Plain-Language PR For Real Estate

Use The 5-Answer Listing Equation when a property has features buyers need to compare, questions that may affect a showing, or details that are easy to exaggerate. It is especially useful for condos, where fees, parking, rules, shared spaces, and building access can matter as much as the kitchen or view.

The equation asks the description to answer five questions in this order:

1. What is the property? 2. What is useful about its location or layout? 3. What important features are included? 4. What costs, rules, or conditions should buyers know? 5. What should the buyer do next?

This order keeps the description useful. For example, Tanya might write: “One-bedroom condo with 742 square feet near the Green Line station. The open living area connects to a renovated kitchen with quartz counters and a breakfast bar. The monthly association fee is $486 and includes water, building insurance, elevator service, and access to the fitness room. One assigned garage space is included. The building allows cats but does not allow dogs. Schedule a showing to review the layout and building amenities.”

That paragraph answers the basic property question, explains the location, identifies meaningful features, states a recurring cost, names a pet rule, and gives a next step. It does not need words such as “breathtaking,” “rare,” or “must-see” to create interest.

To execute the equation well, gather these items before drafting:

• The verified square footage, bedroom and bathroom count, year built, and property type. - The exact monthly association fee and what it covers. - Parking details, storage information, pet rules, rental rules, and move-in requirements. - Two or three location facts that can be checked, such as walking distance to transit or a named park. - A list of recent improvements, with dates when available. - The showing contact and the action buyers should take next.

The listing agent owns the fact check and final approval. The seller confirms improvements, inclusions, and rules but should not be asked to approve unsupported praise. If a brokerage reviews descriptions, the broker or assigned reviewer checks the final copy before publication. Clear ownership prevents the common problem of everyone assuming someone else verified the details.

Draft, Check, and Publish in Order

Set aside about 35 minutes for the first draft and review. A condo listing with complicated rules or several recent improvements may need 50 minutes. The time is small compared with the cost of correcting an inaccurate public claim.

1. Collect the facts in 10 minutes. Open the listing record, seller notes, association documents, and property photographs. Write down the five answers before writing sentences. Confirm the exact fee, included services, parking arrangement, pet rules, and rental restrictions. Mark anything unconfirmed as “check,” rather than guessing. The checkpoint is simple: you should have at least one verified fact for each of the five answers.

2. Write a clear opening in 5 minutes. State the property type, size, bedroom and bathroom count, and strongest practical feature. For Tanya’s condo, an opening could be: “Bright one-bedroom condo with 742 square feet, an assigned garage space, and a five-minute walk to the Green Line station.” The checkpoint is that a buyer can identify the property and one useful reason to consider it after reading the first sentence.

3. Explain the living experience with facts in 8 minutes. Describe the layout and features that affect daily use. “The kitchen opens to the living area” is stronger than “perfect for entertaining” because it tells the buyer what the space actually does. Mention natural light only when photographs and the showing support that claim. Name materials and dates when known: “The bathroom was updated in 2022 with a tiled shower and new vanity.” The checkpoint is two or three concrete details, each tied to a room or daily activity.

4. Answer the questions that can prevent a showing in 7 minutes. Add monthly fees, parking, storage, utilities, pet rules, rental rules, and other material conditions. Do not hide these details at the end. Tanya’s description should state that the $486 monthly fee includes water, building insurance, elevator service, and the fitness room, while the buyer pays electricity separately. The checkpoint is a fact review with the seller or association records for every cost and rule included.

5. Add one accurate location sentence and a next step in 3 minutes. Use a named transit stop, school, park, shopping area, or major road only if the distance or travel time has been checked. “Five-minute walk to the Green Line station” should come from a map tool or a measured route, not memory. End with a direct instruction: “Schedule a showing to review the layout, garage space, and building amenities.” The checkpoint is one verified location fact and one clear action.

6. Run the 60-second trust check before publishing. Read the description aloud. Remove repeated adjectives, unsupported claims, and words that imply certainty about a buyer’s feelings. Check every number against the listing record. Confirm that the description does not promise a feature that appears only in a photograph or refer to a rule that has changed. The final checkpoint is zero unverified factual claims and no sentence that would be difficult to defend if a buyer asked, “How do you know?”

After publication, Tanya should compare the description with the live listing on the brokerage website and the major property search sites. Formatting can change during syndication, which means a missing fee or cut-off paragraph may not be obvious in the original draft. She owns this live check and should complete it within 24 hours.

Don't Trade Trust for Excitement

• Don’t call a condo “luxury” because it has new countertops because the word makes a broad claim that the materials may not support. Name the countertops, their material, and the installation date instead. - Don’t write “steps from transit” because a buyer may interpret that as a one-minute walk. Give the checked walking time or distance. - Don’t say “low monthly fee” because buyers need the amount and what it covers. State the fee and included services. - Don’t describe a room as a bedroom unless it meets local requirements and is identified that way in the property records. Use “office” or “flex room” when that is the accurate description. - Don’t promise “plenty of parking” because shared or unassigned spaces may not be available when a buyer arrives. State whether parking is assigned, reserved, deeded, leased, or first-come. - Don’t hide restrictions in vague language such as “association approval may apply” because that forces buyers to uncover an important condition later. Name the rule and direct them to the association documents for full details. - Don’t claim “recently renovated” without dates and scope because a buyer may assume the entire property was renovated. Write “kitchen updated in 2023 with new cabinets, counters, and appliances” when that is what occurred. - Don’t use “perfect for families,” “ideal for professionals,” or similar phrases because they can exclude buyers and may raise fair housing concerns. Describe the property’s size, layout, access, and features instead. - Don’t copy the seller’s wording without checking it because sellers may remember an improvement or fee incorrectly. Confirm facts through records, invoices, or the association. - Don’t end with “won’t last” unless you have a specific, supportable reason for urgency. Tell buyers what to do next and let the property’s facts create interest.

Hype also creates a practical problem: it makes every listing sound the same. When “stunning,” “incredible,” and “rare” appear in every description, buyers stop treating those words as information. Specific details keep the writing persuasive without making promises you cannot control.

Measure Clarity Before Chasing More Clicks

The first measure is accuracy. For every new listing, the agent or assigned reviewer should complete a five-answer check before publication and a live-site check within 24 hours. The target is five answered questions, zero known factual errors, and zero unconfirmed claims. If a fact changes, such as a fee or showing instruction, correct the listing the same day and record what changed.

The second measure is buyer response. Track the first 14 days after publication in the brokerage’s customer relationship management system, which is the software used to record contacts and follow-up. Record:

| Measure | Target | Check | |---|---:|---| | Buyer inquiries that ask for basic missing facts | Fewer than 20% of inquiries | Review after 7 and 14 days | | Showing requests that mention a listed feature | At least 30% | Review after 14 days | | Listing description corrections | Zero after the first 24-hour check | Check every new listing | | Showing-to-offer rate | Compare with the agent’s last 10 similar listings | Review after the listing receives 5 showings |

These numbers are checkpoints, not guarantees. A low number of inquiries may reflect price, photographs, season, or location rather than the description alone. Read the messages for patterns. If five buyers ask about parking, the description needs more parking detail. If buyers ask whether the fee includes heat after it is already stated, move that information earlier or make the wording clearer.

Tanya can review her condo listings every Monday for 20 minutes. She should compare descriptions, inquiry questions, showing requests, and corrections across at least five similar properties before changing her writing approach. Keep the versions that produce fewer clarification questions and more qualified showing requests. A plain-language description succeeds when buyers understand the property before they arrive - and when the facts they find in person match the promise on the page. That consistency is the foundation for every other public message an agent sends.

End of chapter one. 6 more chapters in the full book.