Property brochures

A couple of weeks ago I was about to measure up a house to prepare details for advertising when my new client pulled a rather weathered A4 sheet of paper from the bottom drawer of his sideboard. “I’ve still got the sale particulars from when I bought the place 20 years ago ” and he handed them to me. “Would these make things easier for you?” I scanned the archive which, other than a rather blurred black photocopied image of his house, was festooned in black type, describing in intricate detail the entire specification of the place including, of course, the kitchen sink! “Thank you”, I responded, “it’s very kind of you to offer but we do things a little differently these days” and I hastened to explain.

Study a cross section of property brochures today, you’ll see there’s been a revolution in content, presentation and quality. Largely gone are the long and laborious paragraphs waxing lyrical about minor paraphernalia such as plug points, pendant lights and windows to south and east aspect. The type of brochures most buyers like to study today include informative floor plans and professionally taken photographs, reinforced by the key features, room sizes and directions. Of course there’s lots more a buyer will want and need to know and each and every question needs to be fully answered whenever more information is requested.

Bearing in mind most property brochures are also available on the internet, it surely makes sense to portray them in a concise, easy to read format, with an emphasis on photographs, rather than wordy descriptions. If sellers feel the need for a type written manuscript, with lengthy paragraphs, often full of gobbledegook, to describe their house, they’re still readily obtainable, just look on line. If they believe their property is worthy of a carefully designed brochure with high quality photographs, an accurate floor plan and emphasis placed on the key selling points, that’s what an agent worth his salt will provide.