Real estate listings used to be bloodless data like the number of bedrooms, square footage, and amenities like a lap pool and flat garden. Today, skilled agents are donning their writer's hats and presenting fascinating stories about properties for sale in order to sell a home.

People enjoy stories from birth to death, and this is no different whether looking for a home to buy or rent. A well-written narrative that helps a looker envision himself or herself living there can be the hook that hooks in a buyer. Pretty photographs and the correct price may entice a shopper to a listing, but a well-written narrative that helps a looker imagine himself or herself living there can be the hook that reels in a buyer.

Listing tales are used by Flavia Berys, a Southern California real estate broker, to create "a sense of emotion and to inspire the right imagery in the minds of potential buyers," she says. Berys describes a beach house as follows: "Imagine drinking your morning tea or coffee on the sun-drenched deck, watching the ocean to your left, the mountains to your right, and hearing the sound of the waves as you start your day."

To write a good property tale, you don't have to be Ernest Hemingway. Here's how to discover and share a wonderful tale.

Find The Tale And Use Storytelling To Market A House

A tale does not tell itself; you must dig to discover a property's history and distinctiveness. Begin by strolling through the house with the seller, asking for information and recollections of various rooms, such as Christmas in the family room, Thanksgiving dinners in the dining room, and their daughter receiving her first date in the foyer.

If you're lucky, the property is owned or has been owned by a renowned or notable individual, which can make a listing stand out. If the seller doesn't know much about the history of an older home, look through property records for deeds and titles. Michael Kelczeski of Brandywine Fine Properties Sotheby's International Realty in Delaware traced the history of a farm he listed back to Welsh settlers in 1780.

Highlight The Positive

Agents are adept at identifying a home's best features, such as functional fireplaces, open floor plans, and a kitchen with a central island. Now close your eyes and envision a family living there. Here are some instances of your narrative.

For fireplaces, "there's nothing like relaxing before a warm fire on a chilly autumn night."

"Your friends will gather around your kitchen island on Super Bowl Sunday, dipping chips into salsa while chili simmers on the stove."

"Imagine soaking your tennis-tired muscles in the jetted tub, your cares melting away."

Negatives Can Be Turned Into Positives

There is an entire school of thought dedicated to modifying the way we perceive the realities of our lives, and you can utilize the strategy while describing a property.

Rather than concealing the house's proximity to railroad tracks, write, "Think of all the time you'll save by taking a short walk to public transportation." Instead of calling a compact house "cozy"—which purchasers are aware of—call it "an intimate space for quality family time." A modest bedroom is transformed into a "standout home office with great lighting," while a balcony with views of a mountainous backyard is transformed into an "outdoor entertainment space for sipping cocktails after a long work week." You get the picture.

Make Up A Narrative For Maintenance

Although the obvious theme is one of lifestyle, the manner a home has been meticulously maintained can be an intriguing undercurrent. Remodeling and maintenance records can be used to construct a digital history of a well-cared-for home, giving buyers confidence in their purchase.

Rewriting Is An Important Part Of Good Writing

Great stories do not emerge completely formed from the imagination to the fingertips, as professional writers understand. Writing well entails rewriting, constructing phrases with strong nouns and verbs, and avoiding qualifiers such as "really" or "very." Discover the big notion, "To be or not to be," and tremendous language will almost certainly follow.