Answer:

Words have power.

How can the right words sell a house on the MLS?

They are verbal pictures. They are ideas and emotion. Words carry our hopes and fears. Words are subconsciously linked to emotional states. Words can add value and urgency to your listing description. Click here for a link on how to write an extended description for Realtor.com Click here for a link on how to write a headline for Realtor.com Click here for a link on how to write a description for your MLS listing. There are certain words to use to sell your home and others that you should avoid that is based on real, concrete data generated by several scientific studies.

According to a Canadian study led by Professor Paul Anglin (who teaches real estate economics in Guelph, Ontario) words have the power to increase the perceived value of things. The good professor and his colleges at the University of Windsor compared over twenty thousand listings and came up with some startling conclusions.”

The study claims simply using the word “beautiful” can sell your home for an additional $12,500. The idea is to use words that create desirable mental pictures because they carry subconscious emotional connections. The words, “move in ready” caused homes to sell faster because it conveyed a clean space. On the other hand, “gorgeous” coupled with words like “landscaped” and “turnkey” made buyers beat a path to the seller’s door. But if you say something like, “The seller is anxious to sell,” you will actually turn buyers off. Real estate agents have been using keywords for decades. They know that the words and phrases that you use in your descriptions can sell your home faster (and for more money too). Words like “gorgeous”, “pristine”, “landscaping” and “turn-key” all motivated buyers to act faster.

Words to avoid:

  • Vacant
  • Needs TLC
  • Moving must Sell
  • Ranch
  • Foreclosure
  • Basement
  • Motivated
  • Cute
  • Charming

Use these words instead:

  • Beautiful
  • Move-in ready
  • landscaping
  • Gourmet
  • Maple
  • Stainless
  • Granite
  • Craftsmanship
  • Upgrade
  • Turnkey
  • Garden
  • Space
  • Open
Bottom line:

Words paint a mental picture in the mind of your reader. You want to avoid words that make you look desperate. Instead, you want to paint a picture of luxury, comfort or perceived high value. The point is to motivate buyers by using enticing words and photos. As always though, the single most important selling point is the price.