https://linktr.ee/mrneilwhitfield

Neil Whitfield, Sinclair Court, Newcastle upon Tyne (2026)

19/06/2025

“But Neil… if I niche down, will I get enough seller leads?”

That’s what one of my coaching clients asked me, half-joking...but I could tell she was genuinely worried.

She’d built a decent lettings business over the years — but felt overwhelmed and frustrated when attempting to break into sales.

Doing too many valuations for the wrong prospects who never instructed her...as they either wanted the cheapest agent in town or just wanted a second valuation before going with the established safe pair of hands.

When I suggested specialising, her first reaction was fear.

😧 “But what if I scare people off - people who might have instructed me?”
😧 “I'm not getting many leads at the minute, won't that mean I get even less?”

Here's what actually happened after a few months of sticking at it:

❌ She stopped getting the time-wasting or price shopper enquiries
❌ She stopped going out on listing appointments for properties she didn’t really want to take on
✅ She started being known as the go-to agent for her ideal seller

Because when you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.

I went into this in my latest Get More Listings free coaching session.
🎥 You can watch the latest recording now on YouTube:

💬 Want to join the next one live? Comment below and I’ll send you the link to register (they take place on the first Thursday of every month).

17/06/2025

❌ Stop trying to appeal to everyone ❌

That’s how you end up with marketing that sounds like everyone else’s…
…and listings that get ignored by the ideal buyers you actually want to reach.

And casting a wide net doesn’t attract more sellers. It just adds your agency to the long list of thoroughly unremarkable, hard-to-tell-apart local estate agents.

Instead, the agents who specialise — in a type of seller, a property, a location — are the ones getting noticed, getting remembered and getting paid what they’re worth.

I unpacked this in my latest Get More Listings free coaching session
🎥 You can watch the replay on YouTube:
📅 Or comment "Link" below and I'll send you the link to register for my next live session (3rd July)

17/12/2024

😆 🌟 Exquisite Bannisters 🌟 😆

I read a property listing the other day where the agent (a corporate) described the bannisters as 'exquisite'

I'm no bannister expert but they did look very nice to me

But no matter how bougie the bannisters I'd question whether they needed mentioning in the first place?

The property was a high end, luxury detached and the listing was peppered with adjectives and superlatives. I don't think a single item was mentioned without some kind of descriptive attribute.

I think I've worked out why this is;

The first reason is that some agents feel the need to use the copy to flatter their sellers. And copy peppered with big long words sounds so much more impressive, doesn't it?

The second reason (which is linked to the first) is that this approach is more likely when the copy is written for a brochure rather than a website or property portal

When writing for a brochure you often need to write to a wordcount or to fill a certain space. So you'll add unnecessary words, even if they don't add much to the overall piece. Adjectives and superlatives are great for filling space.

But they water down the copy. They actually make it less persuasive.

And let's not forget that people buy based on emotion. And I'd question how emotional anyone (other than a carpenter) can get about a staircase.

The most effective copy uses simple words and taps into the real reason behind why the buyer or tenant is looking to move.

"Exquisite" bannisters, Corian worktops and £10k Gaggenau ovens may impress the mother-in-law but they're not actually addressing the pressing problem the buyer or tenant is looking to solve by moving.

16/12/2024

Too Much Information! 🤯

Here's a great example of how throwing mud at the wall to see what sticks with your listing summary description is the wrong approach to take.

Ignoring the fact that they're wasting valuable characters with "...offered to the market..." and "Briefly comprising..." they need to focus on the One Thing that will make the biggest impact on their ideal buyer's lives. Not lots of little separate details.

It's described as a first floor flat in the first sentence so do you need to then specify there's a staircase to the first floor? And more stairs down to the yard! Would anyone realistically expect there to be a lift?

I can see what's going on here - they've written the Full Description and not given any thought as to what gets pulled through and appears in the search results

That's the tail wagging the dog!! 🐶

I ALWAYS write the headline first and then write the full description to fit the headline, not the other way round...

So what would I focus on? Looking at the flat it's probably going to suit a single person, a couple or sharers rather than a family. It's also OK condition - nothing special.

All this leads me to think that we may have to focus on the location rather than the property itself. As we've discounted families we won't lead on the fact that there's a school only a couple of streets away.

Instead I'd make the Big Hook the short walkable distance to the town centre shops, the bus station and the train station. I'd focus on the convenience - perhaps even throwing in that if they work in the town centre (or need to catch a bus to work) it could get them a few extra minutes in bed

That one big hook will be far more compelling (and demonstrate a REAL LIFE BENEFIT) that will be far more powerful than the random list of features currently shown in the search results.

11/12/2024

Thanks Callum, it's much appreciated!

Just received the fab LinkedIn recommendation below - I've been helping Callum with his listing copy for almost 18 months now...

Drop me a message if you want to have a chat about my done for you listing copywriting service.

10/12/2024

Does Your Listing Copy Create Emotional Connections?

The best agents consistently craft headlines and full descriptions that generate viewings by creating emotional connections with their ideal buyers or tenants.

Top agents don’t just list facts, figures and room dimensions — they use the full description to connect with buyers or tenants on a deeper level and motivate them to act.

They know that carefully chosen words work hand in hand with superb photography to create the most engaging listing.

09/12/2024

If You Want To Get 80% Of The Results From Your Property Listings With 20% Of The Effort - Do This >>>

When it comes to listing copy, the headline is by far the most important part.

It's the 250 characters that show up in the Rightmove search results. You now even get a couple of lines on Zoopla (on desktop) to write about the property.

Don't waste it with "Blah De Blah Estates Are Proud To Bring To The Market This...."

Or double up on the basic info that's automatically shown & pulled through with every listing -like the number of bedrooms & bathrooms

Instead try to focus on what is likely to appeal to the ideal buyer or tenant - what's the 1 biggest problem they're looking to solve by moving?

06/12/2024

As things slow down and your thoughts turn to planning for 2025, don't fall into the trap of focusing on the media, rather than the message or campaign idea.

What do I mean by this? Here's what the brilliant "Marketoonist" Tom Fishburne - the creator of the cartoon - has to say;

Should campaigns be media-driven or idea-driven?

Lately, it feels like the media tail is wagging the campaign dog. Many campaigns are built around a media platform, as if the media platform alone was the big idea.

Sometimes marketers forget that media platforms are enablers to big ideas. They aren’t the big ideas themselves.

It’s important to remember that going digital is not a campaign strategy. Neither is a checklist of every new social media platform.

Instead, a campaign strategy is built on big ideas that take advantage of the best media channels to bring those ideas to life.

05/12/2024

Let's have your suggestions for more awful words or phrases estate agents use in their listings

03/12/2024

Where do I start with this less than ideal listing?

With a flat I'd always advise against using an exterior shot as the lead photo - even more so when the outside is so desperately in need of a lick of paint.

The agent clearly hasn't tidied the room or made the bed before taking the photo. It's a pretty depressing room TBH - and the selection is even more odd as the lounge and kitchen may also be cluttered but they look much better than this bedroom.

And they're missing a trick by not using the full 250 characters that show up in the search results. They could've added at least another sentence or two to appeal to the ideal buyer.

02/12/2024

Er...it rhymes with 'cable' 😆

28/11/2024

Do you criticise your sellers and insult your buyers? Roy Brooks did!

Here's a fabulous example of a Roy Brooks classified ad.

He was a tremendously successful estate agent in the 1950's, 60's and 70's - mainly thanks to his brutal, no-holds-barred property listings.

I have a few clients who let me have some creative fun with their listings but I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to lay into a property quite like this...
..or sign off the ad by cruelly mocking the potential buyers!

Neil Whitfield

19/06/2025

17/06/2025

17/12/2024

16/12/2024

11/12/2024

10/12/2024

09/12/2024

06/12/2024

05/12/2024

03/12/2024

02/12/2024

28/11/2024

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