Rudyard Kipling, once said "words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind"and never was this truer than in the property sales world where promises of the perfect home are pledged to the potential buyer. However, on occasion 'perfection' isn't always the case leading to the consumer watchdog, Office of Fair Trading (OFT), recently warning estate agents against failing to mention a property's genuine characteristics early on.
Of course, vendors want to ensure a sale with many asking "what's the best way I can sell my house?" Indeed, the journey begins by reaching for the thesaurus and deciding on what attention grabbing words can be used to paint the most attractive picture of the property.With OFT claiming that some agents appear to be providing "misleading" information and are failing to meet the relevant consumer protection law, high street estate agents are now tightening their lips a little, wanting to ensure that they do not create a misleading impression of a property.
Peter Joseph, Founder and MD of Think Online Property, a leading online estate agent, comments, "At Think Online Property, our approach to selling is a little different. As well as our handy new free value my home tool we also offer a great service that delivers an accurate description of your property. Once the seller has provided us with their own listing, we edit the information in such a way that focuses on best highlighting the properties genuine characteristics using carefully selected attention grabbing words."
For those looking for some helpful advice on how to make a private house sale, award winning online estate agents and property description wizards Think Online Property has these essential tips to answer the question "how do I sell my home?"
TOP Tip 1 - State good characteristics of your areaIt is always a good idea to mention a distinctive characteristic of your area or road, for example "A charming period house set in a quiet tree lined road in the popular area of Leigh on Sea." If your area holds local events or has a great community spirit this might also be worth a mention
.TOP Tip 2 - List nearby services If you are located near a great school, make sure you say so. So many schools have good Ofsted reports these days, so if a school close to you has a respectable academic record, include it in your listing. Additionally, good transport links are often a vital consideration when buying property so if your home is situated reasonably close to a train station, tube line or has accessible roads then it is worth mentioning. For example "easy access to the A127 provides easy and quick access to London ".
TOP Tip 3 - Everybody needs good neighboursUnless your property is detached, neighbours will be a consideration for potential buyers. If you do have delightful neighbours make sure you point it out. The more personal you can make a listing sound the more the reader will imagine themselves in your property.
TOP Tip 4 - List the Key Selling PointsSome things that are worth giving extra personal details on are any of the 'key' selling points that everyone looks for when buying a property.These are the kitchen, bathroom and garden / patio area. If you have a newly fitted kitchen (and that could be within a couple of years) that is open plan and a great area for entertaining or just gathering, then describe it. It could be in the heart of the house or it may look over your beautiful garden or open up to your beautiful decking.
TOP Tip 5 - Be honestThis is the most important consideration when describing your property. If you're not blessed on the neighbour front, do not suggest that you are. If you don't have an idyllic country garden or blissfully quiet location, do not suggest that you do.
Painting a dreamlike picture is of course a sure fire wait to attain buyer interest but providing misleading information will almost guarantee that your property stays on the market.For more top tips on describing your property for sale contact the experts at Think Online Property on 0844 381 4787 or visit www.thinkonlineproperty.co.uk