It is How a Sacramento Realtor Says It to Describe a Home For Sale

Ask any writer, the most powerful type of word in the English language is a verb, hands down; yet when it comes to describing a home for sale and marketing Sacramento real estate, verbs are not nearly as useful as a noun, and proper nouns are better. As a Sacramento REALTOR who also writes professionally, I adore verbs. Verbs punch. Verbs shove prose front and center. A home description, however, is not capable of much movement or lively action, and it’s difficult for four walls and a roof to, say, spring to life through a verb.

A friend whose business is to ghost-write for real estate agents apparently incapable or unmotivated to describe a home for sale says she is adverse to adjectives, which made me ponder verbs and nouns, and how I employ parts of speech in my marketing comments. The marketing comments is the cornerstone for a Sacramento REALTOR’s listing and second only to photographs.

True, some homes are challenging to describe. There are tract homes in Elk Grove and Natomas, for example, that resemble each other so closely that it’s challenging at times to come up with a way to describe it in a unique manner. When I am faced with those decisions, I generally lean on my emotions and pluck something useful from the aisle of gut instincts. That’s because buyers buy on emotion. They may think they are buying a four bedroom, three bath, but they are really buying is the way that home makes them feel.

I’m fond of repeating: it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. I often coach my sellers on the types of things to write on their disclosure statements; in other words, how to convey negativity with temperance.  One of my new sellers whose $1.5 million home won’t go on the market for a few months, handed me her writeup, and I’ve been considering revisions. She made an excellent point when she referred to an exterior ramp made for “people on wheels.” See how how much better that reads than handicapped access? Besides, people on wheels, could refer to a kid on a bicycle. I love it.

But when she noted this home feature of “heavy reinforcement to withstand earthquakes,” I’m fairly certain we do not want the word “earthquake” in a marketing piece. It denotes negativity and fear. It’s not like we really ever face any earthquakes centered in Sacramento anyway. A different term such as “reinforced construction resists movement” would paint a softer picture and deliver a stronger message. The benefit would be smooth walls and blemish-free ceilings. It’s always feature > benefit.

If you’re looking for a Sacramento Broker who consistently puts thought and care into each and every single listing, give top producer Elizabeth Weintraub a jingle at 916.233.6759. Or text. Broker license #00697006.