Listing checklist - Ensure you're not missing any information

Emma

15 March 2021 12:24

Having complete property listings is incredibly important as it's the first point of call for potential buyers to see the property, whilst also showing your vendor that you have worked hard to showcase their property in the best possible light.

We've also created a checklist to help you optimise your listings, and ensure they’re working efficiently to deliver the best results for you and your customers.

This article includes:

What to include in your listings & why
Additional information you now have to include
Property listing checklists

What to include in your listings and why

Having a detailed listing including as much information as possible is incredibly important, as it’s the first opportunity for a potential buyer or tenant to see the property. It also shows your vendor or landlord that you’re working hard to showcase their property in the best possible light.

Here are some key points to follow:

Complete all the details that serious property seekers look for:
- The Property type: If you haven’t selected a Property type, your listing won’t show in the Zoopla search results when a property seeker searches for specific property types. 7% of all properties don’t always show in the search results for this reason right now, so make sure your property is always seen. This small change could make a big difference
- Make sure you include the number of rooms: It’s important to list how many Bedrooms, Bathrooms and reception rooms (Receptions) there are so that property seekers quickly know if the property will be suitable for them or not; we know from consumer research that this information is preferred at a glance instead of needing to read wordy descriptions
- Focus on the key details in the Full description: Our consumer research shows that property seekers focus on key features, key words and visual content over written descriptions. Include a Full description but try to limit it to the important content that customers will need, you could even bullet point key pieces of information to help it stand out. Having a description helps you target serious applicants and get hotter leads as the enquiries you receive will be from applicants who know the full information about the property and still want to view it
Help property seekers picture themselves in the property:
- Include high quality and accurate photos showing a variety of rooms: Our research shows that listings with professional photos on average sell 24 days faster and achieve 2% closer to asking price on average. Make sure your photographs are clear, clutter-free and a good representation of the property in its current condition
- Professional photos are still important for lettings: Having professional photos can help letting agents check in around 31% more properties on average, and it can help drive sole agency and fully managed properties as the professional marketing can attract high quality landlords and their business
- The more photos the better: Throughout 2022, sales listings with 15+ photos had a 38% higher search click rate than those with just 5 photos. For lettings listings, 6-10 photos was the sweet spot for high search clicks. That said, always take into account that property seekers will be happy to see fewer images on smaller properties, while they'll want far more for a larger home
- Include a floorplan: Measuring listing performance on site throughout 2022 showed us that sales listings with a floorplan received a 9% higher search click rate than those without, and lettings listings with a floorplan received a 4% higher search click rate than those without. Make sure you include a floorplan that’s accurate and also matches your description - this will help you get leads from serious applicants rather than those just enquiring for a floorplan, and not a viewing
Support property seekers with the data they need to work out costs:
- Ensure you include an EPC: Not only is this a legal requirement, but having the data readily available to applicants can save time. For some applicants, a low or high EPC rating can be a deciding factor
- Freehold or leasehold: Add whether the property is freehold or leasehold and any relevant charges to ensure that no important information is missed
- Lettings details: If your property is a lettings listing, ensure you have included key information such as when the property will be available, whether your landlord is likely to accept pets, or whether the property may be unsuitable

Additional information you now have to include

As of May 2022, the government have announced the following information has to be included in every listing, as part of a project by the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team in partnership with industry leaders and major property portals, to define what constitutes ‘material information’ for property listings and encourage a reduction in unnecessary enquiries, swifter sales and fewer transaction fall-throughs.

Sales

Sale Price (£)
Council tax band (England, Wales and Scotland)
Tenure (freehold, leasehold, share of leasehold, commonhold, feudal)
Length of lease (years remaining)
Annual ground rent amount (£)
Ground rent review period (year/month)
Annual service charge amount (£)
Service charge review period (year/month)
Shared Ownership (% share being sold)

Lettings

Price - rent (£)
Council tax band (England, Wales and Scotland)
Deposit (£)

(More information on each stage is available here)

For more information on National Trading Standards - Updating property listings, click here

Property listing checklists

We’ve put all of the above into a property listing checklist, that you can save or print off, to make sure all your listings are the best they can be.

Please click the relevant link below to download a Sales and/or Lettings property checklist, hosted on Dropbox. This will then open as a .pdf document.

Sales Property Checklist

Lettings Property Checklist