What to put on a house fact sheet?

Question

We are trying to make a sheet to put in front of the house we are selling ourselves. I think we need to stick to the facts like room sizes, year built, price. That way people can compare our house apples to apples against others. My mom wants to put a paragraph instead - all flowery language and trying to "sell" the house with adjectives and imagery. She doesn't want to put details like room sizes or even the price. She wants people to call for those. Either way we will have a few photos, but I say bullet points/facts, she says creative writing. What do you think? Any good websites that have suggestions as to which way works better to sell a house?

Answer 1

A combination of both. You want to present your house in the most favorable light -- so describing a dining room as a "Spacious formal dining room with hardwood floors and custom crown molding" grabs people more than saying, "Dining room: 20 x 35 feet" (Most people don't have a clue how big that is.) I'd stay away from specific figures in a flyer -- too overwhelming, too cluttered and too easy to make mistakes that you might be sued for later for false representation ("You SAID the dining room as 20x35 feet -- it's only 19 x 34!!" -- you'd be amazed at how many law suits get brought over c**p like this, especially if the sale gets contentious!) In fact, in our state, a Realtor is not even allowed to list the measurements and square footage of a home, just because of stuff like that. This is an ADVERTISEMENT, not a full-disclosure piece.

Definitely list the rooms, ("Sunny, renovated kitchen with granite counters, new hardwood floors, new cabinets and top-of-the-line Viking appliances"), highlight any features ("built-in hot tub on private deck"), mention new maintenance items ("New roof in 2006; new HVAC system installed summer of 2007").

Give out the price, certainly, Other than that, you really don't want to give out TOO much information in the flyer -- you want just enough to get people interested enough to come INTO the house. Don't get too flowery, because people instantly get dismiss it. Keep it factual, but enthusiastic. And above all, avoid language that would appear to be in violation of the Fair Housing laws (i.e., saying "Perfect Family House!" may be unfriendly to childless singles) with obvious references to age, sex, religion, race, etc.

Go around this weekend and grab some flyers from other houses in the area and see which ones instantly appeal to you. Then use them as a guide for your own flyer! Ask friends to critique it, and for heaven's sake, PROOFREAD IT six times before you print it!

Answer 2

The stupid flowery statements about a house are such a cliche that people make jokes about what they really mean.
If you want to do something creative, besides giving the data that isn't obvious from looking at the house and mentioning the features people should come and see (like kitchen updated 3 years ago and solid hardwood floors) then a statement about the use of the home would make more sense than useless flowery sales stuff. I would rather know that the sellers had ten years in the house and 3 children and the kitchen served for 3,000 meals than it has quaint Arab styling and faux village scenes.

Answer 3

It's best to do both. Have lots of facts that people will want to know like number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, etc.

Point out anything good about the house: new furnace, water heater, roof, granite countertops, etc.

And sell sell sell. You have to want people to come inside. it's all about marketing to get someone inside and then creating a nice atmosphere for them - they have to want to live there.

I would definitely put the price on the info sheet. Why keep it a secret?

Check out some local realtor sites to see what language they use.

Answer 4

Price
Square footage of the heated/cooled area.
Lot size
Rooms - total/bedrooms/baths (do not include in total: baths, laundry or utility rooms or partially finished areas)
Garage/carport size, especially if not evident from the street.
Other outside considerations not visible from the street: i.e. patios/decks/detached structures, fencing, lawn sprinkler systems, etc.
Significant updates, particularly if the house is not fairly new, with emphasis on bathrooms and kitchen.
Recent major maintenance items: new roof, complete floor coverings, new HVAC, etc.

Answer 5

You're correct. If you don't post pertinent information, especially room sizes, folks won't take you seriously. CERTAINLY the price should be listed. Forget the creative writing. That's not going to sell the place. What does sell the place is the property itself.

Does your mother REALLY want a ton of folks calling, with the first question out of their mouths being "What's the price?", and then being prepared to put forth her sales pitch, only to have them say "Thanks, but that's out of our range." ?

Just the facts, Ma'am.....Good luck.