Magic words that sell your home

ARE you putting your house on the market? Here are the buzz words you need to make it sell faster.

property sales

IT doesn't matter how much money you spend on primping your home to attract buyers, a sale can all come down to using buzz words to make the property stand out.

The right phrasing in real estate listings can speed up a sale and even boost the final price, a recent study suggests.

And here's a tip: If you must sell, don’t put "must sell" in your ad.

It only takes just a few key phrases in campaigns to sell a home, with buyers drawn to some words and turned off by others, according to a research by the Real Estate Institute of Victoria.

And the word that carries more weight than any other with buyers is space, followed by area, large and open.

That’s the finding of the REIV study which analysed 3.78 million words used by agents to sell homes in 2012.

REIV spokesman Robert Larocca said real estate agents developed a strong knowledge of what makes a home sell, through their daily interaction with buyers.

Words that sell

“In million-dollar suburbs, buyers have responded best to terms which highlight the proximity of the home to good schools and the presence of high end features,” Mr Larocca said.

"Gaggenau", “European oak”, “coffee machine” and “premier schools” were popular for top-end buyers, he said.

“A very different approach is taken in the affordable segment where the emphasis is on cost and potential returns for investors.

“In the affordable segment the most prolific words include per week, portfolio, tenant, vacant and possession."

“First-home buyer' is also a hit with those searching for properties listed below $400,000.

Language + price = sale

This isn’t to suggest that opting for "must see" over "must sell" is all it takes to sell your house quickly and drum up a higher price. The hot words have to be used accurately, and they must be combined with the right price.

“The words are great at attracting attention but people will still have to go and view the property and the most important message that a seller can send to a buyer is price,” Mr Larocca said.

Words that can kill a sale

Real estate agents warn that some words can hurt your home's chances of selling.

"Motivated seller" is not a good term: It hints at problems with the home or the seller. "Cute" and "charming" imply tiny rooms.

Also bad: "needs some TLC”, which suggests the place looks like a dump. If it states that, there's a good chance it needs a lot of TLC, not just "some".

And steer clear of “basement”, it’s a little creepy. A better choice of wording is "lower level".

Best words to sell a home

All homes

Space

Open

Family

Heating

Large

Garden

Shops

Million-dollar plus homes

Guest suite

Premier schools

Floodlit

European oak

Glass fenced

Coffee machine

Cabana

Entry-level homes 

First-home buyer

Portfolio

Affordable

Tenant

Vacant

Tidy

Source REIV