When advertising a property, whatever your marketing strategy, the listing is the key.

If you want to see a good return on any email campaigns, your  listing will be the last step towards generating leads. But what details should you include? How much information is too much?

This is the anatomy of a good property listing on TheMoveChannel.com:

(Click on the picture to see the listing in full.)

1. A clear title

“3 bed Townhouse in…” “Granada – Bulk buy residential…” Whether you choose to start with the location or number of bedrooms, the title of your property should be concise and clear. What is it? Where is it? Those are the two key questions to answer.

Numbers and percentages can target investors rather than lifestyle buyers, but should be used in moderation, e.g. “47 percent net yields in New York”. Too many digits could give the impression of spam. Finally, always be sure to check spelling and spacing for any mistakes – the title is your first (and most important) impression.

2. A simple introduction

“The Granada holiday resort in Gran Canaria is a privately owned high quality resort with stunning sea views in the quiet village of Pata Lavaca. It consists of 30 one and two bedroom apartments overlooking the Atlantic. Rental Yield = 10%”

The introduction to your listing should be no more than a few sentences. Give more details about the location and property type. Here, “stunning sea views” and “quiet village” convey the attractive location, while the sentence begins with an easily understood breakdown of the property sector. The brief mention of “rental yields” at the end of the introduction offers just enough information for investors without any distracting marketing spiel.

3. Vital statistics

The sector, location and price should be clearly visible, explained in full (what region of the country is it in?) and factually correct. A mistake in the advertised price could be costly further down the line – be careful with your currency conversions too.

4. Main photo

As big as possible and as attractive as possible, your main photo should reveal the majority of the property as well as any notable features. Swimming pools are always popular.

5. Secondary photos

These should be as professional as the primary photo , but presenting a variety of property features, from the different types of rooms to the view of the surrounding landscape. Note how these photos mostly feature the swimming pool, but present it at different angles.

6. Key selling points

A buyer will naturally start from the top of the property listing and work their way down. The key selling points are optional but if you include them, they may make all the difference between someone enquiring about your property or exiting the page altogether.

Keep bulletpoints brief and to the point. What is unique about this property? Is it offered at a discount? Does it have a tenant? Is it in an interesting location? Think of these key selling points as a call to action before the buyer makes an enquiry.

7. Map

Buyers expect to be able to see where a property is, what’s around it and how they can get there. A map can instantly show all three. With cost-effective APIs available through Google and Bing, among others, expect a map to be included somewhere in your listing – any property portal you use (or own) should always use them.

8. Detailed summary

A summary of a property’s charactistics and its lifestyle activities should be outlined further down your listing. Think of this section as like the key selling points, but presented in more detail. Does it have internet? How about a fitted kitchen or antique dining room? This is also the time to elaborate further on any potential buy-to-let income.

9. Full description

This is the last thing that an investor will read when viewing your property, but it should actually be your starting point. This is the part where you can really let rip. Describe each room in detail, give background information about the region or the market and explain any tenant or tourist potential. This section is your complete sales pitch. Once you have this sorted, work backwards to extract the relevant facts for the other sections above.

For more information on listing your property on one of Lead Galaxy’s portals, or to talk to us about attracting buyers, visit our Qualified Leads page.