If a potential homebuyer comes across an online listing with horrible photos (or no photos at all), I think it's reasonable to assume that they will quite likely move on to the next option.
To find out if spelling also matters, Redfin conducted a survey with experts at Grammarly, and surprisingly, an impressive 87 percent of their respondents said the description was either extremely or very important to them!
"When buyers are browsing homes for sale, everything about the listing has an impact on their experience," said Seattle agent Chad Dierickx.
"Photos grab your attention, but the listing description fills in the gaps by helping a buyer understand what photos can't."
"A home listing filled with misspellings or grammar errors sends a signal to potential buyers that details are not important," said Allison VanNest from Grammarly, the world’s leading automated proofreader.
The survey also discovered that the preferred length of a home description is around 50 words. Redfin data also showed that homes with descriptions of that length were more likely to sell within 90 days and were also more likely to sell for a higher price than listed.
If agents are involved, they are the ones who usually write the descriptions, but sellers still need to work with them to ensure accuracy and readability.
"Some people gloss over grammar and spelling errors, but if you're like me, you'll evaluate the quality of the agent and the home when you read a property description," Dierickx said.
Spell-check is often helpful only if your typo results in a non-word. In the case of a home listing, one little misplaced letter could create an entirely new meaning:
- "Master bedroom with walking closet";
- "Low-grime area";
- "Oak bra with brass accents";
- "This is a real germ"';
- "Perfect home for smell family";
- "Fresh pain and carpet";
- "Miner work needed";
- "Curve appeal".
In an interview for our first article on the 'Real Estate Broker Disillusioned With Life', the person behind the popular Facebook page told us at first, they are "addicted" to scrolling listings themselves, but "as the number of fans grew, I started getting a lot of links [from them.]"
They choose to post the ones that seem strange to them, the ones that seem as if there's something wrong with them.
"I have a permanent collection where I compile them into something like a vinaigrette, one photo at a time, because it happens, for example, that a house looks normal but with some nonsense, like a cherry on the cake."
The page focuses on Lithuanian listings, and the disillusioned broker said the locals "want to live well and beautifully. And they do."
"But they install many things themselves, trying to save money. Most of the time, this means you're working without an interior designer."
