Estate agent copywriting: writing websites, local and targeted content that converts

How do you stand out from the property crowd? One solution is to use a real-life professional property copywriter such as myself who is experienced at working with estate agents. But if you prefer to do it yourself, this article will reveal a few tricks of the trade.

First, let’s start with the biggest issue. Estate agents have always tended to sound the same. (With one glorious exception – you can read my article on Roy Brooks here.)

But no-one else followed his lead and developed such a distinctive brand and voice. Then came the modern era and websites. Depressingly, estate agents became even more homogeneous. A few years ago, AI came in. Trained as it was on decades of copy resembling wallpaper, it went one worse and opted for wallpaper paste – ‘slop’ as it’s now generally known.

To stand out from that slop, you need to focus on how you write – and on what you write about.

What makes estate agent copywriting different from general property copywriting?

With property, you’re selling the dream; with property agents, you’re reassuring a buyer it won’t be a nightmare.

What a customer wants from an agent is judgement, local knowledge and good service. It’s all about brand building and trust. This is particularly true when promoting long-term relationships, rather than one-off property purchases, for example with rental management.

I’ve written several complete websites for estate agents, including the Atlas Property website shown above. In each case, I’ve looked for what makes them unique and put this at the centre of their marketing. Case studies and testimonials are particularly important here for establishing credentials, and for standing out from the crowd. Even having a couple of half-decent case studies will help, given many agents simply don’t bother with them.

Writing for specialist and niche property agencies

Reassurance is also the order of the day for agencies with a particular niche. Here, though, prospective clients will want to see clear evidence of expertise and experience in their stated specialism. I wrote a website for Waterfronts (shown above) soon after they started – fifteen years on they’re still going strong, and their longevity is one of their selling points.

Sometimes, a mainstream estate agent can create appoint of difference by operating in niches neglected by others. For example, Outlet was a forward-thinking agency based in Soho in London’s West End. Originally aimed at the LGBT community, it had broadened into a mainstream agency, but was also adept at targeting underserved property types.

One of these was penthouses and lofts – their area had plenty of both, but no-one had been upfront about treating them as a specialist property type before. Outlet did, and reaped the benefits in the shape of owners choosing to list with them rather than the various chain agencies they competed with.

Targeting particular audiences

Outlet was also adept at targeting niche audiences. These included academics and actors, who were often looking to rent for a few months at a time. A particular success was promoting ‘Lets for Pets’, and they became the go-to agency for dog owners in the West End.

As their writer and marketing consultant for many years, I wrote extensively about these subjects for them, copy optimising each piece for search engines. I also produced various area guides, which again established their credentials, while also picking up more targeted searches from prospective clients. (You can read my Outlet property case study here)

Finding a professional property copywriter

If you’d rather get a specialist property copywriter to do the job, then feel free to take a look at what I offer and more of my property copywriting examples.) For a free, no-obligation quote, please contact me