Real estate writing is a great side gig that can provide you with some extra income. However, it can also be difficult to get started because the market for real estate writing is so crowded with competition.
One way to stand out from the crowd is by submitting your work to blogs and magazines that accept submissions from writers like you! Here are some tips on how to submit your work to publications so they’ll take notice and reach out to you:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Understand the specific guidelines for submitting real estate content to publications. |
| 2. Pay attention to formatting requirements, citation styles, and referencing standards. |
| 3. Follow any instructions regarding word count, structure, and visual elements in your submissions. |
| 4. Ensure your content meets industry standards and provides value to the target audience. |
| 5. Review and proofread your work before submission to maintain a professional presentation. |
Use The Word “You”
Use the word “you.” A lot of advice for writers suggests that you should avoid using the word “you” in your writing, but this is a bad idea for real estate writing submissions. Instead of saying something like, “I think our company would be a great fit for your needs.
Let me tell you why,” I’d much rather see something like: “You’re not sure which company will provide the best service and value for your clients? Let us show you how we can exceed expectations.”*
Use the word “I.” The same goes for using “I” in your writing it’s perfectly acceptable and helps keep your submissions personalized.*
Use the word “we.” You may not want to talk about yourself too much in real estate writing submissions (see above), but including some third-person references like saying “we” instead of just “me” or “my” can help add some personality and credibility to what could otherwise feel like an impersonal sales pitch.*
Use the word “us.” Another way to add personality is by including some first-person references as well as third-person ones: say things like “us” instead of just me or my when talking about how things were done at past jobs/companies; use phrases like “our team” or even just “#TeamRentRiverwest!”
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Don’t Expect Perfection
You might be surprised to learn that we don’t expect perfection. We don’t even expect you to know what it is.
That doesn’t mean your writing should be sloppy or unedited. It just means that we’re not going to reject your submission because there’s a typo in the third paragraph of your story about a local real estate agent helping clients buy their first home (unless, of course, it’s distracting).
We do want your whole submission as great as possible, but if there are minor mistakes here and there then we’ll understand.
Here are some common mistakes that often slip through:
- Typos
- Grammar mistakes (sentences ending with prepositions)
- Formatting errors * Spelling errors
Edit Yourself
As you edit, ask yourself if what you’re writing is clear. If not, rewrite it until it is.
Also, look for opportunities to cut unnecessary words and phrases from your copy while maintaining its meaning.
Does the sentence or paragraph still make sense after you’ve removed a few words? If so, leave them out! You can always add them back in later if they become necessary again down the road.
When reading through your work again (and again), focus on grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors; these are easy fixes that will make your writing look polished and professional
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Avoid Clichés And Hackneyed Phrases
Writing in a way that’s easy to understand is important, and this starts with avoiding clichés and hackneyed phrases. Clichés are overused expressions that have lost their original meaning; they’re often used as adjectives or adverbs.
Examples include “like clockwork,” “in the nick of time,” “in good spirits,” and “the early bird gets the worm.” Hackneyed phrases are similar to clichés but tend to be longer and more figurative; examples include “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” and “laughing all the way to the bank.”
When possible, avoid such expressions by using your own words and if you must use one of these phrases in your writing, make sure it has a unique twist that makes it stand out from other uses of similar language.
You’ll also want to avoid passive voice when possible; this tends to bury the subject of the sentence further into an already complicated sentence structure rather than putting emphasis on what should be emphasized: who did what (or who experienced what).
Passive voice can be made less confusing by shifting some parts around into active voice: “The house was built by us” vs. “We built this house”; “The project was given little attention by management” vs. “Management failed to give much attention toward this project”;
They were being served lunch when I arrived at work today” vs “I arrived at work today while they were having lunch served by my coworkers.”
Avoid Jargon, And Especially Acronyms!
To help you stay on the right side of good writing, we’ve come up with a list of words and phrases to avoid. By all means, feel free to use them if they’re appropriate for your target audience but don’t assume that’s always the case.
Not only does jargon hinder audience comprehension; but it can also make readers feel like they’re being talked down to or left out of the conversation.
For example:
“On-going”: This phrase is rarely necessary; just say “ongoing” instead!
Effortlessly,” “effortlessly,” “effortlessly”: How many times do you need to say something was done effortlessly before it becomes clear? Once is enough!
In order”: When someone asks where you live (for example), dropping an “-in” onto the end of their question doesn’t make sense you know what they mean. Instead, try answering their question directly: “I live in Los Angeles.”
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Avoid Business-Speak And Corporatese
Here are some tips to help you avoid business-speak and corporatese.
Avoid corporate jargon. If you have a hard time identifying it, there are plenty of resources online that can help you spot it. The best way to do this is by looking at examples of company names and slogans that use these terms.
For example, notice how we use “solutions” rather than “services.” It’s one thing if your client says it; but when you write it on behalf of your client, make sure they don’t sound like they’re trying too hard!
Avoid long sentences. When an article or blog post goes on for paragraphs without stopping for a breath (or even thought), readers will get bored very quickly and lose interest in what you have to say even if what you have to say is important!
Keep sentences short so that people can easily follow along with the flow of ideas being presented through your writing piece no matter how long or short a sentence may be; this will keep readers interested instead of turning them off because they didn’t understand what was going on!
Use Active Rather Than Passive Verbs
Active verbs make your writing more direct and descriptive than passive verbs, which are often used to sound formal or minimize blame.
They also help you avoid the passive voice and include fewer words. For example: “I was kicked by a horse” is direct, while “A horse kicked me” is not as strong or concise. You can also say “The horse was kicking me,” but this sentence would be even stronger if you were to say “The horse kicked me.”
Avoid Prepositional Phrases At The Beginning Of Sentences
When writers use prepositional phrases at the beginning of sentences, they can end up with sentences that are hard to read. “Prepositional phrases” are those phrases that begin with a preposition, such as “at,” “with,” or “for.”
Prepositional phrases can make it difficult for readers to understand what you mean because they add unnecessary words to your sentence and clutter things up.
They also make it harder for editors to edit your writing because there’s more editing involved than necessary editors have to start from scratch when they see a preposition at the beginning of a sentence instead of being able to just smooth over the whole phrase with no issues at all!
When you’re writing real estate copy (or any other type of copy), avoid using these types of phrases altogether; instead, try rephrasing what you’re trying to say so that it doesn’t require one for someone else who reads it later downline won’t feel confused about what’s going on here today.
For example: “We went out into town last night,” should be changed into something like “Last night we went into town.” This way readers will understand exactly where everyone was located when this happened without having any confusion caused by unfamiliar wording like
He came in through my window” could cause someone who didn’t know anything about windows before reading this piece might think that their window opened up somewhere inside their house instead of outside like everyone else knows how theirs do too!
Give Short Sentences And Paragraphs The Boot
The shorter your sentences and paragraphs are, the easier they’ll be to read. This is because short sentences and paragraphs are easier to scan and understand. They’re also easy on the eyes, which results in less squinting (or worse yet, eye strain). Plus, when you write more concisely in general, it helps make writing fun again like when you were a kid.
As a bonus tip: Don’t overuse adjectives or adverbs! Instead of saying “The boy ran very fast” try saying
The boy sprinted across the lawn” instead for an example of what I mean by using fewer words and still getting your point across effectively with fewer syllables per word and using stronger verbs that communicate emotion more directly than longer phrases can do so well!
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Steer Clear Of Adverbs Ending In “-Ly”
In most cases, adverbs ending in “-ly” don’t add anything to your writing. In fact, rather than strengthening a sentence, they often weaken it. Why? Because they’re usually unnecessary and can slow down the pace of your writing (which is already a problem for real estate writers).
Just because you are allowed to use adverbs doesn’t mean that you should always do so; just like any other word choice we make in our writing, we must consider whether or not the adverb needs to be there at all.
Does its presence add something significant to the meaning of our sentence? If so, then go ahead! Otherwise perhaps try rephrasing with an active verb instead (e.g., “The closing price increased significantly”).
Vary Your Sentence Structure To Keep The Reader Interested
Some writers use one type of sentence structure throughout their writing, but this can get old pretty fast and make it hard for readers to pay attention to what you’re saying. In addition, using the same kind of sentence in every paragraph makes it easy for readers to skim over those paragraphs without actually reading them.
There are several different kinds of sentences: short sentences (like this), long sentences that are made up of clauses (like “It was a dark and stormy night”), and medium-length ones that have words or phrases at both ends (such as “It was a dark and stormy night when she walked into the bar”). Varying these types will help keep your writing interesting for your audience!
Break Up Long Blocks Of Text With Subheads And Bulleted Lists
You can break up long blocks of text with subheads and bulleted lists, which help make the information easier to read.
Use descriptive language such as “The house was beautiful” instead of “The home had a view. You should also use the active voice (“I found it difficult to write”) instead of the passive voice (“It was hard for me to write”). This will help your reader understand what you’re trying to say.
Bullets and numbers are great ways to organize ideas, too; bullet points allow readers to quickly scan through each section without having to read every word in detail. Headings also make it easy for readers who might have skipped over an entire paragraph because they weren’t interested in that particular topic.
Keep paragraphs short (no more than three sentences at a time). Don’t forget your smartphone – if you’re writing an article that requires lots of scrolling through content, try using an app like Grammarly or HemingwayApp so that your writing is clear, concise, and easy to read!
Write For All Reading Levels; Don’t Assume Readers Are Literate Or Numerate
- Write for all reading levels.
- Use simple words.
- Use short sentences.
- Use bulleted lists where appropriate, and make them meaningful (don’t just throw in a bunch of random bullets).
Make sure your paragraphs are clear and organized; use subheadings throughout if needed to break up the text into manageable chunks of information.
Avoid using jargon or industry-specific terminology unless it’s necessary to get your point across and even then, try to find a simpler way to express it!
Your goal is not necessarily making yourself sound smart or knowledgeable your goal is writing something that makes sense and is easy for readers to understand!
Don’t assume readers are literate or numerate just because they’re property owners; odds are many of them aren’t either you can still write well if you don’t use big words or complicated sentence structures like “heretofore” or “until.”
Use The Active Voice Unless There’s A Good Reason Not To Do So
The active voice is a more direct and engaging way to write. It’s often used in fiction, where the reader wants to put themselves in the shoes of the main character.
The passive voice makes it sound like something happened on its own – like someone else was responsible for it. This can be confusing for readers who are trying to understand what happened and why.
The passive voice is often used to avoid responsibility or blame, especially when describing events that are bad or negative (e.g., “I was robbed yesterday”). It’s also sometimes used when writers want a more formal tone (e.g., “It has been decided by our company that we will not pursue this project any further.”)
Place Your Most Important Information First In A Sentence Or Paragraph
Use a strong lead. Place your most important information first in a sentence or paragraph, rather than at the end. It is best if the first sentence contains one or more of these elements:
A question that interests your reader and makes him want to find out the answer
An unusual fact or statistic about a statistic (e.g., “We found that Americans spend over $1 billion on coffee each year”)
A compelling quote from an expert or someone who has experienced something similar to what you are writing about (e.g., “I am convinced that this is true because I was there when it happened.”)
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Make Sure Your Articles Are Easy To Scan
Make sure your articles are easy to scan. Use short sentences, paragraphs, bullet points, and subheads to break up the text and make it easier for readers to digest quickly.
Use bold (B), italics (I), and underline (U) sparingly because these types of formatting take away from the readability of a page.
They also increase the risk of being overlooked by search engines as spammy or irrelevant content if overused in one article. Bolding should be limited only to headlines or subheadings within an article never inside the body copy itself!
You will want all important words that need emphasis highlighted in another way such as capitalization or italics instead of bolding them out loud: “I’m not kidding when I say…” rather than “I’m Not Kidding When I Say.
Conclusion
We’d love to hear from you. Please make sure that you have read our submission guidelines and follow them. If you have any questions about your writing or would like to know more about how we work with writers, please email us at hello@ourwebsite.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Takeaway: Write a well-thought-out and professional email message, including all relevant information such as a resume and a brief list of links (if relevant). Make sure it is clear that they will be used as part of the application process.
In closing: Be polite and professional when requesting an assignment or job opportunity via email. Always remember that no matter how good your writing skills are, if your email is rude or unprofessional then it will not go far in helping get work for yourself! Good luck on your job hunt!
Further Reading
Springer Submission Guidelines: Explore the detailed guidelines for submitting your research articles to Springer, a renowned publisher in the academic and scientific community.
Wiley Author Guidelines: Find essential information on preparing and submitting your research papers to Wiley’s online library, a trusted resource for scholarly publications.
CAR Writer’s Guide: Get insights into the California Association of Realtors’ guidelines for writing and contributing to their publications, ensuring your real estate content meets industry standards.
FAQs
How do I submit my research article to Springer?
Submitting your research article to Springer involves following their submission guidelines. These guidelines outline the required formatting, referencing, and manuscript preparation steps to ensure your work meets the publication standards.
What information do the Wiley Author Guidelines cover?
The Wiley Author Guidelines cover a wide range of topics, including manuscript structure, referencing style, figure preparation, and ethical considerations. By adhering to these guidelines, you can ensure your research article is ready for submission to Wiley’s online library.
What can I find in the CAR Writer’s Guide?
The CAR Writer’s Guide provides insights into writing for the real estate industry, particularly for the California Association of Realtors. It covers topics such as writing style, content requirements, and guidelines for contributing to their publications.
How can I ensure my research article aligns with Springer’s submission requirements?
To ensure your research article aligns with Springer’s submission requirements, carefully review the submission guidelines provided on their website. Pay attention to details like manuscript structure, referencing style, and any specific formatting instructions.
Are there specific formatting guidelines for writing real estate content for CAR?
Yes, the CAR Writer’s Guide includes specific formatting guidelines for writing real estate content that aligns with the California Association of Realtors’ standards. These guidelines help ensure consistency and professionalism in your contributions to their publications.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
