A listing description isn’t read the way a magazine article is read, it’s scanned, fast, alongside dozens of others. Here’s how to write one that survives the scan.
- Lead with the strongest, most specific feature, not a generic opener like "Welcome home."
- Specifics sell; "updated kitchen" is weak, "kitchen renovated 2023 with quartz counters" is strong.
- Write for how buyers actually search and scan, not like a real estate brochure.
- A description is read once, an audio tour can be heard by buyers who never open the listing at all.
Start with the strongest detail, not a greeting
"Welcome to this charming home" wastes the most valuable real estate you have, the first line. Lead instead with the single most compelling, specific fact: a recent renovation, a rare feature, the lot size, whatever is genuinely the strongest selling point.
Specifics beat adjectives
"Spacious" and "beautiful" say nothing, every listing uses them. "1,800 sqft, 4 bedrooms, primary suite on the main floor" tells a buyer exactly what they’re getting. Replace vague adjectives with real numbers, dates, and brand or material names wherever you can.
Write for skimming, not reading
- Keep paragraphs short, two to three sentences max.
- Lead each paragraph with its most important fact.
- Use the words buyers actually search: bedroom count, square footage, neighborhood name, "updated," "move-in ready."
- Save subjective language, "charming," "cozy", for the middle, not the headline.
A description is read once, a tour can be heard
Even a great written description competes with dozens of others a buyer scrolls past. A narrated audio tour gives buyers a completely different way to experience the home, hearing it described while standing at the actual curb, which most other FSBO listings simply don’t offer.
How Hear My Home fits: your written description gets buyers to click, a narrated audio tour on the sign gets buyers who are already standing outside to actually stop and listen, a second chance to sell the home your description can’t reach. See how it works for FSBO →