Real estate copywriting is all about moving your clients to see what could be:

A big family fiesta in that living room?
Decorating to take advantage of the natural light?
Renters paying big bucks for a secluded lakeside getaway?

Our minds know exactly what they like or dislike, with little room for perhaps. Especially when it comes to something as personal as your home or hard-earned cash.

That’s why if you’re in the real estate industry, you’ll know you need to highlight the value of your properties as soon as possible. And bets are in, potential buyers or sellers will be looking at your website and marketing materials to view your current listings, find what makes you unique, and dissect the living potential of each home you have on offer. 

But before diving into what you personally need to focus on, here’s some examples of real estate copywriting and why it works (plus how it could be improved):

Examples of Real Estate Copywriting

REMAX real estate

What they did well: paints a picture in the mind of the reader: swim from your doorstep, panoramic views, minutes to schools and shopping.

What could be improved: although CAPS is a proven writing technique to guide your reader’s eye, in this case, it doesn’t really work in the first sentence and could be a little overkill.

Houlihan Lawrence

What they did well: luxurious tone of voice that lends itself perfectly to their position of luxury property specialists. 

What could be improved: Their homepage only had this section and an intro, which fell a little bit flat. It could be nice to also have a few featured properties and their photos with a blurb about them on the homepage.

The Grubb Company

What they did well: starting with the action to ‘cross’ makes us feel like we are experiencing it as the writer speaks, followed by vivid imagery of a slower pace, beaches, and parks.

What could be improved: adding a clear call-to-action before the highlights.

All star team realtors

What they did well: information is immediately simple and clear. Do you want to buy, sell, or rent?

What could be improved: they don’t need the company name ‘All-Star Team Realtors’ repeated in the hero headline. This is prime real estate to make an impact, and their logo and name are already in the navigation bar.

3 key information points real estate agents or companies need to know before they start writing:

1. Your audience: Before you or your team start to write, map out the person you are talking to. You should have a good understanding of their age, income, lifestyle, interests, and pain points etc.
   
2. Your language: How will you communicate your messages? What tone of voice and approach will you use? When writing for real estate, it helps to be highly descriptive and informative. Professional, but never boring.
   
3. Your goals: What is the purpose of the copy you want to write? There should be a clearly outlined objective to refer back to so you’re always on track. Especially if you need sign off from multiple team players before it’s live. And remember – the medium is the message. Meaning the form of content, be it SEO blogs or listing websites, will have their own goal and potential for impact.
   

Copywriting for Real Estate Websites // 5 Tips

A real estate website copywriter will help you connect with potential clients, showcase your expertise, and drive business from your site. 

1. Start with a clear value proposition: Your hero statement needs to convey what makes you unique and why someone should choose you over other realtors. Avoid having your business name in your opening space and go for something that appeals to your audience. Even if you have the COOLEST name in the world, it isn’t the most valuable way to open a conversation with your customers.
   
2. Hone in on your tone of voice: Are you a luxury company wanting to emphasize a feeling of elegance while still remaining conversational and approachable? Or are you a trend-setting real estate agent who wants to sprinkle some fun onto the buying or selling process? Whatever your personality and goals, stick with it across every touchpoint and make it part of what makes you unique.
   
3. Highlight your expertise: Your website needs to showcase your position in the real estate industry. Share your expertise and knowledge about the local real estate market, and provide valuable insights to help potential clients make decisions. Don’t forget to follow with clear call-to-actions guiding them on what action to take next.
   
4. Include your love notes: People trust people trust people. Pepper in social proof throughout your website like your most detailed testimonials from past clients. This will help build trust and establish your credibility.
   
5. Optimize for search engines: Add relevant keywords into your copy. For example, if you want to target a specific location like Whistler, it could include: ‘Whistler Real Estate’, ‘Whistler Realtor’, ‘Whistler Real Estate Agent’. This will ultimately help potential clients find your site when they search for real estate-related keywords.

Copywriting for Property Descriptions // 6 Tips

A professional copywriter will help you capture the attention of potential buyers. This is your opportunity to create a narrative that the reader can see themselves in.

1. Start with a hook: Use a strong opening sentence to capture the reader’s attention and entice them to keep reading. Rather than “this 5 bed 5 bedroom house is situated across from the park”, try “welcome to your dream home” or “discover your private hideaway for luxury living”.
   
2. Focus on unique features: Does the property have exquisite architectural elements? Perhaps there’s a panoramic view from the rooftop or an array of luxurious amenities within walking distance? Whatever makes this property special, make it stand out.
   
3. Use sensory language: Humans develop emotional connections through touch, taste, and smell… Use words that make the reader imagine how the property looks and feels, such as:
   
   bright, airy, plush, sturdy, breezy, quiet, calming, stunning, cozy…
   
   
4. Highlight the benefits: Rather than simply stating that the property has a pool, highlight the benefits of having one in your home like “endless summer days with family lounging by your private pool.”
   
5. Indulge the lifestyle: Homes need to fit habits. When talking about the property, it’s important to highlight how it can mirror the potential buyer’s lifestyle, such as its proximity to schools, outdoor activities, or entertainment areas.
   
6. Be honest and accurate: If you describe the home as one-of-a-kind or exaggerate its modern features, when in fact it’s just a standard single family home that needs some updates, you’ll fall into the trap of misleading potential buyers. Disappointment leads to damage.

Tips for Copywriting for Realtor Listings // 4 Tips

Your real estate copywriter will help you create compelling copy that showcases your properties and helps you sell them quickly and effectively.

1. Focus on key features: With an emphasis on easy to read, this is your opportunity to quickly showcase key features such as the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, and location.
   
2. Use descriptive language: Try using vivid imagery that paints a picture in the buyer’s mind where you can. Instead of stating it has a “large kitchen,” you could say it has a “modern, open plan kitchen with unlimited space for entertaining.”
   
3. Highlight the benefits: You might have heard us preach it before, but always stick with benefits over features. Rather than simply stating that the property is “next to a lake”, say something like “Walk outside and swim, kayak, or sunbathe all summer long”.
   
4. Include a call to action: Conversion copywriting is the art and science of moving your audience from point A to point B. Encourage potential buyers to act by including a call to action at the end of your listing. For example, “Schedule your tour today and experience this stunning property for yourself!”

Copywriting for Real Estate Blogs // 6 tips

SEO blogs educate and engage your audience while bringing relevant traffic to your website. It’s what we like to call evergreen content, meaning it’s ever-lasting, and ever-valuable. 

One pro tip from me to you? If your blogs aren’t performing well, rather than creating 20 more, go back and optimize your old ones for search engines. Updating blogs is a much easier and faster way to improve your results. And as a self-confessed blog lover, I also think it’s a shame to pour so much heart (and finger sweat) into an article and have Billy-no-one read it.

1. Focus on audience needs: If you’re writing for first-time homebuyers, tailor your content to help them navigate the buying process. If you’re writing for homeowners looking to sell their property, tailor your content to help them attract potential buyers. Your blog posts should always be useful and relevant for your anticipated readers.
   
2. Use visuals: A well-performing blog post is usually about 1000-2000 words, but that doesn’t excuse you for publishing a huge wall of text that’s difficult to digest. Make sure you use images, videos, or infographics to help with your formatting. It’s also a good way to showcase the properties or areas you’re writing about.
   
3. Don’t be boring: Just because it’s professional, doesn’t mean you have to head into snooze-ville. And this applies to any copywriting for real estate. Swap out the rigid and formal language for a tone that’s more conversational. Brainstorm new ideas that aren’t like every other blog on the block. People are *genuinely* tired of seeing the same cookie-cutter information on repeat – so the best way to make an impact is to present your information in a way that makes buyers/sellers/investors excited.
   
4. Do be informative: We always go back to two core content pillars: excite or educate. That’s because we know people like to be excited by brand- new offerings and funny memes, or they also like to learn something new, find help to solve a problem, or listen to ideas from inspiring thought-leaders. Oftentimes in real estate blogs, it’s the latter. And your audience wants to be educated on how to find their next property, the current state of the market, or how to design their home to attract more buyers.
   
5. Optimize for search: Imagine organizing a one-of-its-kind, out-of-this-world party, but you forgot to send the invites. That’s what SEO is. Making sure the right people know about and can find your business.
   
6. Close your loop: Every blog should have a beginning, middle, and end. When you come to the end of your blog, make sure you summarize the point and include a CTA that tells readers what you’d like them to do next. For example “If you’d like help finding the perfect investment property, contact us today.”

Tips for Copywriting for Real Estate Newsletters // 4 tips

Real estate newsletters are less about a hard sale and more about engaging your network and keeping your name at the forefront of their mind.

1. Don’t overlook your subject line: Would you be surprised if I told you a subject line can (and should) take longer than an entire paragraph of a newsletter? That’s because your subject line can either open a conversation or fall into the no-mercy-multiple-select for their junk folder. In other words, it’s the bridge to reaching your audience.
   
2. Keep it short and sweet: Your newsletter isn’t a thesis on how housing marketings are impacted during economic downturns. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and subheadings to make the content easy to navigate and read. Formatting is important, and remember to think mobile-friendly.
   
3. Writing worth reading: Your newsletters are a great opportunity to offer insights and advice on relevant topics. This could include the current state of the market, trends, buying or selling tips, and fun local recommendations. Make it interesting, make it worthy of a place in their inbox.
   
4. Use visuals: Incorporate high-quality images or videos into your newsletters to elevate your copy. But also be aware that too many could send your newsletter straight into someone’s spam folder. Your text to image ratio has to be balanced to avoid the sticky web of spam filters.

How My Networks Can Help With Your Copywriting: 

In simple terms, we do the word work so you don’t have to. Your business gets well-thought-out narratives across multiple channels, lets potential customers experience your brand values/expertise, and taps into their needs and aspirations. Which ultimately helps move people to take the next stage: working with you.

Contact us today.