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Tips for a Better Listing--An Appraiser's Point of View

I know what you're thinking: How is a generally introverted class of people, like appraisers, not associated with sales, not on the front lines, going to help you create a better ad?

And it's fair enough to ask, but keep in mind that appraisers read lots of listings. I must have read a couple thousand of them last year. I read the best and the worst. Do you know I read a listing that had as its main photo a police car in the view and a suspect being arrested on the front porch? In fact, let's just start with that one and make that rule number 1: "No getting arrested in the photo for the MLS!"

Since 99% of the people reading this probably already knew that that might not be a good idea, I'll list some lesser known things:

1 - Map Reference - A little thing like a correct map reference might make a huge difference. I was way out in Stafford County the other day--no, wait, I was lost, and I pulled the short listing out of my folder and it had a map reference. I called another appraiser, "Brenda, I'm lost! Look at ST 12 A6!" Boom ... I'm headed in the right direction again.

More than that, agents who can't be arsed to plug in anything more than "0000," or "9999," or my favorite, "SEE MAP," tell potential buyers that they are either not organized or not smart. It takes a minute--list the correct reference. And if you don't feel like buying the ADC book, stop in CVS or 7-11 and just look it up there.

2 - A photo - More is better, but 1 is a must. There's a craigslist mentality with that "has image" filter. Cameras are cheap; get a photo.

3 - Correct classification with regard to style and design - With townhouses it's fairly simple. An end-unit is, um, the one not in the middle ... I can't tell you how often I see an "interior" flag on an end-unit, or vice versa. It teeters on dishonesty.

In detached homes, there seems to be a lot of confusion about what constitutes a split foyer vs a split level vs a bilevel vs a rambler vs a rancher vs a raised one of either of those last two! It's confusing.

Split foyers demand a choice to go up or down upon walking in the front door. Up is the first floor; down is the basement. If the basement is 99% sticking up out of the ground, well, gee, sorry, it's still the basement. Fair? No.

A split level has three levels, not two like the split foyer. You walk into the main level, then at either the right or left side of the house you have the option to go up to the bedrooms or down to a rec or family room and perhaps more bedrooms. Split levels usually have the living room, dining room, and kitchen all on that main level.

Ramblers are one-story homes--sometimes two levels though ... If they have a basement, they have two levels. Raised ramblers are exactly the same as ramblers except that you must first walk up a flight of stairs while you are still outside before you may enter the home. This flight could be as few as 2 steps ... or it could be an entire story's worth.

Rancers are the same thing as ramblers. The term is usually reserved for slightly nicer or larger homes. Technically, there's no difference.

Bilevels are kind of the reverse of a rambler with a basement. You walk into the front through the basement. You walk right in there ... "Lucy, I'm home..." but you are in the lower level which is partially underground. You walk up to the first floor.

OK ... so pick the correct term. Identify the correct number of stories and levels.

4 - Link to the tax record - Take the time to link the information. Not doing this is a sloppier mistake than messing up the photo or the map ref. This is important b/c you agents are too afraid to place the square footage (size) on the list. I think somebody sued an agent who was wrong way back... Well, the tax info has that number. Size matters. Link it!

5 - Remarks - Last but not least, they give you like 3 lines to talk about stuff. I sent phone texts much longer than your Remarks field while speeding through traffic on I-95. My best advice here is to use really good English. If English isn't your first language, have somebody proof it. If English IS your first language, umm, well, have somebody proof it!

Here are bad things I see:

a - ALL CAPS ... WHEN THE TEXT IS ALL CAPS I CAN'T REALLY READ IT AS IT LOOKS LIKE ONE BIG BLOCK! IT ALSO MAKES ME THINK YOU ARE REALLY OLD B/C THIS ONE TIME I HAD A BOSS WHO WAS OLD AND HE USED TO TYPE IN ALL CAPS. HIS NAME WAS BUCK. YOU PROBABLY ARE NOT STILL READING DOWN HERE B/C THIS TEXT IS SOO ANNOYING.

b - random Caps - When I see "Falls church, VA" ... or "corian countertops," or "New Painted Carpet," well ... you get the idea.

c - "100k under assessment!" - Hey, guess what, I have been talking with your clients and they are smart enough to know that they cannot sell the house for what the governement says it's worth. Moreover, when the prices are going up, they don't want to sell it for the assessed value.

The assessed value is pretty much always wrong ... it's always chasing the market value.

Saying that a property is under the assessed value means you have run out of things to say with those few lines and the house must not be that great.

d - "Huge Price Reduction!--20k lower now!!" - If you'll go 20k lower, you might go 40k ... or 50k ... or 100k lower. If you need to lower the price ... lower it. Don't ask for a prize afterwards.

e - Avoid 2 mny ACMS and txt speak :)

f - Talk about the kitcehn if it is at all worth mentioning.

6 - Office phone # - Call your office phone number. If your receptionist is a head case, do not put it on the listing. Set up a voicemail or something. Call your office phone on a Saturday and see whose kid is manning the phones that day.

7 - Exterior - "Siding" ... If it's aluminum, put "Aluminum;" if it's vinyl, put "Vinyl." If it's asbestos, well, then put "Siding."

8 - Schools - Lately, instead of seeing the schools, I am seeing, "Contact School Board." It makes it seem like an out-of-town agent who doesn't have kids is listing the house.

9 - Driveway, Carport, Garage, # of Cars - Well ... # of cars means # wide, not long. I can likely fit seven or eight cars in my driveway if I pull the first one way up ... all single file. Therefore, I have a one-car driveway.

This is probably a good stopping place. I have eight guests here at my party to which I need to return.

Next time we'll learn about "fully finished" basements and why that term doesn't really exist.

I hope this is helpful to someone.

-Rick

Posted by Rick Phillips on 03/30/2009 05:16 AM

Comments (96)

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96 Comments on Tips for a Better Listing--An Appraiser's Point of View

MAR

Nice post Rick! It is refreshing to see how a property's listing and input data looks through another professional's eyes.

I love this.

How about the listing that says it's a "Colonial" and there is a photo of a Split Foyer? Love that one.

Or, the many listings that boast "over XXXXX square feet", which, of course always includes the basement.

Clearly these are inexperienced agents listing these properties. Sadly too, the owners apparently never see the listings.

Keep up the good writing We don't see enough from appraisers. Agents need this perspective.

Appraisers introverted? I never noticed that. Putting your professional opinions on the line with every report you write is hardly the job for the introverted.

Rick, it is nice to hear from an appraiser! This is very good information and you cleared up some sticky points for us! Thank you !

Rick, very nice post! I had to laugh because of the terminology, very different from what we have on our MLS. I am wondering, what was the agent thinking when he/she put the photo of the person getting arrested on the MLS?

Rick, Thanks for the reminder of how we should be doing our job. Whenever we see Per Board of Ed or PBOE for a school, we always think it's an out of area agent.

Hi Rick - Good information! We certainly need to be more careful about the information we provide! Congrats on the post.

Mary

Hi Rick,

Thanks for your points coming from an appraisers point of view. Well written and food for thought.

Thanks Rick, good post and definitely things to keep in mind.

Thank you Rick for giving an appraisers point of view and you are so right.

Bettina

Rick - Thanks for providing such an excellent list of tips and tricks! Same logic applies to writing ads for rental property vacancies as well.

Rick - Great points and recommendations, especially to avoid the mistakes. I see a lot of bad listings out there as well and shake my head. I still cannot believe all the ones that do not even have a photo.

Hi Rick ~ Super advice! I'm psyched to see one of my pet peeves in print = 5B - "randam caps". I really hate initial caps on words that shouldn't be capitalized. Particularly because my CMA program pulls the descripton from MLS and I have to go back in and change them all - while wailing "Why? Why? Why?" the whole time. It's such an odd way to write. And another shout out to "See map". It's the ultimate in-your-face laziness.

Liz

I enjoyed reading your insight, especially regarding the type of home. All of your points are valid. I'm actually surpised that you only ask for 1 photo...I would ask for as many as the MLS/Realtor.com will allow!

I loved your post. I didn't know what a rambler was other than an extinct car. All your points are valid. About 15 years ago I took appraisal courses, not to change careers, but to understand the basics like how to measure a house. I remember going to a home with a cheap add on that covered the patio, and the Realtor said it was valued the same as the main house because it had double pane windows! I have a close friend who is an appraiser and served with me on the MLS Board. I call him on a regular basis when I am uncertain. Appraisers have lots to teach us. I am the program committee chair for the Edmond, OK Board, and I am going to have appraisers speak at one of our meetings. Thanks for telling me things that I did not know.

Rick, As one of the Random cap users I am Guilty of Messing up Your Aprasials & not Using God's Good English! My Bizzness is Selling Homes, hence Making the Ad Stand out! Even using Text Language in the Ad. I Learned these Goodies Brand Me & The Home 2 Stand Out in a Sea of Ordinary. Please Forgive my Realtor Speak & I will Forgive UR Snoozey Aprasier Speak. OK?

Good stuff Rick. A pet peeve of mine is agents placing just one photo or better yet they place none. Cameras are way cheap nowadays. Come on people, LOL!

Rick, these are some interesting points, as well as the comments.

The local school districts in my area have asked realtors not to reference school districts -- something about stigmatized schools, probably. And, the schoold districts around here routinely shift boundaries.

There are instances where a home was purchased, based in part on the school district. The folks were mightily upset when the school district boundaries were changed, and the home was in a less desirable school district.

Rick,

Great post. I find it very important not to "look through a Listin Agent's eyes" when advertising a listing. It's through other's eyes that's important. Especially buyer's eyes.

This is the best post that i have ever read. I actually laughed out loud twice while reading it, and its probably not appropriate since i am on floor duty. This was very informative. I actually wrote a post a couple weeks ago titled Mls pet peeves and i got enormous response to it. My pet peeve by the way is when agents mark everything as electric and then you show the house and you see yellow flex pipe running to the hot water heater and furnace. So frustrating!

Great info! How about 3 Bedrooms with a note in the Agent Remarks section that "MLS does not require a Bedroom to have a closet."

Right, so you're saying you've got a 2 Bedroom with a Bonus but figure no one will look at it if you don't say it's a 3 Bedroom? Do you think the BUYER might feel lied to when he sees it only has 2 Bedrooms? Is there even a door on the "3rd Bedroom"? Was it built this way to fake out the county on the perk test? Oh, so many questions...

Loved your honesty! Thanks for the tips!

Great post. I'm going to share it at my sales meeting.

Thanks Rick. Very helpful to have your insight and input. I too hate the all caps thing...makes it hard to read.

Thanks fro the perspective from the other side of the table, you make such good points.

Rick, I really liked this post...nice to see inside an appraisers mind! All caps MAKE ME CRAZY, lol. I was glad to see you comment on the price reduction theory. I always think "if they've lowered it that much, they'll take another big hit". It's all what the consumers read into the smallest little things, isn't it?

Thanks for the tip about linking to the tax records page. I'll use that one! And the tip about kitchens as well.

It's nice to get your feedback on our ads. I guess it's a good thing that some of us really have no idea how to write ads; it makes those of us who have at least a vague notion look good!

Be well. I hope the party was a good one!

GREAT JOB! Please forgive the all caps but just trying to make a point! :o)

Does this mean we can now write about "Tips for a Better Appraisal - a Realtors point of view?"

Just kidding!....Truly love the insight, maybe we could start up a Q & A session. These are all great points that are also wished for by most Realtors. There are other topics that would be interesting from your point of view, like how does the market stabilize back to correct pricing for New Home Builders that are dealing with COST? You and I would be great buddies in the industry because I already do "most" of what you suggest!

Love the humor...I am assuming the arrest on the porch was just in fun and why in the world would you be posting a blog when you were having a party!?!

Rick,

Tell us how you really feel! :) I think your point of view is great and we agents can learn from your tips.

Hi Rick, it is always nice to read a blog post from the other side of the fence in real estate. Also, I have always wanted to write a blog on the difference between assessed value, market value and appraised value. I think that this is a valuable subject to write about because the majority of buyers and sellers are confused on the different types of 'values' of a home. I am no expert on that and can only give a straightforward answer rather than thoroughly explain each one of them. Can you touch on that? And of course I would re-blog a blog like that. Thanks.

Dear Rick,

Excellent post! Very thorough!

The terms used to describe housing styles vary so much by area. Ranch, rambler, raised ranch. I haven't heard anybody in Roanoke use the term rambler, unless they are from out -of -state, or maybe from Arlington!

Our MLS is setup so that the first few lines of public comments go to REALTOR.com. This is the place to plug the listing, not to say, "Don't let Fluffy out!"

Enjoyed your post. Thanks for sharing!

Barbara

Nice points! Some of your text hurt my tired eyes! It really helps to see from another view! Best to you~

Nice photos are a must to show off the house to it's fullest potential. I'm upset whenever I see a new listing with lousy pictures and very little information about the place. Put your best foot forward please.....

Patricia Aulson/Portsmouth NH Real Estate

Thanks, everyone, for the nice comments. I should really post more often!

Joe, you should continue to call your appraiser. He’s calling some agent right now asking for verification of the condition of some house that sold a dozen months ago (and the Realtor is going, “Gosh, do I remember that one?” Make friends with a local builder for updated cost info as well.

Rita, I didn’t mean to suggest you shouldn’t place EMPHASIS on key words to have them pop. Go crazy … less is really more here.

Andrew, if the info is shaky, by all means, suggest further verification. Don’t make it up or open yourself up to a false claim. But you know when a school in a small town has been there for 100 years and it’s not going to change that “Consult with school board,” is a box of Styrofoam peanuts.

Kathy, I’m sure your clients know exactly whose eyes they are lookin’ through when they talk to you—nice photo! ;-)

Walter, a good idea might be to find out how much it would cost to convert to whatever the ideal heating situation is for that market area. If it’s less than a couple of thousand dollars, I wouldn’t sweat it, but if it’s 10k or more, I might politely tell the agent that it is really important. Or just remember it in the contract offer where you ask for a construction concession…

Julie, I only want the credit, not the problems! I’m fragile!

Jim, I was only joking about the party. Can you imagine 8 cars all single-file in your driveway?!

Debbie, I think most appraisers would benefit from your advice. I didn’t say they’d take it, but they would benefit! The key to getting an appraiser to listen to you by the way might be a good topic for another blog. I can tell you personally, I would be persuaded by 3 items in particular: 1) Donuts. If you give me donuts with your stack of comps, I’m reading every one! 2) Be honest in your search. Compare houses that are in the same market area, have a similar size, appeal, and age. And less is more …. Give the appraiser 3 to 5 comps …. Sold comps, Actives, Pending sales, etc. Give him no more than 5 pieces of paper. And 3), well, did I mention donuts?

Diana, I would love to talk about tax value and how it relates in another post, but I love to talk …. We’ll see if anybody reads it :)

Hey Rick, yours is a just-in-time posting! April 8 our local MLS will have a panel of appraisers as the guest panel for our weekly MLS meeting and roadshow. I'd like to hear at least one of them give us their perspective about Realtor remarks on listings.

Rick, this is an awesome post and I could not agree more with everything you have said. It mostly boils down to lazy agents. I can't wait to read your post on "fully finished" basements.

These are really good tips. I will definitley be referencing them and passing them along.

Keep up the good work!

Katie

http://mportlandhomes.com

Appraisers do have a different point of view.... thanks for sharing - it is helpful...

Your exhaustive list of tips borders on being a rant. Are these tips or a list of your pet peeves?

Either way, good stuff.

I loved your post!! In Colorado, views are money but I hate it when a house is listed with mountain views when in reality this means only while leaning out the upstairs window during winter with no leaves on the trees and using a parascope. How much is that worth?

Rick,

Great post & funny too! If you were blogging while you had 8 guests, you either deserve a "dedicated blogger" award, or an education on how to be a good host?:)HeeHee

Rick,

I liked your article and learned a great deal from it. You may want to spell check it though. Kitchen was misspelled. I wouldn't give you hell about it, but you did remind us pretty strongly, actually twice, to have our work proof-read. I really did like your post though! It was helpful!

John

Rick, I liked your post. I cannot agree on the school thing though. We have some pretty dynamic growth areas and boundaries can change quickly. So we have to take the minimalist approach and direct the buyers to the district, to avoid misunderstandings.

Thanks for your insight.

Hi Rick - I have some of the same complaints as you. When I am working with buyers who want to go out several times a week and see 6-8 homes each time until they find their perfect home, I don't have time to go out and personally preview each listing, so I have to depend on the MLS photos, descriptions and remarks to help me determine which homes to show them.

Listings with almost no info and no photos or one really bad one will probably result in my leaving it off the list. I don't want to waste my time or my clients' going out to homes that they won't like, so maybe we have missed seeing a listing they might have loved. It's called MARKETING, folks! The listing is your sales pitch - make it a good one!

I hope agents in San Antonio TX read this - way too many of them put contact school board, don't put directions, and don't post good photos - if they post more than one. It really amazes me. Nice post.

Great post Rick! Lots of common-sense stuff that is probably overlooked by many agents.

Rick,

Nice post. Keep in mind that the names for housing styles vary throughout the nation. Come to Chicago ask most people what a Rambler is and they will look like a Deer in the head lights. How about "Raised Ranch," "Four Square," "Prairie Style," "Victorian," "Step Ranch," etc.. well you get the idea, they can have different connotations in different areas.

As an Appraiser myself for the past 32 years, it amazes me how lazy many people are both Appraisers and Realtors that fail to use available assessment records where they are readily available to supplement their MLS data or their Appraisals. In many parts of the Chicago metro area, the information is available on line, in others a simple trip to the assessors office usually yields basic data, GLA (gross living area), age, lot size etc. Of course you and I can have a whole additional discussion on GLA, which has basic requirements set by the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Standards - accepted by Fannie, Freddie, ERC, VA and FHA. The lower level in many homes like the split level, bi-level, raised ranch, hillside whatever, are all basements yet many fail and incorrectly include it in the GLA.

Some MLS services, show the square footage by level of the home, this is great so that we as Appraisers can really get a much better idea of what is what and why, etc...

Yes, more photos is always preferred. Many realtors in our area now provide 7 or 8 photos on many of their listings, which is about the same as most Appraisers for their subject homes. I get carried away here, more photos to the limit - some reports I do have 15 - 20 pages of photos and more. One thing is for sure no one asks me, "Well what did it look like..."

How about next we teach them about our ethics, USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice)!

One of my favorite comments is "updated home." You find out, yes it was updated alright, home was built in 1854 and updated in 1902 with knob and tube wiring and the latest stuff at the time. What they really should say their is "updated, dated home." That may be more telling. Really, honesty goes a long way in listings, why waste a potential buyers time? If it is a handymans special, tell it like it is.

In our area, here the worst listings on average (not always folks) seem to be the agents doing REO's and the like. The listings are quite often grossly inaccurate, incorrect, misrepresentative, etc... Information just out and out wrong. Just because you may agree to a low commission, does not mean the information should be meaningless or misleading. In our end of the business, when Appraiser do that sort of thing it is in violation of USPAP and can cause impairment and potential loss of license. We as Appraisers cannot do a poor job, just because we took a low fee. The fee charged on an assignment has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the work. No one forces you to take the job, but once you do, no matter what the fee is, the quality of the work should be the same.

Now for some more tips, go to my website at http://www.MartinAppraisals.com and click on the spot where it says "articles" you will get a list of roughly 25 articles on Appraising.

Regards,

Don@MartinAppraisals.com

AQB Certified USPAP Instructor

Ahhh, great information!

My pet peeves have been covered and then some! An agent in my area always posts 3 picures, always from different angels of the outside of the house. Never any of the inside- it drives me mad. I know they can't all be dumps!

Blurry photos are a disservice to the clients too!

Good article. I once had a go around on a BPO about the difference between a Condo and a Townhouse. There are a lot of opinions on this. What it came down to was not a lot in California (and maybe none.) They were rejecting my "Townhouse" Comps as the subject was a Condo. One of my key points was the "Townhouse" comps were the same style unit in the same association.

Rick... Very good information... Of course I have never heard of map information in the MLS.. We don't that that here.. We Just have our MLS areas.

Rick ... nice post here. You get lots of attention of Realtors and agents who care about what folks like you in other businesses think about .... CUSTOMER SERVICES. That's what our and your business is all about. Best wishes.

Rick

All irritating items to true professionals. The school thing though is a very hot button issue in my neck of the woods. We have serious population shifts and school boards do change attendance areas pretty frequently. A seller who bought a house 2 yrs ago and has no children wouldn't necesssarily know of a boundary change since that information is only sent out to those with children affected by the change. Calling yourself and checking at the time of listing is no guarantee any more with listings sitting way longer. Doesn't mean we don't know or care - just covering our (well you know).

I cut and pasted the house classification Rick, with some cute graphics and a good font you gave me a great addition to both my buyers and sellers packet. Thank you!!!!

MAR

You make a lot of good points in your post. A basement is not something we run into often here in Orange County, fully finished or not.

Thanks, loved your humor and the info was good too. My hubby just passed his state test and signed with Pleiss Realty in Denver. I'll pass the info along to him.

Debbie Fiskum

Rick - I have no idea how to agree with you more. What a great great post.

Some of the points you make like map references - are populated when entering a listing into our MLS System. APN#'s are populated which link to Tax records - maps - tgn#'s etc.. are all populated.

I should email you a listing for your review.

Patrick

Rick,

I am just about to fall out of my chair!! I just can't seem to stop laughing, not that your post shouldn't be taken seriously.

Okay, first let me say that if more Realtor's actually worked side by side with an appraiser they'd see the difficulties sometimes involved when finding comps for a home. Rick, my favorite used to be under agent comments ( blank ). Gee, didn't the home have anything at all worth mentioning? Especially when I'd drive by for a comp photo and see what a spectacular home it was. Hmmm, wonder if the new owner's might let me take a peek inside. Don't think so.

Today, as a Broker, I cringe at the REO listings. 1 Photo, no remarks, no room measurements, and the list goes on and on and on.

I really enjoyed your post Rick. It really hit home and brought back found memories.

Rick, all of your points are valid, and where you can really shine is at a listing appointment with some of those examples to share with a new client. It takes so little time to be accurate. We are suppose to be the professionals. It is that type of behavior that makes someone go FSBO.

Hi Rick!

You are a funny guy. Your sense of humor is a wonderful attribute and you use it well. Thank you for all your good ideas. I'm fat old, guilty and still learning. Thank you for your help

Kieran

Great post! These points have always been "pet peeves" of mine and I can see by your post and the comments that I am not alone. Truly, the first impression of a realtor's professionalism, or lack thereof, will be gauged by these points. Great reminder of this for us all. Thanks!

Rick,

Well done!

Thanks Rick, for the great advice. Time consuming? A bit, perhaps. Worth it? Totally. I wasn't guilty of the most egregious errors, but I hadn't thought of adding the links to the tax info or maps. Of course, in the MLS, that information is already included, so I should have thought to add it in my postings here in AR.

Rick

I think I need to send your post to the last list agent I deal't with on the sale of a home! Let me just tell you about all the mistakes in her listing....I called to make an appointment to view the home because it wan't yet listed on their website that they require you to use to make appointments, then she gave me the wrong lockbox code, so I called and didn't get a response, so we broke in the front door, next day called to get correct code, she didn't know, just go in the same way as before. The home was listed as single family residence and in the features noted it was a underpinned mobile home...I will give her that one because it was a mobile home that had been added on to. Ok she listed it as having 1 car capacity but no garage, it had neither, a circulating fireplace, none, 3 bedrooms, only 2, 2 baths, only one. I think that was it. Obviously this was a lower end, bank owned property, but really! Oh she notified me the termite bond would be put on the home on Thursday and we would be good to go....well we were set to close on Wednesday per the contract. Anyway at this time I informed her of all the mistakes and she went off on me, twice! Later after checking with the board and realizing the magnitude of her errors she changed her tune. How do people like this get all the bank owned business?

Everyone benefits when professionals share perspective. Networking with appraisers, inspectors, mortgage, insurance & title pros make me a better Realtor. There are regional differences. Pinellas County FL schools are in a transition period so they have advised Realtors to call the District offices to determine what attendance district the schools are in.

Teri Rick, Great post - tons of personality and very enjoyable. AND I'm correcting the map code on every one of my listings right this minute... Shame on me!!! Thanks, Teri Eno

Rick, this is one of the greatest posts I've seen! Funny too!

Interesting how different things are from place to place,and yet the same. Here, we put in the square footage but buyer and seller sign a disclosure that says agent didn't measure it themselves (unless they did, which I don't know anyone who does anymore), discloses whether we got it from tax records or an appraisal, and warns the buyer to have it measured if exact square footage is critical. After reading comments about schools, maybe we should have a disclosure about their boundaries possibly changing, too. And you're right, no map info makes me think, 'this agent is going to be a problem to work with'.

I wish Realtors and professional photographers would stop photographing bathrooms with the toilet seat up It's disgusting!

Greetings, Thanks for the post, you gave me a morning grin! We are lucky here in Northern Colorado to have IRES as our MLS system. Our listings are automatically mapped, school info and public records linked, along with current listing and complete property listing history (at the request of appraisers) listed. OK, they wouldn't have a way to edit out a main photo with a suspect being arrested on the front porch.....

Rick,

I suppose "Location, Location, Location" must drive you crazy too!! Seriously, we agents are just trying to sell a house and if abbreviations or all caps grab the buyers attention and make a sale, well, that's GOOD. More appraisals for U! EZ to show is always good in an agent's world.

Best to you!

I'm with Jolenta! Not only do all listings come with toilets (so you can stop taking their pictures now!), but my favorite is the admonishment to HURRY BEFORE IT'S GONE!!!!! Whenever I read this I check days on the market. The listing has been on forever, and clearly there's no reason to hurry. So silly.

Great post Rick - too funny, but also sadly too true!

Just a couple of points for consideration: here in Georgia it is actually against License Law for a real estate agent to quote square footage in their marketing to the public. We can get fined by our MLS for even mentioning "approximate sq. footage" in the listing. I wish it were different - to know the square footage would be a big help when trying to narrow down the overabundance of choices to show here in Covington.

The "all caps" beef is one I also find frustrating, especially when it makes your listing look terrible on national sites such as Realtor.com, but again it's our local MLS which is to blame - you can enter it any way you like, but our MLS input system automatically converts everything to all caps as you type. We have complained but currently there is no way around this so-called "feature!"

Thanks again for a great list!

Thanks for the post. If we take a little time to make sure the listing is accurate then I believe it will likely be sold sooner. As far as what to comment in the remarks section, consider financing information. For example, if the seller is willing to pay a percentage of the closing costs or a buydown, why not include it?

Excellent post Rick. As a home inspector, I found your comments to be valuable from the appraisors point of view. I especially like your comments regarding the different types of home because I've seen the same description used on homes designed differently. Now, I'll write one on the home inspectors point of view. Very positive post. Entertaining also.

Thanks for the laughs this morning Rick! It was great to hear from an appraiser and your views were right on the money and had me laughing as the truth came out! Keep blogging....we'll look forward to it!

Rick,

To add to your list ... As a kitchen and bath designer, the misuse of descriptions of a home is my pet peeve. It can cause alot of confusion and can be misleading. For instance:

1) Not all jetted tubs are Jacuzzi's. (Jacuzzi is a name brand, just like Kleenex. Kleenex is a tissue, but not all tissues are Kleenex. It could be an expensive misrepresentation if a buyer thinks that he is purchasing a Jacuzzi brand tub and it turns out to be a less expensive generic brand.)

2) An island vs. a penninsula ... Islands are very popular today. They are the gathering place in the home. The difference - an island is free standing (you can move around all the sides), and a pennisula is attached to a run of cabinets or a wall (you can only move around one end of the penninsula). If the description says island, and there are not photos of the kitchen, imagine the buyers disappointment when they tour the listing and find a penninsula.

3) Is it a stove, an oven, or a cook top? A stove is generally a free standing or slide in appliance that consists of a cooking surface on the top and an oven on the bottom. A wall oven is either one or more ovens built into a cabinet or a wall. A cook top is a cooking surface only.

Hope this is helpful to all those involved in any aspect of real estate. We all want to be knowledgeable and professional.

Sharon

Rick,

I really appreciate your point of view and agree!

Kate

Great post and words of advice! It's wonderful to see another viewpoint.

Funny and yet educational. Great post. Thanks.

You are so right, Rick. Sometimes I wonder if some real estate agents realize that the MLS profile for their listing is supposed to sell that house... Go figure.

Rick,

Great post. I see this kind of thing all of the time. The "no picture" listing is the one that really gets me. Most agents won't waste a lot of time on a listing that has no pictures. It's good to hear from an appraisers point of view.

Rick: I totally concur with all of your points. Nothing looks more unprofessional than incorrect information (no information at all is the worse!). Thank you for taking the time to offer your insights.

This has to be a record (number of comments) for a 2nd post!

Frank

Thank you for your well written blog. I admit I am guilty of using ALL CAPS when I am in a hurry. I promise to reconsider! :) And-- you are correct, photos tell so much more than words---Isn't there an "old saying" to that effect??

What a pile of great info. Thanks!

APR

Hey Rick, Buy a GPS they are cheap! :)

Great post and I enjoy the humor. I just don't understand the term "rancer"?

What a great education on types of foyers. I come from a place where most homes were one level, so to find out all this great information about different names, types and styles of homes is outstanding. Thanks for the wisdom.

A great post and comments are what makes AR a great site. Our MLS over the past year has set up rules or refined existing ones but I still pickup errors in it ie: home located in area within city limits but is actually 5-10 miles from city line. I also avoid listings with no pictures even with a good write-up (picture doesn't match words?) or lot dimensions: see plat/call for plat but no picture of plat attached to listing (can be downloaded fm local GIS & saved as picture).

I also liked your discussion of levels/styles. Always a good discussion in our office when a home is outside the common floor plan as to how to classify it. Brought your post up at a meeting with "HUH HUH! now that makes sense". Keep up the great posts as it all boils down to keeping up new/old knowledge thats makes all better at our jobs.

APR

Love it, love it, love it!

As a former editor, it makes me crazy when I see the Random use of Caps and ALL CAPS BECAUSE SOMEONE'S TOO LAZY TO TYPE PROPERLY -- nevermind the typos, improper use of technical terms, etc.

As a real estate professional, I really value the information you've provided on home structures...as well as your sense of humour. Keep it comin'!

Tanya Nouwens Gurberg

Ready, Set...Sold!

Home Staging, Styling and Organizing

Montreal, Canada

APR

Great Post! Makes me wish a few more agents in my MLS were members of AR! I love the listings without pics, comments, or room sizes. What I like even better is calling the listing agent to get info just to find out they've never been in the house a month later! And they're working for the Seller? I'll be seeing that seller when the listing expires.

APR

This is a great post! I had to laugh at your arrest-on-the-porch scenario, as it topped something that I saw recently which I thought was the most egregious example of agent laziness I'd seen in a while. Just yesterday, I came across a listing in my MLS (TrendMLS) and in the foreground was a large view of the passenger-side mirror of the car that the photographer (and I use that term loosely!) was obviously riding in, with a small sliver of the exterior of the home slightly visible. So I figured that the agent had his/her sidekick snap the photo as they did a quick drive-by! And of course there were no inside photos! How does one see that photo and upload it to the MLS anyway??? What were they thinking???!!! What a disservice to the client. Yet we wonder why agents get a bad rep. Many of your other comments are pet peeves of mine also. It only takes a little extra effort to get it right, and you can't imagine how much that will be appreciated. We here in South Jersey, Philadelphia & Delaware are lucky that Trend does link tax records, cumulative DOM, school district information and mapping data for us, but ever since they stopped taking photos for us, I've seen doozies like the side-view mirror debacle. Let's do better fellow agents!

APR

Great post- just a side note, but I see where the agents are coming from as far as the school information is concerned. I live in a growing area and the school zones are always being re-adjusted. So, in some cases, it is more of a liability issue rather than a clueless agent.

APR

Rick, since we live in FL, some of your terms have no examples here. Basements are scarce and we don't have some of the other homes you describe. But your point is well made. Be precise and detailed. It will attract agents and their buyers and help appraisers and agents researching cmparables. However, I must agree with Rita - we do capitalize sometimes to emphasize certain features. If you're looking at it from a marketing standpoint, you will understand why we do it. I agree all caps can be very hard to read. I was just trying to read an agent's listing tonight and it was a struggle with the all caps - all the words were running together!

JUN

Rick, thanks for the tips. Now if we could only get pictures in theMLS, and will someone pickup the phone.

JUL

Good morning. The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. Help me! Looking for sites on: Police radar parking garage problems. I found only this - maryland state police radar. The rmr will also scramble all radar and laser signals from a police radar or laser gun, making it virtually impossible for police to read your vehicles speed. That day into court was in fact from the actual police radar. Thanks :rolleyes:. Nerissa from Poland.

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