29 Apr Can Words Affect Your Home’s Price?

According to a Zillow analysis of 24,000 home sales, words like “beautiful,” “custom” and “remodeled” can and have led a home to sell at a premium price.

Interestingly, their survey found that homes in the lowest price tier did well when they used high-end adjectives like “impeccable,” “upgraded,” “stainless” and, especially, “luxurious,” beating their expected sale price by 8.2%.

In the top price tier listings using the word “captivating” sold for 6.5% higher than expected and the word “gentle” (such as a view with gentle rolling hills) for 2.3% more. Certain words, in this study, were appealing across all price points, like “updated,” “granite,” and “tile.”

Naturally, there’s a yin and a yang. Certain words in a listing can also lower a home’s value, such as “fixer,” “cosmetic” and even “nice,” which is subjective and leaves the buyer to interpret what that really means.

Don’t forget to take into account that the choice of words used in listings varies between regions as well. For example, West Coast homebuyers seem to be looking particularly for “beautiful” homes with “mountain or ocean views” and for homes in “gated communities.” Across the continent, on the East Coast, it’s more important for the home to be ready to “move right in” to be “renovated” and to have “gleaming hardwood floors.”

An ad describing a $500,000 home and one selling a $5 million home probably shouldn’t sound the same. While “beautiful” appeals to the average homebuyer, the wealthy seem to be more attracted to homes listed as “private.”

How about you? What keywords really stand out for your home sales? Share by commenting below!

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