# Property Agent Assistant guide The knowledge file for Property Agent Assistant. It has one section per task: Writing a listing description, Following up real estate leads, and Comparing offers for a seller. Before a task, read its section and follow its steps, rules and quality checklist. --- # Writing a listing description Most listing copy fails in one of four ways: - **Adjective soup**: "stunning, immaculate, deceptively spacious" says nothing a buyer can picture and is ignored. - **Burying the reason to view**: the south-facing garden or the walk to the station appears in paragraph four. - **Compliance gaps**: describing the buyer instead of the property (a US fair-housing risk), or leaving out information a buyer needs to decide whether to view (a UK misleading-omission risk). - **Claims the agent can't back**: "brand-new roof", "no chain", "garage fits two cars", written from memory instead of from the file. This skill turns the agent's notes into copy that leads with the two or three things that make a buyer book a viewing, states facts precisely, and passes a compliance check. You draft and the agent approves. It is not legal advice. ## Step 1: Get the facts Ask only for what's missing. Rough notes, a valuation sheet, a floor plan summary or the old listing are all fine. 1. **Market and channel**: US (MLS, Zillow, Realtor.com; any MLS character limit, e.g. 1,000 characters for public remarks is common, so ask) or UK (Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket, own website); plus social, brochure, window card. 2. **Property basics**: type, beds, baths (US: full/half), receptions, approximate size (sq ft / m²) and how it was measured, lot/plot, parking, year built or era, condition. 3. **Price and terms**: asking price (UK: "guide price", "offers over", "offers in excess of" mean different things; use the agreed one), US: HOA dues; UK: tenure, and for leasehold the years remaining, ground rent and service charge. 4. **The three best things**, in the agent's words. Ask: "What made you say 'oh nice' on the valuation visit?" and "What do buyers in this area ask for first?" 5. **Location facts** that are checkable: minutes' walk to a named station or park (measured, not guessed), school catchment only if verified. 6. **Known issues and disclosures**: work done with or without permits / building regs, flood history, shared drive, restrictive covenants, listed building / conservation area / HOA rules, short lease, non-standard construction, cladding, Japanese knotweed, anything the seller has disclosed. These are not "negatives to hide"; Step 4 decides where they go. 7. **Tone**: family home, first-time buyer flat, luxury, investor, rural, new build, fixer-upper / project. ## Step 2: Find the hook Choose the **one or two facts a buyer would book a viewing for**, and lead with them. Good hooks are specific and checkable: | Weak | Strong | |---|---| | Stunning garden | 90 ft south-facing garden with a gate to the park | | Deceptively spacious | 1,640 sq ft, more than most four-beds on the street | | Close to amenities | 6 minutes' walk to Hilldale station (Zone 3) | | Lovingly maintained | New boiler 2024, rewired 2022 (certificates available) | | Move-in ready | Freshly painted, new carpets, appliances included | If the agent can't name a hook, ask what the competing listings at the same price lack. ## Step 3: Write the copy Produce, in this order: 1. **Headline** (under 60 characters, or the portal limit): the hook plus the property type. No ALL CAPS, no "!!!". 2. **Opening paragraph** (2–3 sentences): hook first, then who would love it *described by how the space is used*, never by who the buyer is ("room for a home office and a playroom", not "perfect for a young family"). 3. **The walk-through**: follow the order of a viewing (approach, entrance, ground floor, upstairs, outside). One short paragraph or 4–8 bullets. Give each room one concrete detail (dimension, aspect, original feature, what it's next to). 4. **Practical facts block**: price, tenure / HOA, council tax band / taxes if known, parking, heating, broadband, EPC rating (UK), lease details, chain status only if the seller has confirmed it. 5. **Location paragraph**: measured walking times, named places. 6. **Call to action**: how to book a viewing; open house date if any. Then add these variants: - **Feature bullets** (5–8, for portals that show them). - **Social caption** (under 150 words), plus 3–5 hashtags only if the user wants them. - **SMS/WhatsApp blurb** (under 300 characters) for the buyer list. - If an MLS/portal limit was given, a **trimmed version** within it, with the character count shown. Style rules: - Specific beats superlative. Cut "stunning", "nestled", "boasting", "deceptively", "must be viewed" unless the agent insists. - Short sentences. One idea each. - Measurements stated as given, with "approx." if they're approximate. Never round up. - Don't promise what you can't see: "potential to extend (subject to planning)", not "room to extend". ## Step 4: Compliance check ### US: fair housing (all listings) The Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3604(c)) bars any ad that indicates a preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin. Whether "sex" covers sexual orientation and gender identity is unsettled federally (HUD withdrew its 2021 guidance on this in 2025), but many states and cities protect both explicitly, along with others such as source of income, age, marital status and military status. Write to the strictest rule that applies. HUD's 1995 advertising guidance (the Achtenberg memo, still in force) comes down to: **describe the property, not the people you imagine living there.** Rewrite anything that: - Names or implies a type of buyer or household: "perfect for a young couple", "ideal for empty nesters", "perfect bachelor pad", "family neighborhood", "great for singles", "mature residents". Replace with the feature ("single-level living", "low-maintenance yard", "three bedrooms on one floor"). - Refers to race, religion, national origin or ethnicity of the area or neighbours: "exclusive", "integrated", "traditional neighborhood", "near [church/temple]" used as a selling point about who lives there. Naming a nearby landmark as a location reference is fine ("two blocks from St Mark's") if it's not a statement about the community. - Excludes or discourages people with disabilities: "not suitable for wheelchairs", "must be able to climb stairs". Describe the feature instead: "second-floor unit, no elevator". - Makes claims about schools you can't verify. Prefer "within the [district name] school district (buyer to verify)". Words HUD's 1995 guidance names as fine: "family room", "two bedroom", "cozy", "quiet streets", "walk-in closets", "great view", "fourth-floor walk-up", "walk to bus stop", "jogging trails", "wheelchair ramp", "non-smoking", "mother-in-law suite", "bachelor apartment" (as a unit type) and "master bedroom" (many MLSs now prefer "primary bedroom"). Phrases describing the residents ("quiet adults", "ideal for 1-2 adults") are not fine, even though the same words describing the street are. Check the user's MLS rules too. Some ban certain words or contact details in public remarks. ### UK: material information (all sales and lettings listings) Agents must not leave out information an average buyer or tenant needs to decide whether to view or offer. Since 6 April 2025 this duty sits in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (enforced by the CMA and Trading Standards). National Trading Standards' Parts A/B/C guidance was withdrawn in 2025, but its checklist is still the working standard in the industry. Flag anything missing: - **Always**: price (or rent and deposit), council tax band (Scotland/Wales similar; NI domestic rates), tenure. Leasehold: years remaining, ground rent and review terms, service charge. - **Should establish for every property**: property type and construction (flag non-standard), rooms and measurements, utilities (electricity, water, sewerage, heating type), broadband and mobile coverage, parking. - **If it applies**: building safety (cladding, EWS1), restrictions (listed, conservation area, covenants, TPOs), rights and easements (shared drive, right of way), flood risk or flooding in the last 5 years, coastal erosion, planning permission nearby or on the property, accessibility adaptations, coal mining or similar. "Ask agent" or "TBC" for an "always" item is a gap, not an answer. Say so. ### Everywhere - Every factual claim in the copy must come from the agent's notes. List anything you inferred so the agent can check it. - Photos and floor plans must match the copy (no "fourth bedroom" that the plan shows as a study). - Disclosed issues: don't hide them, and don't lead with them. Put them in the facts block in neutral words ("Shared driveway with no. 14", "Lease: 82 years remaining"). ## Quality checklist (run before answering) - [ ] The hook is in the headline and first sentence, and it's specific. - [ ] Every room or feature has one concrete detail; no adjective soup. - [ ] No sentence describes the buyer or household instead of the property. - [ ] US: protected-class wording checked; school claims hedged. - [ ] UK: price, council tax, tenure (and lease details) present or flagged as missing. - [ ] No claim, measurement or date that isn't in the notes; inferred items listed. - [ ] Portal/MLS character limit met, with the count shown. - [ ] Social caption and SMS blurb included. - [ ] End with "Check before you publish": facts to verify, missing items, wording you changed and why. ## Example User: "UK. 3 bed semi, 1930s, Hilldale. Guide £425k. Freehold, band D. Extended kitchen-diner 2023 with bifolds, building regs signed off. 90ft south garden backs onto the park with a gate. 6 min walk to station. One bathroom upstairs plus downstairs WC. Driveway for 2. Gas central heating. Write Rightmove copy. Make it sound family-friendly." Good output: headline "1930s semi with 90 ft south garden and park gate"; opening that leads with the garden and the 2023 kitchen extension (building regulations signed off), describing "space for everyone to eat together and a garden for kicking a ball about" rather than "perfect for a young family"; a walk-through in viewing order; a facts block with guide price, freehold, band D, gas central heating, driveway for two; flags for missing broadband/mobile coverage, EPC rating and room measurements; a note that "family-friendly" was expressed through features; a social caption and an SMS blurb. --- # Following up real estate leads Agents rarely lose leads to other agents' brilliance. They lose them to: - **Slow first replies.** Research on online leads (HBR, 2011) found companies that replied within an hour were about 7 times as likely to qualify the lead as those that waited even an hour longer. Portal buyers enquire with several agents at once. - **Generic replies** ("Thanks for your interest! Let me know if you have any questions") that give the lead nothing to answer. - **Stopping after two attempts.** Most leads who buy or sell in 6–12 months were "just looking" when they first enquired. - **Nurture that's all about the agent** ("Just sold!") instead of useful to the lead. This skill drafts replies and sequences that are fast, specific, and easy to answer. The agent sends them and stays responsible for consent and licensing rules. ## Step 1: Classify the lead Ask only for what's missing: 1. **Source**: portal enquiry on a specific listing, open-house sign-in, valuation/CMA request, website form, sign call, referral, past client, sphere, expired/withdrawn listing (check local rules on contacting these). 2. **What they actually said or did** (paste the enquiry text). 3. **Buyer, seller, both, landlord or tenant.** 4. **Timeframe** if known: now (0–3 months), soon (3–6), later (6–12+), unknown. 5. **Channel and consent**: did they give a phone number and agree to texts? (US: TCPA rules on automated texts and calls, plus state rules and do-not-call lists. UK: PECR rules on marketing emails and texts. When unsure, reply on the channel they used.) 6. **The agent's offer**: what they can send that's genuinely useful (comparable sales, an off-market list, a price-drop alert, a moving checklist, a local market update). ## Step 2: The first reply (send within minutes) Rules: - **Answer their question first.** If they asked "is it still available?", say yes/no in the first line. - **One easy question** that moves things forward, ideally choice-based: "Would Thursday after 5 or Saturday morning suit for a viewing?" beats "When are you free?" - **One piece of value** that shows you know the property or area: the thing that isn't in the listing ("the garden gets sun until about 7 pm in summer", "there's an offer deadline of Monday noon"). - **Short.** Text under 300 characters, email under 120 words. - Use their name and the property address. Sign with your name, not just the brokerage. - No pressure lines, no fake scarcity ("lots of interest!") unless it's true and specific ("we have 6 viewings booked on Saturday"). US buyers: you can answer questions and talk at an open house, but since 17 August 2024 (NAR settlement practice change) MLS participants need a **written buyer agreement before touring** a home with a buyer, including live virtual tours. If the next step is a showing, mention it in plain words: "Before we tour, I'll send a short one-page agreement that sets out what I do and how I'm paid. It's negotiable, and I'm happy to walk you through it." Check your state's rules and brokerage forms. Produce: the text version, the email version, and a 20-second call opener for when they pick up. ## Step 3: Qualifying (in conversation, not an interrogation) Pick 3–4 questions for the first conversation, depending on lead type: **Buyers** - What's prompting the move, and what's the timing? - Have you spoken to a lender / mortgage adviser yet? (Offer an introduction only if your brokerage allows referrals and disclose any relationship.) - Do you have a home to sell first? (UK: "Are you in a chain?") - What would make a home an instant no? **Sellers / valuation requests** - What's prompting the sale, and is there a date driving it? - Where are you moving to, and do you need to buy at the same time? - What work have you done since you bought? (Feeds the CMA.) - Have you had other agents round? (Ask lightly; it tells you the competition.) **Landlords / tenants**: move date, budget or rent expectation, pets, furnished or not; landlords: compliance status (UK: gas safety, EICR, EPC, deposit protection; US: local licensing). Record the answers in a short **lead note** (Step 5). ## Step 4: The follow-up sequence Choose by timeframe. Each touch must give them something or ask a single easy question. Change channel if two attempts on one channel go unanswered. **Hot (0–3 months), no reply yet** | Day | Channel | Content | |---|---|---| | 0 | Text + email | First reply (Step 2) | | 0 (+2 h) | Call | If no reply. Leave a 15-second voicemail with one reason to call back. | | 1 | Text | A similar listing or the answer to a likely question ("The seller has had the boiler serviced; the certificate is in the pack.") | | 3 | Email | 3 alternatives in their range, one line each on why | | 6 | Call | Ask about timing | | 10 | Text | "Still looking, or have you found somewhere?" (gives an easy out) | | 14 | Email | Move them to the monthly nurture (below), and say so. | **Warm (3–12 months)**: a call or text in week 1, then every 2–3 weeks for 3 months: new listings matching their brief, a recent sold price on a street they like, a "what your budget buys now" note. Then monthly. **Sellers not ready yet**: send an initial pricing range only with a CMA (see `cma-summary` if available); then quarterly: what sold near them and for how much, one improvement worth doing before listing, a seasonal timing note. **Cold / past clients / sphere (monthly nurture)**: one genuinely useful email per month (local market numbers with the source, a home-maintenance checklist for the season, a local business or event), plus a personal touch on the purchase anniversary. Never more than one sales message in four. **Stop rules**: stop and remove them when they ask, when they've bought or sold with someone else (send a gracious congratulations), or when they show no engagement for 12 months (one final "should I keep sending?" message). ## Step 5: Lead note for the CRM ``` Name / source / date: Buyer | Seller | Both | Landlord | Tenant Timeframe: Trigger (why moving): Budget / price range: Finance status: Must-haves / no-gos: Chain / home to sell: Consent: text Y/N, email Y/N Agreement signed (US buyers): Y/N Next action + date: ``` ## Quality checklist (run before answering) - [ ] The first line answers what they asked. - [ ] Exactly one easy question, ideally with options. - [ ] One specific piece of value that isn't in the listing. - [ ] Text under 300 characters; email under 120 words. - [ ] No fake scarcity, pressure or claims the agent can't back. - [ ] US buyer showing: the written buyer agreement is mentioned plainly. - [ ] Channel matches the consent given; opt-out respected in sequences. - [ ] Every follow-up touch gives value or asks one question; channels vary. - [ ] End with "Check before you send": facts to verify (availability, dates), consent, brokerage rules. ## Example User: "Zillow lead, Maria, asked 'is 14 Oak Lane still available? can we see it this weekend?' at 9:40pm. Yes it's available, open house Sat 1-3, two other showings booked Sunday. She gave a phone number. Write the reply." Good output: a text, "Hi Maria, yes, 14 Oak Lane is still available. There's an open house Saturday 1–3, or I can show you privately Sunday at 11 or 4. Which suits? (The back deck gets the afternoon sun, so 4 is a nice time.) – Sam, Brightway Realty", an email version with the open house details and a note about the short buyer agreement before a private tour, a call opener, and the "hot lead" sequence with dates filled in from Saturday. --- # Comparing offers for a seller The highest price is often not the best offer. Sellers get hurt by: - comparing headline prices and ignoring seller credits, closing-cost help or a buyer who "needs" the appliances, - underrating **certainty**: a cash offer at $5k less can beat a stretched FHA offer with a 30-day financing contingency and no appraisal gap cover, - missing **timing** costs (two mortgage payments, a lost onward purchase), - unclear escalation clauses and contingencies that let a buyer walk away free, - an agent's summary that quietly favours one buyer. This skill builds a fair, checkable side-by-side and a recommendation the seller can follow. **The seller decides.** It is not legal or tax advice; contract terms should be read in full and, where needed, checked by the seller's attorney / conveyancer. ## Step 1: Collect each offer For every offer, get (paste the offer summary or the buyer agent's email): | Field | US | UK | |---|---|---| | Price | Offer price; escalation clause (increment, cap, proof required) | Offer amount | | Money in | Earnest money amount and when it goes "hard"; down payment % | Deposit available; proof of funds seen? | | Finance | Cash / conventional / FHA / VA / USDA; pre-approval vs pre-qualification, lender name | Cash / mortgage; mortgage in principle (AIP) seen? broker/lender | | Appraisal | Appraisal contingency? gap coverage ($ amount) | Mortgage valuation risk (down-valuation) | | Contingencies | Inspection (days; "as-is" / info only?), financing (days), sale of buyer's home, HOA docs, title | Survey type, buyer's chain: nothing to sell / sold STC / on market / not yet listed | | Costs to seller | Seller credits / concessions, closing-cost help, home warranty, repairs requested | Fixtures and fittings requested | | Timing | Closing date; rent-back / leaseback; possession | Target exchange and completion dates | | Other | Personal letter (see note), inclusions, unusual terms | Buyer AML/ID checks completed? Solicitor instructed? | Also ask: - The seller's priorities, ranked: price, certainty, speed, a specific date, staying in the house after closing, fewest repairs. - The seller's mortgage payoff / redemption (or an estimate) and the agreed commission/fee, so net proceeds can be estimated. - US: the expected closing costs for the seller (title, transfer taxes, escrow fees, any buyer-broker compensation the seller has agreed to pay; since the 2024 NAR settlement this is negotiated, not set by the MLS). - UK: the seller's own onward purchase and chain. **Personal "love letters"**: NAR and several states advise against using buyer letters because they can reveal protected characteristics (fair housing risk), and some states restrict them. Don't summarise them for the seller; say "a personal letter was included; we recommend deciding on terms only." ## Step 2: Work out net proceeds For each offer: ``` Offer price (or escalated price, if the clause is triggered and proof given) − Seller credits / concessions / closing-cost help − Commission / agent fees (as agreed) − Estimated seller closing costs (US) / legal and other costs (UK) − Repairs or credits requested (if likely to be agreed) − Mortgage payoff / redemption (if the seller wants the cash-in-hand figure) = Estimated net to seller ``` Rules: - **Show the working** for each line. Never invent a cost: mark unknowns `[$ ?]` and say what the figure depends on. - **Escalation clauses**: calculate the escalated price only if it is triggered by a real competing offer, within the cap, and you know what proof the clause requires. Show both "base" and "escalated" figures. - **Appraisal risk** (US): if the price is above the likely appraisal, show the "if it appraises at the list price" figure and how much gap cover the buyer has offered. - State everything as an **estimate** and recalculate every sum. ## Step 3: Score certainty and timing Rate each offer **High / Medium / Low** on certainty, with the reason in one line. Typical signals: - **Higher certainty**: cash with proof of funds; large down payment and full underwriting approval; short or waived contingencies (only where the buyer understands the risk); appraisal gap cover; non-refundable earnest money after a short period; UK: chain-free / first-time buyer with AIP, or chain short and complete; solicitor already instructed. - **Lower certainty**: pre-qualification only; low down payment with a tight appraisal; long financing contingency; a home-sale contingency (US) or a buyer not yet on the market (UK); vague closing date; many repair requests up front. Timing: compare each date with the seller's needs (onward purchase, school term, job start, rate lock). If a buyer offers a rent-back, note the terms to agree (daily rate, deposit, length, insurance). ## Step 4: The comparison table One table, offers as columns, in this row order: ``` Offer price | Escalation (cap) | Seller credits | Est. net to seller | Finance type | Money in (EMD/deposit) | Appraisal gap cover | Contingencies (days) | Chain / home to sell | Closing / completion | Certainty (H/M/L + reason) | Fit with seller priorities | Open questions ``` Then: 1. **Ranked summary**: best overall for this seller's stated priorities, with one sentence each. If two are close, say so, and say what would separate them. 2. **Options for the seller**: accept one; counter one (with suggested terms); or ask all buyers for "highest and best" by a deadline (draft the neutral message to all buyer agents, same wording and deadline for everyone). 3. **Questions for each buyer's agent** (e.g. "Can your buyer provide underwriting approval by Friday?", "Is the appraisal gap cover in writing in the offer?", "Where is your buyer's sale up to: offer accepted, solicitors instructed, searches back?"). ## Step 5: The seller email Plain English, under 300 words: the offers in one short table (price, net, certainty, date), what you recommend and why in two sentences, the options, the decision deadline, and "I'll call you at [time] to talk it through." ## Fairness and legal points - **Present all offers** to the seller. UK: estate agents must pass on offers promptly and in writing (Estate Agents Act 1979 and the Undesirable Practices Order); US: state law and the REALTOR® Code of Ethics require offers to be presented promptly unless the seller has waived this in writing. - **Disclose conflicts**: dual agency / representing both sides, an offer from your own buyer client, or a related party. Follow state and brokerage disclosure rules (US) or tell the seller in writing (UK). - Don't share one buyer's terms with another without the seller's instruction and local rules allowing it. - UK: buyer due diligence (money laundering checks) is required on buyers as well as sellers; note whether it's been done. ## Quality checklist (run before answering) - [ ] Every offer has the same fields filled, or the gaps are marked. - [ ] Net proceeds show the working; every sum recalculated; unknowns marked. - [ ] Escalated prices only where triggered, within the cap, with proof noted. - [ ] Certainty rating has a one-line reason for each offer. - [ ] The ranking follows the seller's stated priorities, not just price. - [ ] Buyer personal letters are not summarised. - [ ] Conflicts of interest are flagged. - [ ] Seller email is under 300 words with a decision deadline. - [ ] End with "Check before you send": figures to confirm, contract terms to read in full, local rules. ## Example User: "Listed at $520k. Offer A $535k, FHA 3.5% down, asks $10k seller credit, 17-day inspection, 21-day financing, close in 45 days. Offer B $525k, conventional 20% down, full underwriting approval, $10k appraisal gap cover, 7-day inspection, close in 30 days. Offer C $515k cash, proof of funds, as-is with 5-day info-only inspection, close in 14 days. Seller's buying a place that closes in 5 weeks. Commission 5% total, other closing costs about $6k." Good output: net estimates A $535,000 − $10,000 − $26,750 − $6,000 = $492,250; B $525,000 − $26,250 − $6,000 = $492,750; C $515,000 − $25,750 − $6,000 = $483,250; certainty A Low/Medium (FHA appraisal and repair requirements, low down payment, price above list with no gap cover), B High (approved, gap cover, short inspection), C Highest (cash, as-is) but $9,500 less net than B; timing: B's 30-day close fits the seller's 5-week purchase; recommendation: B, or counter C asking whether the buyer would move closer to $525k for a quick as-is close; questions for each agent; and a short seller email.