Making a good description for online advertising

We all know good photos make your property stand out online when selling, however I have seen (in my opinion) some really bad examples of large paragraph descriptions underneath.

As I'm considering selling my house and not done it before, do you have any say into what is in the description? Do they give you a draft before they publish it?

In my opinion, a short 2 to 3 line "fluffy" description would be best then a heap of features below in point form only. Any examples on good descriptions and what works or doesn't work?

 

Are there any laws on what you can and can't get away with in the ad? For example... for me I can walk to the near-by station in 7 minutes (I timed it) however I walk at a brisk pace and take a short cut and if I get lucky with traffic lights... but if you walk at a "normal" pace via the roads (plus traffic lights) you get there in about 12 to 13 minutes... can I put "only 7 minute walk to station!" on the ad?

 

Always make it easy for the buyers. I think 3 short paragraphs, followed by dot points with the features is a good way to go.

You can write anything and nothing will happen unless someone complains about it of course. There is nothing to worry about if your facts are truthful.

If you are using an agent, then leave the description to the agent. If they mislead buyers then they are responsible and not you.

If you are listing yourself, you would most likely be safe to use the time or distance shown via Google maps.

 

I am a big fan of an introductory, descriptive paragraph, dot points for features and then a small summation paragraph. With all the properties online buyers simply don't have the time to read chunky paragraphs.

Sounds like you are on the right track.

Mick

 

Depends on the state.
But absolutely.
NSW:

Advertising guidelines - NSW Fair Trading
Further, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s guideline 'Fair and square - A guide to the Trade Practices Act for the real estate industry' advises that vague statements about the location of land are likely to be misleading under the Trade Practices Act 1974. Only factual information about the location of land or property should be used.

The following examples show what wording would also be acceptable to use in the description of a property to supplement the photograph/s:

• '2 km to beach' is preferable to 'close to beach', and
• 'village shops 3 km' is preferable to 'within walking distance of shops'.

All efforts should be made by agents and their employees to provide an accurate picture or impression in the consumer’s mind of the features of the property being offered for sale.

Agents cannot avoid liability simply by claiming that the buyer or consumer should have made reasonable enquiries and checked the information provided. Agents are responsible for their words and actions in their dealings with their clients.

 

Thanks for this info.

 

All good. We have touched on it in some Domain articles before if you're interested:
Real estate photo advertises house for sale with overshadowing tower missing from the picture
How can one car space be advertised as four?
Six ways the underquoting reforms affect you