British Columbia · Seller Report
“Stunning family home in a sought-after location.” Nobody has ever booked a viewing because of that sentence.
Listing descriptions have converged on a dialect of interchangeable adjectives that convey no information at all. Buyers have learned to skim straight past them — and increasingly, so do the AI assistants people now use to shortlist homes.
What works is specificity. Here is the difference, and how to write it.
Part one
Generic versus specific, side by side
| What most listings say | What actually produces viewings |
|---|---|
| “Sought-after neighbourhood” | “Four-minute walk to Sullivan Elementary, and the bus to the SkyTrain is at the end of the road” |
| “Updated throughout” | “New roof 2023, furnace 2021, kitchen and both bathrooms redone in 2022 — receipts available” |
| “Bright and airy” | “South-facing living room and back garden — sun on the patio from midday until evening” |
| “Great for entertaining” | “Kitchen island seats four and opens onto a covered patio, so it works in the rain” |
| “Income potential” | “Two-bedroom legal suite with a separate entrance, currently rented at market” |
| “Must be seen” | (Delete. It says nothing and it reads as filler.) |
Specifics are what buyers actually search for. People type “legal suite Surrey”, “flat yard”, “walk to SkyTrain”, “no strata fees”, “RV parking”. If those words are not in your listing, you do not appear in that search — and increasingly, you are not in the summary an AI assistant produces for a buyer either.
Specifics also pre-qualify. A buyer who has read that there are stairs to the front door, or that the third bedroom is small, does not arrive and leave disappointed. Fewer viewings, better viewings, more offers.
Part two
How to write it
- Open with the single best thingNot “welcome to”. Lead with whatever is genuinely the strongest fact — the suite, the catchment, the lot, the view, the new roof. First line, first ten words.
- Give the facts a buyer needs to filterBedrooms, bathrooms, parking, strata fee, age, lot size, whether the suite is legal, pet and rental bylaws. Buyers filter on these, and hiding them just produces wasted viewings.
- Name the neighbourhood, properlyThe actual school, the actual park, the actual transit stop, the actual shops. “Close to amenities” is worth nothing; “Save-On-Foods and the rec centre are a six-minute walk” is worth a viewing.
- Say what has been done, and whenDated improvements build trust in a way adjectives cannot. “Furnace 2021” tells a buyer more than “well maintained” ever will.
- Be honest about one limitationCounter-intuitive and genuinely effective. “The third bedroom is small — it works as an office” builds credibility for everything else on the page, and it filters out the buyers who were going to walk anyway.
- Read it aloudIf it sounds like a brochure, rewrite it. If it sounds like a person describing a house they know well, it is right.
Part three
Words that cause actual problems
Claims you cannot support
“Legal suite” when it is unauthorised. “Renovated” for a coat of paint. “New roof” for a repair. These are not puffery — a buyer relies on them, and misrepresentation is a real liability that follows you past completion.
Watch out for
If you are not certain a suite is authorised, check with the municipality before it goes in the listing. This is one of the most common problems in the Fraser Valley.
Anything that describes the people
“Perfect for a young family”, “ideal for professionals”, “great for retirees”, “quiet building, no children”. Human rights legislation in BC prohibits discrimination in the provision of accommodation, and listing copy is not exempt.
Do this
Describe the property, never the buyer. “Three bedrooms and a fenced yard” conveys the same thing and is unobjectionable.
Silence about a known defect
Leaving something out of the copy does not discharge a disclosure obligation. In BC there are obligations on sellers and licensees regarding material latent defects — serious problems a reasonable inspection would not reveal.
Tell your agent everything and let them advise on how it is handled. Discovered later, it is a lawsuit rather than a negotiation.
A banned cliche or two
“Cosy” for small, “needs TLC” for derelict, “charming” for old. Buyers decoded these years ago, and using them signals that the rest of the description needs decoding too.
Questions we get asked
How long should a listing description be?
Long enough to carry the specifics, short enough to be read — typically 150 to 300 words. What matters far more than length is that the first two lines contain the best thing about the home.
Should I mention a flaw?
One, honestly framed, usually helps. It builds credibility and it saves everyone wasted viewings. A list of flaws obviously does not. And anything that amounts to a material latent defect is a disclosure question rather than a copywriting one — raise it with your agent.
Does the description matter as much as the photographs?
No. The first photograph does most of the work of getting someone to click. The description then decides whether they book. Both matter; the photograph matters more.
Can I write it myself?
You can, and you know the house better than anyone — which is exactly the problem. Sellers write about what they loved; buyers want to know about schools, storage, parking and what has been replaced. Write a list of specifics and let your agent shape it.
Send us your listing copy
If your home is on the market and not getting viewings, send us the link. We will tell you honestly whether the words, the photographs or the price is the problem. No charge and no pitch.
Call 778‑234‑2000 Prefer to write? Send a message insteadPlease note: Advertising must comply with BCFSA rules, human rights legislation and disclosure obligations. This page is general information about British Columbia and Canadian rules, current at the time of writing, and is not legal, tax, financial or mortgage advice. Figures and programs change — confirm anything you intend to rely on with the relevant authority or a qualified professional. Sonny Bhinder is a licensed REALTOR®, not a lawyer, accountant or mortgage broker. Not intended to solicit properties currently listed for sale, or to cause a breach of an existing agency relationship.