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How to Write a Compelling Property Description
The property description is a 100 word summary that should paint a clear picture of your vacation rental property.
| When browsing any vacation rental portal website, different renters focus on different sections of a vacation rental listing. One of the first sections that many read is the property description. AlthouThe character maximums may vary (on HomeAway the max is 1000 characters, but on VRBO the max is 6000!), The property description is a 100-word summary that should paint a clear picture of your vacation home and the extras that you offer. |
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What To Include:
• Start with the selling points. Imagine that you had 20 seconds to convince some one to come and stay at your vacation rental property. What details would they want to know? Just in case the traveler doesn't stop to read your entire description, make sure the best features are listed first.
• Describe the bedrooms. The bedrooms and bed setups are top priorities for many travelers. It could be one of the major factors when selecting a vacation property. For example, if two couples are traveling, they probably don't want a bedroom with 2 twin beds. Be clear about the number of bedrooms, the bed setups, and the amenities included in each room.
• Highlight your amenities and special features. Paint a picture of the experience that a renter would enjoy staying at your property. If you have extra space, don't be afraid to include details. For instance: ‘Even the rocking chairs on the covered deck beckon you to sit for a moment and enjoy the mountain views.' A sentence like this tells the renters 3 things: Your home has a view of the mountains, you have a covered deck to enjoy rain or shine, and the rocking chairs paint a picture of a restful, relaxing vacation.
• Sell your property first, then your area. When perusing vacation properties online, most travelers have probably already settled on an area to stay for their vacation. Your job is to convince them why they should book your property. Also, keep in mind that HomeAway listings have a separate sections for location information, so keep the property description focused on the property. For VRBO and VacationRentals.com, it's ok to include a paragraph with location information, but save that info for the end.
What NOT To Include:
• Poor grammar, lack of punctuation, or spelling errors. Don't undermine your professionalism with silly typing errors. Be sure to have one or two people proofread your description before making your listing live on the sites.
• Abbreviations. Since you (sometimes) have a limited space, make sure every word is worthwhile. There's no sense in using abbreviations if people won't know what you're saying!
• Local jargon. Keep in mind that your advertisement will be read by people of all nationalities, whose mother tongue may not be English.
• Passive voice or superfluous words - words whose absence does not alter the meaning of the sentence. By tightening your prose you can fit a lot more detail into the same amount of space. For example, any sentence that begins with "There is" or "It is" can be written in a more active voice. Instead of "There is a very breezy balcony with a relaxing hammock," write "Relax on the breezy balcony in our hammock.
• Clichés. Phrases like "you won't believe your eyes" don't really tell a traveler too much about your home. And let's be honest - they're a bit overused. Stick to the specifics about your home and let your renters decide if they really can't believe their eyes.
How To Stand Out:
• Capitalize important words. Even if it's in the middle of a sentence, go ahead and capitalize your Flat Screen TV, King Size Bed, or Private Swimming Pool. This will help make the best features of your home jump out at the reader.
• Use numerals to draw attention to certain features of your home, like the size of your TV's, the size of your home, or the number of bedrooms.
• "Use words like "you" and "your." Write as if you're describing your second home to one person in a way that would help them imagine staying in your home. Instead of "The pool is heated year-round" try: "You'll love our pool -we keep it at 76 degrees all year long". The words "you" and "your" are important words that will speak directly to your prospective renters.
• Include amenities in your description, as well as the amenities table. You never know which sections renters will read and which they will skip over so be sure the important features of your home are listed in multiple places.
It is important to put as much information in the description as possible because there are three types of shoppers. One that only looks at photos, one that only looks at the amenities table, and the last might only look at your property description. It is best to optimize all of the areas of your advertisement to satisfy all types of shoppers.
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How do you make your property description stand out?
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© Copyright, HomeAway, Inc. 2007. U.081117.LC
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