Property description is narrating the characteristics, features and values of a property being marketed for lettings, leasing or sale. It is a detailed textual or pictorial presentation of a property’s noteworthy features and character in real estate listing sites, social media, property directories and offer letters.
Property description is essential in real estate, although it will take a special writing skill or estate management training to be able to craft a winning and catchy description of a property in this part of the world.
Property description is important in lettings, sales or advertisement for auctioneering. Sometimes sales by private treaty also require some description of the property to be disposed of. The interested buyer may want to know more about the property being marketed for sale.
How to Describe a Property
Property can be described in pictorial format, text format, location, or a combination of the 3 methods. Individually, each of the methods could suffice depending on the purpose of the description. For example, pictures and text can go well for sales and lettings descriptions respectively, meanwhile, a combination of pictures, text and location would be perfect if properly and skillfully combined by a professional real estate marketer.
In describing a property, the marketer should be familiar with the said property, there must have been a prior comprehensive inspection of the property to determine the size of the land (which is mostly measured in square meters or square feet), the shape of the land area (rectangular, square, irregular shape), the position of the site (corner piece, centre piece etc), type of property (commercial, residential etc), nature of the property (bungalow, block of flats, duplex etc), the height of property (2storey building, 3storey building etc.), condition of the property (newly built, refurbished, the old house, dilapidated etc.), location of the property (high density, middle or low-density location), the coordinate of the site (to be taken with a GPS device), and the finishing of the building.
Other relevant information to be added in the description includes; the offer price, promo deadline, inspection dates, title documents, and size of the site (for bare site).
The words that advertisers or markers use in property descriptions are key factors in getting the attention of a potential client. The words to use in the property description should be enticing, catchy, promising, attentive and informative.
Many property owners use the services of copywriters, also referred to as property description writers in real estate to write well-structured real estate marketing copy for either sales or lettings.
What to Include in Property Description
To catch the attention of potential clients, the following should be incorporated in the description:
The Heading
The heading should be attention-seeking at first glance to get as many views as possible. For example “2Bedroom Terraced House in A Serene Environment for Sale”, “4No. 5Bedroom Mansion with 3 Swimming Pools and A Gymn House for Sale”, 7 Bedroom Duplex in the Most Sought-After Neighborhood for Letting”, “Lekki Style Self-Contained Apartment to let”, “Smart 3Bedroom Mansion in VGC for Sale” etc.
Describing of Property
The property description should comprise the property address (should be detailed), the property type, the letting or sale price, property status, contact information, inspection dates, the location, facilities and infrastructure and the comparative advantage that the property has such as the tendency of sudden increase in property value (for sale) or the extension of government infrastructure or best community benefit (for lettings).
Call to Action
The sale or letting price should be written followed by the deadline (for property on promo). The advertisement should be able to convince prospects of the high volume of human traffic to the advert. Responsive buttons should be integrated to redirect prospects to the action form to schedule an inspection or to the seller’s direct message for more information.
The telephone number can also be placed in the advertisement area for ease of queries. E.g. “book an inspection immediately”, “call Surv. Mark for more information”.
Conclusion
The advert should have an appealing message to push the prospects to call numbers displayed in the advert areas. For example, only 4 plots of land are left for sale, hurry now!!!
What Not to Let Out in Property Description
The essence of writing a property description is to get the attention of people in the property market who might potentially deal, so it is important to remove any element that would discredit the seller or marketer. Some information about the property should not be included in the advert, if such information would affect peoples’ perception of preference for the property that is being advertised, then let the prospect find them out themselves, marketers should only display the juicy parts of the property in the description. For example, if the property has a leaking roof, it will be unwise to reflect that part on the property description since it could influence the demand negatively, this is not to say that you should lie about the property features, in advertisement you bring the attractive aspects of the property first and let the buyer or potential tenants find out about the ugly part during an inspection.
Property Description Examples
The examples in the boxes below will help in the description of a property to be purchased for resale, description of the property in a deed, property description for rent, and property description for sale, it can also be used as a template for commercial and residential property description.
Example of Property Description for Rent:
| The property is known and referred to as No. 34, Ifeanyi Oddoh Street, Off Chief Innocent Nwodo Street Sunrise Estate, Enugu. The property is 98% completed. The Estate is well-secured and gated around its perimeter. It is directly opposite the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) office, and access to the property is through a network of tarred roads in a good state of repairs. The neighbourhood is fully developed within a quiet residential area. Electricity and water supply are adequately available for residents. Rent – N2,000,000.00 Legal fees – N120,000.00 Agency fees – N150,000.00 |
Template of Property Description for Lease
| One Wing Duplex With Massive Space for Rent in Abuja: The property was formerly used as a school. It is known as No. 4, Lugard Road, Ajokoro Lane, Zone 5, FCT directly opposite Mac Luis Bar, near UBA Bank. The main building comprises 6No. Bedrooms (Three upstairs and four downstairs), 2 living rooms (One downstairs and a private lounge upstairs), and a 2rooms boys’ quarters behind the main building. The property’s location is the main attraction being right on the road along the popular Umaru Musa Yaradua Road is an added advantage. It can be used as a restaurant, school, hospital, office, car sales/display area or rental, lounge/recreational arena etc. It is proximate to the Airport, marketplaces, banks etc. given its excellent road network and accessibility. |
Example of Property Description for Sale
| Luxurious Property for Sale: The property is located at No. 2a and 2b Lane Crescent Avenue, close to Brown Train Hotel, Independence Avenue, Yola, Adamawa State. It is double faced with one part facing Kebbs Road and the other on Lane Crescent Avenue. The property consists of two wings comprising a detached house, a Boys’ Quarter, a security house, and a generator house for each wing. The site area is approximately 2,400 square meters. It is a corner piece in a reserved/top-notch neighbourhood. Asking price – N456,000,000.00 Title – Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) |
Describing a Commercial Property for Sale
| Massive Property for Sale in Nsukka: The property is located along University Market Road, Nsukka, Enugu State. It is strategically situated on a busy commercial hub of Nsukka City which has the most human traffic. The property sits on 6plots of flat table land, a corner piece. It is accessed through a network of tarred roads in good state of repairs. Due to location advantage, it is most suitable for shopping malls, Banks, warehouses etc. It is prime with huge commercial prospects. It is fenced right around its perimeter with all modern facilities extended thereon. Development within the neighbourhood includes Banks, shopping malls, event centres, shops, offices, warehouses, schools, hotels and restaurants. Asking price – N130 million Title – Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) Size – approximately 3,600 square meters. |
Description of Property for Commercial Use
| Office Space for Rent at Ogui New Layout: The property is purpose-built, well-partitioned with ample space and suitable for corporate use. It is accessible through a network of tarred roads in a conspicuous and busy neighbourhood of Ogui Layout. Similar properties in the neighbourhood include Banks, shopping malls, law chambers, hospitals, supermarkets, hotels, publishing houses etc. The property is 2 minutes away from Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, 2 minutes drive from Ogbete main market, 2 minutes walk from Eastern Stores, 10 minutes’ drive from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Major arterials include Presidential Road, Ogui Road and Market Road. The apartments are going for N1,500,000 (One Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira) per annum. We are available for inspection at your convenience. |
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