Your Listings Are Boring. Let’s Fix That. – Week 1 Challenge.

Let’s be real. Most open houses feel like waiting rooms for a dentist you don’t need. Most listing descriptions read like a robot ate a thesaurus and threw up (“charming, quaint, gourmet, oasis”). And most agents sell the house instead of the feeling.

So this week? We’re burning the script. Let's start a CHALLENGE!

Your only goal: Make one seller say “That was weird… but I loved it” and make one buyer say “I need to see that house RIGHT NOW.”

Buyers notice everything in the first 7 seconds. Their noses work. Their ears work. Their judgmentworks.

So this week? No price reductions. No new flyers. Just your five senses and a little bravery.

THE HOMEWORK (Yes, actual homework. Grab a pen.)

The Sensory Listing Audit

Pick your most stubborn listing—the one that’s been sitting for 45+ days. You are not allowed to lower the price until you complete this.

Week 1 Homework: The 5-Sense Listing Audit

Go to the property alone. Blindfold yourself (seriously). Stand in the middle of each room for 30 seconds.

Step 1. Smell (blindfold optional but way more fun)Stand in each room for 30 seconds with eyes closed.Write down exactly one smell per room. Examples:

• “Burnt toast ghost”

• “Basement hug”

• “New carpet + old cat

- Write down: What do you actually smell? (Not “fresh.” Be specific: lavender candle? Wet dog? New carpet glue? Nothing?)

- Identify ONE smell to eliminate and ONE to introduce for the next showing. (Hint: Fresh coffee “ocean breeze” plug-in.)

Step 2 – Sound

Sit in the living room for 5 minutes with eyes closed. No phone.

- Write down: What do you hear? Traffic? A creaky floorboard? A neighbor’s TV? Silence (which can feel lonely)?

Write down three sounds:

• One you can fix (squeaky door, dripping faucet)

• One you can hide (traffic? close the window)

• One you can feature (fireplace crackle? birds? hardwood creak = character)

- Create a 3-song playlist to play during the next open house that matches the mood of the home (not your taste). Lo-fi beats for a modern loft. Jazz for a bungalow. Nothing with lyrics.

Step 3 – The “5-Word Gut Punch”

Rewrite the listing description. You get exactly 5 words. No more.

- Examples: “Sunrise coffee on screened porch.” / “Hide from your teenagers here.” / “Work from home without crying.”

- Text those 5 words to a non-agent friend. If they don’t say “I want to see it,” try again.

Touch Run your hand along three surfaces: countertop, carpet, door handle.Write down one word for each: cold, sticky, rough, smooth, cheap, solid.

4. Sight (the honest version) Find one ugly thing you’ve been lying about. Say it out loud.Example: “The bathroom tile is aggressively beige.”Then write one honest sentence for the listing: “The bathroom works fine. The tile won’t win awards. Budget for a weekend refresh.”

5. The “Gut Word”After 15 minutes alone in the house, write one word for how it feels. Not “spacious.” Try: lonely, safe, tired, hopeful, loud, secret.

Step 4 – The Weird Objection Script

Most agents practice their listing pitch. You’re going to practice your sellers’ hidden fears instead.

- Ask your seller: “What’s the smallest, dumbest, most annoying thing about this house you’d change if you had $500?”

- Then write a 30-second response that agrees with them. Example: “Yes, the bathroom tile is aggressively beige. You’re right. And that’s why we’re pricing it so the next owner can put in that black hexagon tile they’ve been pinning.”

Now it's time to impliment it!

Week 1 Challenge: The Silent Showing

Dare: Host one open house or private showing where you do not speak for the first 3 minutes.

• Greet them at the door. Smile. Hand them a simple paper with three things:

  • “Smell for: coffee in the kitchen”

  • “Listen for: quiet in the back bedroom”

  • “Touch: the living room wall (it’s original plaster)”

• Then walk behind them. Say nothing. Let the house talk.

  
  

Why it’s scary: You think you’re the product. You’re not. The feeling is the product.

Win condition: At least one buyer says something you’ve never heard before. Write it down. Use it in your next listing presentation.

Week 1 wrap-up: Post your best “ugly truth” sentence in the comments or send it to a fellow agent. If you didn’t feel at least a little awkward, you didn’t do it right.

Next week: We fix your mouth (the words you’re banned from saying).

📧 Email | info@schiavettophotography.com

🌐 Website | schiavettomedia.com