Edited by Lori Appling in Paris, France
"Next to the writer of real estate advertisements, the autobiographer is the most suspect of prose artists."
-- Donal Henahan
TODAY:
- Three Reasons to Add Real Estate Articles to Your Travel Writing Tool Belt
- Another Way to Sell More: 8 Guidelines to Follow When You're writing About Real Estate
- A Summer of Travel, Free
- This Week's Featured Travel Publication: Escape Artist
- More Opportunities and Resources for Writers
Advertisement
Everything You Need to Build and Grow Your Successful Writing Business
Starting and running a successful writing business is a strategic, methodical, big-picture undertaking. You’re no longer an employee... you’re the boss. Are you running your business the right way - by maximizing your efficiency and profits and minimizing your stress and mistakes?
Get the answers to the hundreds of questions and concerns commonly asked in specific, step-by-step details by clicking here: http://www.awaionline.com/bib/tw891/
Hi Gang,
Writing travel articles with a "special-interest" focus is one of the smartest strategies you can employ to make more money from every trip you take. (If you're a student of The Ultimate Travel Writer's Course -- http://www.thetraelwriterslife.com/sh/tw4 -- this isn't news to you.)
Briefly, Travel Writer course author Jen Stevens puts it this way: "Let's say you're traveling to Belize to write an article about diving for Sport Diver magazine. But beyond that, you also gather enough material while you're on the ground to put together a story about honeymooning in Belize's islands for Bride Again magazine and another on traveling there with kids for Child magazine. One trip, three audiences, three paychecks."
Recently, Jen gave me three reasons why our students should add writing for the real estate market to their travel writer tool belts:
1) Real estate-related travel writing is something relatively few travel writers do. That means you're competing for by-lines within a smaller pool of freelancers, and your chances of getting published (provided you write well) are greater than they might be in other niches.
2) The consumer-oriented publications that regularly focus on real estate (like International Living or The Offshore Real Estate Quarterly from EscapeArtist.com, for example) are in need of writers who can skillfully put together a travel-related real estate piece.
3) Publications which usually focused more on straight travel have begun to publish real estate-related articles as well. Over the past couple of years, I've come across such pieces in Conde Nast Traveler, the Escapes section of the NY Times, and Travel + Leisure. The message here? There's an ever-growing outlet for your real estate-related travel stories.
So I asked Jen to write up a few guidelines which I'm including below. And… coming next week, we'll send you 7 places to get those real estate articles published.
Until then, don't forget to keep me up-to-speed on your travel-writing success. If you have a story to share, send me a quick note at lori@thetravelwriterslife.com.
And let me know if I can expect you in Chicago. Paris sure is beautiful, but I'll admit: Chicago in June is an easier commute. (By the way, we've arranged for deeply discounted room rates at the Intercontinental Hotel where we're hosting our Chicago event, but we'll have to relinquish our reserved block at the end of next week. So if you've been hemming and hawing about signing up, do it now while you can still take advantage of the discount. The regular room rate is nearly twice as much. For details: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/workshop/bb I'd love to see you there.
Take care,
Lori
Director, AWAI's Travel Writer Program
P.S. Know a friend or two who'd enjoy the freedom and independence of a writer's life? They, too, can sign up to receive this free e-letter weekly at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/eletter
ANOTHER WAY TO SELL MORE: EIGHT GUIDELINES TO FOLLOW WHEN YOU'RE WRITING ABOUT REAL ESTATE: By Freelance Writer Jennifer Stevens in Chicago
Perhaps you're worried you're not qualified to write about real estate. Admittedly, if you were writing for an audience made up exclusively of real estate agents, you might need some special expertise to lend you credibility.
But, as I've mentioned, plenty of "consumer" publications buy real estate-related travel articles, and most of the time they are written by folks just like you.
However, you should keep these eight guidelines in mind --
1) Consult the Writer's Guidelines and learn from past real estate-related articles printed in the publication you're targeting.
For instance, if you were writing a real estate article for International Living, you'd want to make sure it focused not only on a destination outside the United States, but on one where readers would find good property values.
In other words, while Costa Rica is, indeed, outside the US, as far as IL is concerned it's old news and it's too expensive. By contrast, articles with these headlines have appeared recently:
** An over-supply in the housing market means bargains galore in increasingly international Melbourne
** Your dream home on the beach for 10 cents on the dollar -- why the world is falling in love with Cape Town
Taking a similar tack, The New York Times published a piece about investing in waterfront property in Nova Scotia in its Escapes section under the headline:
** Havens: Bargains Across the Border
Though clearly geared to an audience more interested in travel than investing, Conde Nast Traveler's article about Nicaragua nevertheless includes a strong real estate theme with plenty of information about current property offerings and prices. I found it under the headline:
** Nicaragua's New Wave: Okay, it's a little rough around the edges. But it has a world-class lake, twenty-five volcanoes, miles of empty beaches. . . . And Americans, it seems, are buying up the place. Jason Wilson reports on the pleasures (and perils) of a frontier
Real estate might be either the primary focus of your travel article or simply one aspect of it. In either case, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the publication you're targeting so you know how to best structure your piece and pitch it to the editor.
(NOTE: Consider, too, the livability of the destination you're writing about. Just because a locale is affordable -- and might make a terrific vacation destination -- that doesn’t necessarily mean it's an attractive place to live. I spent two years working as a Peace Corps volunteer on a remote island between Madagascar and Mozambique. It's beautiful there (turquoise waters, talcum beaches, flowers by the bucketful). Property is cheap. People are friendly. But for a myriad of reasons, it isn't a place I recommend expatriates settle.)
2) Get to the "promise" of your article early.
This is true no matter what sort of "special-interest" travel article you're writing, but it's particularly important with real estate-focused articles.
Make sure you've clearly defined the appeal of this place for your audience. What, fundamentally, does it have to recommend it?
In the International Living examples I listed above, that "promise" is stated directly in the headlines. Again:
** An over-supply in the housing market means bargains galore in increasingly international Melbourne
** Your dream home on the beach for 10 cents on the dollar -- why the world is falling in love with Cape Town
In The New York Times piece about Nova Scotia, the writer gets to it quickly, in the second paragraph. It reads: "Mr. Johnson was quickly captivated by the miles of empty coastline, brimming with heron and eagles. The word condominium didn't exist in the weathered hamlets, where fishermen discussed lobster catches instead of celebrities. What's more, the prices were a fraction of what the couple had seen in Massachusetts, in part because of the favorable exchange rate."
In the Conde Nast Traveler article about Nicaragua, the second paragraph begins: "It’s amazing what one can buy in the new Nicaragua, Snider tells me. Anything is possible, he says, so long as you can pay cash."
3) Paint a picture of this place you're writing about.
Again, this is something all good travel writers do, no matter what special focus their articles might take. I've talked about it in past e-letter articles (see the February 12 and 19, 2004 issues in the archives: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/thewritewaytotravel/archive.php) so I won't belabor the point here. But I mention it again because it's particularly important in this context.
Put yourself in your reader's shoes. Certainly you'd want to know what a place looks and feels like if you were considering a short vacation there. Think how much more critical that information becomes if you're considering the destination as a place to live or to invest your money.
4) Use quotes -- talk to residents and real estate agents.
You might or might not include quotes in a straightforward travel piece. It would depend on how you approached your article. But with a real estate story, I encourage you to include them.
[continued below]
Advertisement
Imagine A SUMMER OF TRAVEL… FREE.
What's more, you'll earn a few hundred… maybe even a few thousand… dollars for your trouble. Sound too good to be true?
Well, that's exactly how retired television executive Duane Harm and his wife Harlene spent the summer of 2002 -- traveling across the western U.S. All told, they visited 23 different dude ranches in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana over a three-month period, staying for free an average of three days at each ranch. The total value of their summer stays? About $55,000… and they didn't pay anything. Not one cent.
What's more, they wrote an article for Steamboat Magazine, a high-end coffee-table publication based in Steamboat Springs, CO that comes out twice a year. And they were paid for their work. Here's more: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/workshop/bb
You need to make it clear that you aren't making unfounded assertions about a destination. You need to back up your claims with some proof. And one of the best ways to do that is to quote people on the ground.
Talk with locals who already live or own there. Ask them why they chose this place. Ask them to describe it for you. Ask them what, in particular, they like about it -- and what frustrates them.
And talk, too, with real estate agents. Ask them how the place has changed in recent months or years. Ask them to describe for you the property market. Ask them to tell you where they think potential residents or investors will find the best deals. Ask them what makes this place different... and special.
The quotes you gather will not only lend credibility to the case you're making, they'll also bring to your story the kind of "local color" editors love.
5) Employ specific examples.
You absolutely cannot write a strong real estate article if you don't have concrete examples to back up the argument you're making.
You have to actually get inside some properties to see what your money buys you.
If you've "promised" your readers up front that they can own a beachfront retreat for less than $50,000... well, then, you better deliver some examples of just that.
In The New York Times Nova Scotia article, for instance, the writer includes such specifics as:
"The fishing town of Lunenburg, population 2,500, became a tourist destination with its 1995 designation as a Unesco World Heritage Site because of its architectural integrity. A two-bedroom wooden house with no water access just sold for $83,000 and a six-bedroom Victorian with harbor views went for $147,000."
6) Make smart use of comparisons.
The best real estate writers bring to their articles perspective and judgment. They've traveled extensively enough and written about real estate enough to know when they see a really good deal.
But even if you don't have a long list of real estate clips to your credit, that doesn’t mean you can't help your reader put into context the "promise" your article makes him.
Compare the property prices you're finding in the destination you're writing about to those in the States. Or, if you're writing about a stateside locale, then compare it to another, better-known one.
If you'd like to draw for you reader some comparison to other, perhaps similar destinations -- but you haven't visited those other places -- ask somebody who has. Check listings online. Email a real estate agent in that other place. Ask a real estate agent in the country you're focusing on how the prices compare. Chances are, he'll know.
In that Nova Scotia piece, for example, the writer recounts his conversation with a local real estate agent: "He said that many buyers were leapfrogging Massachusetts or Maine to get oceanfront property for one-fifth the price. One recent sale: a three-bedroom colonial with a veranda overlooking the bay, for $115,000."
7) Do some real estate homework before you go and gather research on the ground, too.
You'll have the best luck gathering the real estate information you need if you start your research ahead of time. Begin by finding at least one real estate agent online and getting in touch before your trip. Explain that you’re a freelance writer, you're doing a real estate-focused article, and you're hoping he might meet with you when you're in town and perhaps take you to see a few examples of properties on offer.
During your trip, pick up as many sample listings as you can. Don't walk by a real estate office without sticking your head inside, introducing yourself, and grabbing a listing sheet.
And check the classified listings in the local papers, too. Particularly in places where there's a growing expatriate population, you may find price-inflation. There ends up being a two-tier pricing system -- a lower price for locals than for foreigners, who are perceived to have deep pockets. So to get a sense for the "local" market, check the ads. (If they're in a language you don't speak, grab a bar-tender or the desk clerk at your hotel and ask for help in translating.)
8) Take note of the practical (but often boring) stuff.
When you're writing about real estate (particularly foreign real estate) you will have to gather some practical information you'd never bother about were you writing a more "traditional" travel piece.
For example, you'll want to find out --
** Can foreigners own property? If so, how?
** Is buying a complicated process? Roughly speaking, how does it work?
** Is financing available? If so, on what terms?
** What sort of tax burden can new owners expect?
And, depending on the scope of your article and what the editors want, you may need to include some "lifestyle" details, too --
** What's the cost of living?
** What are some examples of prices for items you'd typically buy like milk and bread?
** What does it cost to visit a doctor -- and what's the medical care like?
[Jen Stevens has spent the balance of the last seven years gallivanting through Latin America and the Caribbean -- to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and beyond reporting on and writing about the best locales for overseas travel, retirement, and investment. She is the former editor of International Living and Island Properties Report, and she was a writer and editor for several years at Trade & Culture magazine. Jen is the principal architect and writer of Passport to Romance: The Ultimate Travel Writer's Course, published by the American Writers & Artists Institute: http://www.thetraelwriterslife.com/sh/tw4]
Advertisement
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO WRITE FOR THIS MARKET…
76.1 million baby boomers are turning 50 at a rate of 3 to 4 million a year.
Their knees hurt, their backs hurt, their cholesterol is high, their prostates hurt, they’re going through menopause, they’re having trouble sleeping, they’re anxious…
If you have what it takes to sell to this market you can make very good money in a specialty field that will give you as much work as you can handle…and that routinely pays $8,000 and up – with royalties – for each sales letter you write?
Find out more at: http://www.thewriterslife.com/health/tw4
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED TRAVEL PUBLICATION: EscapeArtist.com
Roger Gallo, who runs the EscapeArtist.com website, publishes two e-zines there -- the monthly Escape from America and the Offshore Real Estate & Investment Quarterly. He tells us he's in the market for well-written real estate articles -- in fact, the quarterly remains a quarterly simply because he can't find enough good real estate articles to print. His audience is interested in living, working, and investing overseas. For more information, read: http://www.escapeartist.com/efam/57/Authors_Wanted.html
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:
- The difference between great success and mediocrity is so often a matter of the small things... just a little extra here... a little more there. If you’re falling short of achieving your most important personal goals, get more details about the Early to Rise Goal Setting Check-up Program at: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/700SDDGC/W700E132/
- THE AWAI FORUM FOR TRAVEL WRITERS -- You'll find this excellent online resource at: http://www.awaionline.com/forum/. It's a place to get answers to your questions, discuss your story ideas, find readers to review your articles, and stay connected to a community of writers.
- You could make $100,000 a Year as a Graphic Designer -- Best of all, there's no daily commute... no boss breathing down your neck…and you don’t even have to be able to draw a straight line (the computer does everything for you). In fact, what used to be a very complicated profession can now be done on a standard computer -- even if you have little or no “artistic” ability at all. Lori H. makes a six-figure income while raising three children at home! And…if you decide this career suits you. We might even give you your first job. Here's how Lori did it: http://www.thedesignerslife.com/lh/tw4
- CAN YOU WRITE A SIMPLE LETTER? If you answer yes, you could be in big demand, earning big money, writing just a few hours a day from anywhere in the world you choose to be. Here's how you can learn the secrets of this little-known, lucrative business: http://www.thewriterslife.com/bb/tw4
- If you have what it takes to write a powerful "report" that sells vitamins or alternative health therapies you could make very good money in a specialty field that desperately needs you…that will give you as much work as you can handle…and that routinely pays $8,000 and up – with royalties – for each piece you write? Find out more: http://www.thewriterslife.com/health/tw4
- For These Proprietors, Success Means Grossing $1 Million a Year… Last December, Michael Masterson lead a small group of ambitious AWAI students through a pilot program designed to turn them into savvy direct-response entrepreneurs. The goal? To gross $1 million or more a year. It’s working. And now the program is open to all AWAI students. Visit: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/700SCBMO/W700E130 for details.
The Write Way to Travel is a FREE weekly newsletter from the American Writers & Artists Institute, available to AWAI students and friends.
© 2004 American Writers & Artists Institute
To ADVERTISE in The Write Way to Travel or to send comments, news, research, or story ideas, e-mail Lori Appling at lappling@awaionline.com.
NOTE: If URLs do not appear as live links in your e-mail program, please cut and paste the full URL into the location or address field of your browser.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS? E-mail us at memberservices@awaionline.com with both your old AND new information in the body of the message.
