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10 Copywriting Mistakes that Downgrade Your Real Estate Listings

Vector image of a document in front of a laptopYou write property descriptions for your listings on a regular basis. It’s difficult to come up with creative ways to describe the unique features of your homes for sale. In an effort to come up with the perfect copy, it’s easy to make a spelling mistake or to overlook an error while proofreading.

Real estate agents across the industry make these common mistakes. We want to bring them to light, so you’re one step closer to writing real estate listings that are error free and resonate with your customers.

Here are 10 common misspellings and mistakes that occur in real estate listings on a regular basis:

1.    Complement vs Compliment

A compliment is praise given to someone; complement means to ‘add to something in a way that enhances it or improves it.’  In essence, complement means ‘to go well together.’

Correct Use: “The home’s ornately landscaped yard complements its classic Victorian style.”

2.    Decadent

The word decadent is commonly misused. As an adjective, it means ‘a state of moral or cultural decline.’ As a noun, a decadent is a person who is luxuriously self-indulgent. This seems to be where we skew the use of the word, using it to describe a luxurious or lavish object when, in fact, it refers to a self-indulgent person. This word is commonly misused and most people don’t know its real meaning so are unlikely to pick it up, but it’s better to avoid it.

Correct Use: Don’t use this word to describe a home. Instead, choose a word such as luxurious, lavish, plush, stunning, remarkable, or magnificent.

3.    ‘Turn of the Century’

This word is used to describe homes that were built in the early 1900s. We call them, ‘turn of the century homes.’ This is actually incorrect, however, because in the year 2000 we had another turn of the century. 

Correct Use: “This time-honoured 1900s home…” or “This classic Federation home…” 

4.    Close to Local Shops

Local means that something is close to a certain area or neighbourhood. If the shops are located near the home for sale, you don’t need to point out that they are local.

Correct Use: Steer clear of using ‘close to local shops’ and rather say, ‘close to shops’ or ‘the area is filled with quaint, local shops.’

5.    Barbecue vs Barbeque

The shortened version of the word ‘barbecue’ is spelled ‘bbq’, which is likely why the word is often misspelled with a ‘q’.

Correct Use: Either use ‘bbq’ as an abbreviation or spell ‘barbecue’ correctly with a ‘c’. 

6.    Undercover vs Covered

To say that a home features a ‘covered balcony’ is not the correct use of the word. You cover yourself with a blanket or cover your eyes, but a balcony should be described as undercover. You don’t cover a balcony with a roof, therefore, it’s important to adjust the usage.

Correct Use: “The home features a spacious undercover or protected or all-weather balcony.” 

7.    “A Matter of Moments”

“A matter of moments” is flowery, lyrical language. Excite your buyers by using specifics.

Correct Use: Instead of saying ‘This home is a matter of moments to the park,’ say ‘This home is 500 metres or a two-minute walk from the park.’ 

8.    “Literally A Matter of Moments”’ 

Literally means ‘exactly’, which makes using this phrase even worse. It’s better to avoid the phrase altogether and to stick with the specifics. 

9.    A Functional Kitchen

Functional describes something that is ‘practical’ or ‘working’. One would hope the kitchen in a home for sale is working, so this is not the best selling point. Use more specific and detailed adjectives.

Correct Use: Try using ‘spacious and well laid-out kitchen’ or ‘neat and versatile kitchen’.

10.    Carrara Marble and CaesarStone

Carrara is commonly misspelled ‘cararra’. CaesarStone is one word – not two – and is spelled with a capital C and S.

The secret to success is knowing your strengths and weaknesses, if you are not confident with copywriting, employ a professional copywriter to write up your property descriptions. They will know what mistakes to avoid, and how to convey the unique selling point for your listings in a creative manner.

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