Any good real estate agent knows the importance of writing not only correct, but compelling listings. Written errors do not only cause confusion between agents and potential buyers, they give a bad impression overall. While browsing listings, homebuyers expect to be able to get all the information they need at just a glance and will soon skip over any that are difficult to decipher. Furthermore, grammatical errors and dubious word choices give buyers the message that you as an agent either do not know how, or do not care enough, to write correctly.
Top professionals in real estate (and certainly all industries) care enough to hire editors to proofread and perfect their writing before displaying it for potential customers to see. The most compelling reason to do so? Their bottom line. According to a Wall Street Journal article, real estate listings written in full, error-free sentences result in faster sales as well as higher-than-average selling prices. That’s something every real estate agent can appreciate.
Typos Can Be Costly Mistakes
We all make typos from time to time, but failing to notice and correct them before publishing a listing (such as posting to social media or sending correspondence) is careless and also costly. The silliest typos might add a nonexistent extra bedroom to a home or a couple of hefty zeroes to an asking price. These errors are an instant deal killer. Rather than call to double-check such mistakes in major details, most buyers will simply move on to the next listing. You might think blooper-style typos, such as writing “poo in the backyard” instead of “pool” or “large panty” instead of “pantry,” give readers a harmless chuckle, but that’s not a good thing. You want house hunters to be smiling with excitement over the potential of your listing, not laughing at your errors.
Readability Is Very Important
Abbreviations are common and accepted in real estate listings. They make skimming lots of listings quicker and easier for browsing homebuyers, and they save real estate agents money on pricey advertising space. Go too far with the convention, though, and you risk giving readers a headache as they try to decipher lines of all-caps code. Do not make the mistake of cutting every vowel from every word (“bdrm” is fine, “grt nghbrhd” is just annoying) or making up your own acronyms (no one knows that SSA stands for “stainless steel appliances”). An editor or another set of eyes can help you find the fine line between writing that’s summarized for the benefit of the reader and writing that’s crammed with so many abbreviations it becomes unintelligible.
Errors Undermine Your Professionalism
Most homebuyers who are reading listings can forgive minor typos and grammatical errors as long as they can understand the key points. They know that real estate is your expertise, not writing perfect prose. However, mistakes from the subtle to the glaring all undermine your professional appearance and cost you money in ways you can’t easily measure. If you are publishing listings or other materials with errors, is it because you are uneducated? Perhaps your agency cannot afford to pay someone to proofread. Or maybe you just don’t care. All of these possibilities mean buyers are doubting your professionalism, and such doubts inevitably have a negative effect on your profits. Smart, savvy real estate agents know that utilizing the services of an editor can undeniably boost your bottom line.
By: Heather R., Editor for editorr
