From my side of the table
Sample Layout, A Buyer on a Deadline
This page exists to show the case study layout and the writing structure. It is not a real client file and every word should be replaced.
This page is a layout sample. It does not describe a real client or a real transaction. It is excluded from search engines and carries no structured data. Replace it with a real case study or delete the file before launch.
At a glance
| Client | TODO |
|---|---|
| Situation | TODO |
| Neighbourhood | TODO |
| Property | TODO |
| Timeline | TODO |
| Result | TODO |
What made it hard
Real case studies are written from a real transaction with the client's permission. Nothing has been invented here to fill the gap.
This is a layout sample, not a client file. Nothing on this page describes a real transaction. Replace it with a real case study or delete the file, before the site goes live. To write a real one, copy this file, keep the section order and answer each heading from an actual transaction with the client’s written permission.
Why did they need to move on a deadline?
Open with the pressure the client was under and where it came from. A job start date, a lease ending, a sale that had already firmed up. Keep it to a short paragraph, in plain language and resist the urge to make it more dramatic than it was.
What was the first thing they told me?
This is where the first person voice starts doing the work. What did the client say they wanted and how did that turn out to be different from what they actually needed? This is the section readers remember.
Why that neighbourhood and not the obvious one?
Name the neighbourhoods that were considered and explain the reasoning. Link to the relevant pillar pages. This is the section that does the most for search, because it answers a comparison question a real person typed.
What went wrong?
Every transaction has a moment. A failed inspection, a financing delay, a competing offer, an appraisal that came in short. Say what it was and do not sand the edges off it. A case study with no difficulty in it reads as marketing and gets ignored.
What I did about it
The specific action, the reasoning behind it and what it cost or risked. Be concrete. Vague competence is not persuasive.
The lesson
One paragraph that is useful to a reader who is not this client. This is what makes a case study worth reading for someone who will never be in the same situation.
The result
Replace with the actual outcome, stated plainly and without exaggeration.
Common questions
Why is this page here?
To show the layout, the section order and the first person voice a case study uses, so a real one can be written into the same shape.
Can I publish it as it is?
No. Delete it or replace it entirely before launch. Publishing an invented client story would be misleading and would breach RECO advertising expectations.
What do I need before writing a real one?
A completed transaction, the client's written permission to write about it and agreement on how much detail to include. Nothing should be published that the client has not seen.
About these stories. Case studies are published only with the client's written permission and some details are withheld at their request. Past results do not predict future results.
Not advice. Nothing here is legal, tax, mortgage or investment advice.