These words may help your listing sell faster

When creating a listing, the words describing the house you are putting on the market are just as important as the photos.

CoreLogic recently analyzed one million single-family transactions that were closed in 2016 across the country. Researchers looked at the words used in the listing, along with how long the listing was on the market before the new owners closed.

Turns out, “fenced backyard,” “open concept,” “natural light” and “updated kitchen” were all phrases that buyers liked, and homes described as such tended to sell more quickly. The authors encouraged buyers to have their listing agent add these words to their listing if applicable.  Overall, fence was the most popular word, as it showed up four times throughout the most popular words, including full fence, backyard fence and fence in the yard. “If a home does not have a fence, the homeowner might want to consider one to improve selling attributes. It is a small investment that can lead to a quicker sale of the house,” the report said.

On the other hand, there are words that consistently appeared in listings that tended to stay on the market longer. “Golf course,” “gourmet kitchen,” “ceramic tile” and “granite countertop” were not as popular with buyers. The authors suggested these words led buyers to think the properties would be more expensive. Also, quartz’s popularity has seen an uptick, which may be why granite countertops aren’t getting the attention they used to.

Nationwide, two-story homes aren’t selling as quickly as one-story homes, as the study found that “two-story” in a description led to a longer time on the market, while homes described as “single-story” sold quicker.