It's the year 2012. A 2005 dishwasher is no longer new.

What a fun blog.  I myself have been guilty of the overuse of the word "new."

I've been called out by an agent for saying "to die for house and location" and "drop dead georgeous kitchen"  This agent was way too serious.  She says nothing is worth dying for and that you should never use the word "dead" when advertising or describing a house.  I'm guilty of being overly enthusiatic about describing my listings.

I agree with Larry, #52, response. My client replaced all the appliances with new, the warranty's included, yet the appliances were manufactured in 2010, essentially two years old but never-the-less still new since it has never been used, so it depends on your definition of new, doesn't it?

There are many liquidators selling new appliances or other products that have never been used or sold, so when a sale occurs and the price is unbelievable, chances are it's not the newest model but still new. 

I agree about the paint color thing - If you have to say anything about the paint, just say tasteful or neutral.  Anything else, including "Designer" is usually some weird off beat color.

Ah the fluff we use to describe listings. :) I do think a year old roof is "new" but it's subjective certainly.

I had to giggle at this. One day I noticed a dent in my refrigerator and thought "Oh no, there's a dent in my new refrigerator." Then I stopped to think and realized it was 16 years old! Obviously, this happened quite some years ago - refrigerators don't last 16 years any more.

As for bird watching - we are not "Bird Watchers" but we do enjoy watching the birds in our back yard. Especially the blue jays who come to the window to complain if my husband is late in tossing them some breakfast.

Puffing is common in all sales. And sometimes entertaining...

Too funny, Greg! Some things that I read in listings just crack me up and I have to wonder if the owner made them include it in the property description or if the agent actually thought it was a good idea.

Thanks for the laugh & hope you're having a great weekend!

Gina

Very funny.  Now if it was a 50 year old home and said new roof (and they meant 2008) I would probably be OK with it.

I have almost passed out when viewing a kitchen, but it was from the smell of boiled vinegar and salted fish that was making me gag.  Had to get out of there very fast.  Buyers did too.

Hi Greg, Thanks for the Sunday morning chuckle while having coffee and listening to the birds!  lol

Thanks for the entertainment Greg, always a surplus of exaggeration in any kind of sales, and of course sellers just want to make sure that their accomplishments are noticed by the buyers, even if they are older that they remember them.

Had to get in on this post!  I've seen some crazy descriptions by agents who felt "new" was anything installed in the last 5 years.  I'm with you, new is new - unused.  Anything that has been used at all is, to me, not new.

we have a couple agents in hamilton, ontario whose lsiting comments i always follow, one agent obviously reads way too many harlequin romances, same description applies to  tear down or mansion, and they all have "sweeping staircase, enchanted gardens" etc.

i mean, the buyers must want to kick her in the knee caps when they pull up to a little shoe box in need to a total reno.

Greg:

I am an avid birdwatcher.  I wouldn't use that kind of statement about a room and its view.  However, if the land had a pond or other are where one could see lots of great birds, I would include that in my description of the property.

We had great fun reading ads from one of our local agencies one year when they apparently hired an English major (with a concentration in creative writing).  One ad boasted of the soaring ceiling..........as if it was taking off in flight - not necessarily what I'm looking for in a ceiling.  Another ad claimed a house witha covered dining area.  Interesting............I wonder if that was an umbrella table.  Thank you for the post - as always, fun to read!

We all laugh at overdone MLS descriptions, and then we are tempted to do the same thing when our fiduciary is to our seller, and we want to paint a picture of positive emotion in the MLS description.  I am always honest about the home's condition, but I will always try and point out the benefits of the home in a dramatic way.

That said, the "NEW" comment is very overdone.  All the time I see, "New Ivan Roof" which is a reference to all the new roofs put on after Hurricane Ivan... in 2004!