Top Tips for Writing a Good Rental Listing Description
While having a good word-of-mouth reputation is advantageous, the way you present your rental property in a listing is also a major make-it-or-break-it factor. Among other useful landlord-tenant communication strategies, writing a good rental listing description is the one that might set off your communication with new tenants in a good direction. That is why it makes sense to devote some attention to describing your rental effectively, so that prospective renters gather the necessary information in a concise manner.
Essentially, you should strive to write a favorable yet realistic description of what your rental offers to its tenants. Of course, high-quality photos can also boost your chances of making an excellent first impression alongside the rental listing description. Let’s see what else makes up an engaging rental listing.
Start by writing an impactful title for your rental listing description
One way you can glue the reader’s eyes to your listing is to put the most important information in the title. So, the title of the rental listing should be as informative as possible. In fact, in most cases, the title sums up information regarding the location, rental price, and square footage. No matter how well-spoken you are when communicating with prospective tenants, it won’t matter if you do not catch the reader’s attention right from the start. So, be sure to work on that title.
The title of a good rental listing description should therefore be accurate, concise, and informative. It should help tenants assess if the rent price and the essential characteristics of the property suit them. Considering this, you should not make any claims you cannot support – in the title or in the description. You would just be wasting your and the potential tenant’s valuable time. In addition, you are also wasting the number of allotted words you can write. Also, there is no need to repeat the information listed in the title afterward in the description.
Keep it short and sweet
Just like with the title of the listing, the description should be concise. However, anything shorter than four sentences might be too brief to paint the entire picture. On the other hand, try to keep the text shorter than six sentences. So, a good description should be 4-6 short sentences long, that is, relatively short.
Format the description as a paragraph. You might make use of bullet points to list specific requirements or basic information about the apartment. A bullet point list works like a summary and enables the renter to scan it quickly.
However, keep in mind that your description should not boil down to you listing relevant features of the rental unit. Aside from keeping it short, writing a good rental listing description should also be ‘sweet’. And by sweet, we mean implementing information that will keep the information provided by the description vivid in the reader’s mind.
Write the rental listing description so that it sticks in the reader’s mind.
Alt: “Be creative” written on a piece of paper.
Write the rental listing to attract attention
People usually search for a new home with excitement as it promises them a change of perspective in a certain way. Hence, you should take advantage of this while writing your rental. The idea is to help prospective tenants imagine what their life could look like if they chose to rent your property.
A good property listing allows the tenant to picture what living in the rental may look like.
Alt: A woman reading property listings from a newspaper.
Think about the things that will make your rental listing description stick in your reader’s memory. If the rental unit has been remodeled recently, be sure to note down the updates you have introduced. Or focus on what the neighborhood offers if the characteristics of the rental unit do not particularly stand out. Is there a bowling alley in the area, for example? This little detail could make your rental listing stand out from the crowd. Of course, this is just an example – it also depends on the demographics you are looking to attract.
Cater to the demographics you want to attract with your rental listing description
So, if you are aiming at young couples or students, you may write there is a cinema or a theater nearby. A daycare center or a reputable school might convince young parents to check out your place in person. If there is a theater, a community garden, a restaurant area, or something else that could illustrate what goes on in that neighborhood and attract your key demographics, use it as your property’s selling point.
In that sense, any vague descriptions such as ‘great location’ or ‘a lot of amenities’ won’t do. For example, if you are targeting young families, the decoration in your rental needs to be appropriate. Make sure you spruce it up so that you can cater to the demographics of your choice.
Think about what appeals to the age group you want to rent the home to.
Alt: A man thinking while writing a rental listing description.
Write an honest and straightforward listing description
Remember that how you write the description might be just as important as what you write in it. So, highlight or bold the main takeaways such as ‘a spacious 3-bedroom apartment’ or ‘a lofty balcony’. However, choose the wording wisely. It can be counterproductive to describe something as luxurious if your unit is actually perfect for people with an average income.
Another useful tip is to use a professional and easily readable font style and font size. Also, it is better to avoid using exclamation points profusely. The same goes for all caps. So, as much as you want to be original, impactful, or entertaining, keeping a certain level of formality is a better way to recommend yourself to the potential tenant.
For instance, some people might interpret something written in all caps as intrusive or condescending. Hence, it is better to keep it safe and tone down your manner of expression. Just keep it straightforward but well-worded, and you will excel at writing a good rental listing description.
