Advertising and marketing for homes that contain certain words or phrases in their listing comments can help them to sell for higher prices, new research in the United States has found.
Real estate firm CoreLogic researchers analysed more than a million home sales in the first half of 2017 with the top phrase found to be ‘pane windows’.
The researchers point out that the influence of certain words can vary depending on property type and location but the use of this particular phrase tended to equate to higher home prices.
Other words that tended to carry the most weight were ‘new construction’, ‘remodelled kitchen’, ‘outdoor living’, ‘quiet street’, ‘fully fenced’, ‘easy access’ and ‘natural light’.
When it comes to describing the interior of a home some of the words with the most impact included ‘granite worktop’, ‘range’, ‘stainless appliances’, ‘vaulted ceilings’, ‘perfect for entertaining’ and ‘hardwood floors’.
‘Anyone selling a home that has any of the features listed should make sure to ask their listing agent to include these words and phrases in the public comments,’ says the CoreLogic report.
‘Large backyard’ also had a positive impact on a home’s closing price, which is consistent with earlier CoreLogic analysis that Americans appreciate large outdoor spaces and will pursue them when possible.
The report also found it noteworthy that paint references appear multiple times in the top word list including ‘exterior paint’, ‘new paint’ and ‘interior paint’. ‘People selling homes should consider painting throughout since it is a relatively small investment that can lead to a higher sale price,’ it adds.
It concludes by saying that besides physical features there are many other factors to be considered when it comes to the price to ask and the prices to accept including location, supply and demand and how tough the buyer negotiates.
