid confusion and key in on a few noteworthy features. Try:

Walk-out finished lower level to gorgeous yard. Too much “new” to list here.

Not everybody is familiar with how local agents abbreviate. Two and a half baths can be displayed as

2 1/2, 2.1, or 2.5. Avoid confusion, use 2 1/2.

Use your advertising space wisely. If a lot of minor upgrades have been made, simply say, “lots of new upgrades.”

Consider what a phrase implies. “Immediate possession” means vacant to lots of folks and a desperate seller to most. On the other hand, “doll house” is a nice way of getting across that it’s rather small. When agents say it’s a home where you can add your “decorating touch”, it's a good bet that it needs a lot of decorating.

Selling phrases to avoid   

Some phrases simply sound more appealing than others or need a slight modification to reach all audiences. Here are a few examples. 

TOO PLAIN                                                  SOUNDS BETTER

Fireplace                                                       Wood burning, cozy or gas fireplace       

Unfinished basement                                     Basement

Basement                                                     Lower level

Dead end street                                            Short, quiet street

Large                                                            Spacious

2.1 baths                                                      2  1/2 baths

2.2 baths                                                      2 full, 2 half baths

Newly painted                                               Freshly painted

Laundry Room                                              1st floor laundry

New roof, driveway                                       Newer upgrades

Rehabbed                                                     Remodeled

1 car garage                                                 Attached garage

Immediate occupancy                                   Flexible possession date