Real Estate Copywriting Rules to Outsell the Competition

What makes copywriting distinct is the goal of encouraging the reader to take a very specific action. In real estate copywriting writing, you’re persuading the reader to make the largest purchase of their lives. That means the quality of your writing needs to be impressive.

What Is Real Estate Copywriting?

The key to excellent real estate copy is writing for the few individuals who are really going to “click” with your content. Every sentence you write has the potential to be the one that leads your reader to their dream home and changes their life.  If you can make a client feel seen and heard, you’ve won half the battle.

You can see why, as a real estate agent, gaining basic copywriting skills is a huge plus. At the very least, you can improve your ability to communicate with homeowners and buyers in a way that resonates with them and gets you the deal.

Unfortunately, while many real estate agents are natural-born sales people, they’re not natural born copywriters. It may take a bit of advice and practice to reach a level of copywriting that  you can feel proud of. By considering the tips below, you’ll gain the skills you need to develop awesome copy. And hey – worst comes to worst, you can hire your own copywriter (we have tips for that too). 

Copywriting for Real Estate Landing Pages

Your real estate landing page is the place where you funnel clients and should generate a load of loyal clients. Great copywriting will keep visitors on your page and coming back to revisit your incredible resources.

Ace the Headline

Your headline in the first part of your content that readers see. If you want to keep your prospects scrolling and exploring, acing your headline is crucial. A lacklustre headline not only lowers interest, it may even deter prospects from clicking into the article.

Make It Attention-Grabbing

Think of headlines that have caught your attention in the past or even in the last week. What did they have in common? Did they spark a feeling of concern within you? Were they funny? Timely? The principles of a great article headline or ad headline can be applied to your real estate website landing page. Any way you put it, a standout headline creates a feeling of urgency and interest. Not sure which headline would be the most enticing? Try out few variations and run them by real estate colleagues, friendly clients, or loved ones to get a good idea of which is the most effective.

Leave the Headline for Last

Your headline needs to sum up the most important points of your content, answer a client concern, and offer knowledge in a way that is syntactically appealing. If you’re having trouble coming up with a stellar head line, wait until you’ve constructed the bulk of your web page content. Then think of how you can sum up those 1000 words into a sharp 10.

Don’t Resort to Clickbait

As tempting as it is to try and bring in readers at any cost, using clickbait titles can severely hurt your business in the long run. It’s a simple SEO theory: nothing recognizes dishonesty and inconsistency faster than a search engine. For example, Google quickly picks out websites that have high bounce rates, yet a packed amount for keywords and captivating titles. If Google gets a whiff of clickbait from your webpage, you’ll be pushed down the ranks and that particular webpage may never see the light of day again. Don’t take the risk.

Find the Pain Point, Press It, Then Solve It

It’s human nature to be more action-inspired by the relief of pain, than the seeking of pleasure. Marketers have been playing on this unfortunate trait for years – and with consistent success.

For many of your current or prospective clients, the property search can feel long, expensive, stressful and time-consuming: the perfect breeding ground for relief-seeking. Industry professionals call this “taking advantage of a pain point”. The key for real estate copywriting is to press on this pain point and then offer your services or knowledge as a solution.

It would go a little bit like this: show that you understand client concerns and don’t hesitate to go into detail.  Every client group has a unique standpoint based on their hyperlocal area, budget, interests and lifestyle. For example, if your client base is mostly nuclear families, touch on the inconvenience of going to multiple open houses with kids, finding a neighborhood that is both affordable and with awesome surrounding schools, or creating separation between rooms while maintaining an open feel. 

Use your selected pain points as a jump off point for the best qualities about your services and the properties/clients you service. “Frustrated with non-stop viewings and impatient kids? Our brokerage consistently narrows down the best choices in the market on any given day. We’ll get crystal clear on exactly what you’re looking for. That way, you get the least stressful and most informative viewings.”

Use Accessible Language

Your real estate web pages don’t need to read like Shakespeare in order to be appreciated. In fact, you’ll find significantly more success if they read more like a children’s book. Flowery language has its place, but it’s often a barrier that creates confusion and distance. When you write long, winding sentences, your readers have to work twice as hard to find the information they’re looking for. Often, it’s easier to click away to another agent’s real estate website.

Think from the perspective of the reader: what information are you looking for and what language would you use to describe it? With this perspective, you can add descriptive words that emphasis without confusion. 

For many copywriters, writing accessible, brief paragraphs pose more of a challenge than a poetic 300 page novel. Not only does language have to be clear, but structure and order greatly affect readability. It takes a bit of practice to recognize and organize a few words that pack a punch.

We suggest starting with a mind map of all the main points you’d like to touch on. Mind maps help to clear the mind, create connections between points, and make sure you are touching on every necessary detail. From there, you can put the points in logical order and flesh out the details. Once all of the information you need has an organized order, you’ll want to break it up using text breaks and visual tools. Numbers, lists, and images create space between blocks of text that make your pages easier and more pleasant to read.

Copywriting for Real Estate Listings

What does your real estate listing say about the property? And how? You’ll have to do a bit more than describe basic features if you want to capture clients’ attention.

Focus on Benefits, Not Just Descriptions

Great property listings not only touch on what exists, they foster ideas of the potential of a home and the lovely people that will live in it. By now, we understand that purchasing a home is a much more emotional experience than simply buying a piece of land. It’s a refuge at the end of the day, a place to shut yourself off from the rest of the world, create a new life, and do whatever else you imagine for your life.

Of course, as you plan out your listing description, you’ll want to start by making sure that the basics are covered (how many bedrooms, bathrooms, appliances, etc.). The idea is to transport your prospective buyer to the home of their dreams with such immense persuasion that they can’t resist coming for a visit. Your ability to communicate the benefit of each feature is what will truly set your listing apart. Add character by considering how each feature in the home feels and adds to the day to day experience of living there.

Define Your Target Audience

Who is your target client base and what language would they use to describe their dream home? If you’re having trouble pinpointing the right language, ask yourself what type of person your listing wouldn’t be right for and select language that appeals to the opposite. 

Here are some examples of language leading agents would use to expand on a simple feature like a double sink:

• Spend less time getting ready
• Enjoy ample counter space
• Take advantage of extra storage
• Prepare for less clutter

Language like this not only appeals to your target client, but can pull in those who are teetering back and forth between different property styles, types, or agents.

It’s equally important to be familiar with words that are unappealing and even ostracizing. References to physical disability, religion, ethnicity, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, and employment status can quickly get you in trouble with fair housing laws and lead to unwarranted lawsuits. Check out the Fair Housing Guidelines for the full list of appropriate and inappropriate language.

Tell a Story About the Property

I know we said no flowery language, but storytelling is the one exception we’ll allow. Storytelling gets the reader emotionally involved with the text and makes a property standout among a series of dry listings. 

If your listing is an older home, reference the history of the space and how it intertwines with the surrounding neighborhood and local culture. You may reference architectural details, populations, monuments, and other worthwhile qualities. 

If your listing is a new development or one without any historical significance, look into the history of the hyper-local area. When in doubt, bring attention to the future potential of the neighborhood. There are a million ways to tell a story.

Enlist the Help of a Copywriting Tool 

Modern copywriting tools are essentially computer-generated AI programmed to mimic the cadence and vocabulary of natural language. For busy real estate agents without an external copywriter, copywriting AI can save you loads of time and effort in the long run.  From filling blank spots, to acting as a work-along thesaurus, and generating content ideas, there are a wealth of tasks copywriting AI can help with. Remember however, that these tools are not a replacement for human skill and don’t have the ability to recognize what sounds natural and appealing to the human ear. You’ll still need to verify your facts, check for consistency,  and add your own personality. 

Jasper

Jasper is one of the most comprehensive copywriting tools on the market right now. This tool is programmed to match the tone of several publication types and speed up the writing process by 10x. From real estate listings, to Facebook ads, Jasper AI predicts the type of language and topics appropriate for your content. 

Stuck on a blank page? Jasper scours relevant content to suggest what you should write about next and helps you build the text as you go. 

Here is a short tutorial on how you can take advantage Jasper now:

WordTune

Similarly to Jasper, WordTune provides suggestions on how your writing can be improved as you type. Once you add the Chrome extension, you can instantly use it across popular websites such as Google Docs, Twitter, Grammarly, and LinkedIn. 

Should You Hire a Real Estate Copywriter?

For some agents, all the copywriting tips in the world wouldn’t create enough time for them to write their own copy. In this case, a proficient copywriter can take a heavy load off your plate without sacrificing results. Unless your brokerage has large and ongoing needs, a freelance copywriter can provide sufficient and occasional work as needed.

What Will Your Copywriter be Responsible For?

Your copywriter should be confident in their ability to write engaging content that promotes your real estate business and highlights your unique offerings. Keep in mind that a candidate doesn’t need to have exclusive copywriting experience in order to excel in a copywriting position. Focusing on the skills that a great copywriter typically has, rather than the title, will allow you to hire from a larger and equally well-qualified pool of candidates. Consider past work experience that is indirectly related to are helpful in regards to copywriting. For example: do they have a graphic design background that could be integrated into your marketing materials? Admin experience that could be helpful if you need a bit of organizational help? 

On a micro-level you’ll want to look for:

• The ability to convert marketing language into engaging and pleasant text
• Produce error-free copy in your chosen brand voice over a variety of content types and lengths
• Find and initiate new copywriting opportunities that increase brand visibility 
• Understand your goals and communicate them effectively without distortion or too much back and forth

What to Include in Your Job Description

Your job description is likely the first time job seekers will interact with your company, so you’ll want to make a positive first impression. This is your opportunity to attract the best candidates who are also looking for a top employer. Get clear on what your new hire will be responsible for. Some typical copywriting tasks within the real estate industry include: 

• Property descriptions & MLS listings
• Brochures and sales letters
• Video content scripts
• Blogs
• Press releases
• Bios or “About Us” pages

The Writing Sample

Before the one on one interview, narrow down the best applicants by asking them to complete a sample. Copywriting is best tested by example, and asking for one will save you tons of  time in the long run. It’s customary in the copywriting industry to pay the applicants normal per-word-rate for the sample, however you may negotiate. 

Think of a topic that is relevant to the real estate industry, your unique business style, and your client’s interests. Here are examples of content written by some of AgentFire’s leading agents and marketers:

AgentFire client, Johnette Barham, is a real estate copywriting whiz. As a real estate agent herself, Johnette knows first-hand who her real estate clients are and what they’re looking for in her local area. With a high number of pet-owners in Johnette’s hyperlocal area, a blog about pet shops is useful and informative. This is also the type of article that is likely to be shared or viewed more than once by the same person. If ever needed, the intelligent AgentFire Blog Assist tool can suggest topics for Johnette to write about next. 

Chris Crow’s blog is a fabulous example of how to stay on brand while providing timely, relevant content. This real estate terms article is packed with digestible pieces of content between engaging visuals. It’s simple, yet effective in keeping visitors engaged. 

In Conclusion…

You don’t have to be an amazing copywriter to recognize amazing copywriting. With the knowledge you’ve gained, you’ll know how to identify a great headline, improve text phrasing, and find the right AI tool without touching a keyboard. 

Whether you write your own content or hire someone to help you out, great content is the responsibility of the website owner – and it isn’t a challenge to figure out. When in doubt, just think of what makes content that you like pleasant to read. The tips on this list will definitely apply.

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