I have written about this topic before. It’s about agents who speak in absolute terms about something that is only a maybe. It’s the dogmatic statements made by real estate professionals in marketing materials, or during transactions which could find them entering the realm of “puffing.”
What is “puffing,” you may ask? Puffing is a judgment or opinion presented as a representation of fact.
Dogmatic statements made by politicians may work for politicians, but they won’t work very well for real estate professionals.
Last week, I noticed a pending sale, in a neighborhood I’m very familiar with. The listing agent included in her MLS description the words, “THE NICEST HOUSE IN THE AREA.”
The problem as I see it is this house has been flipped, a new roof has been put on, and a new kitchen has been installed. It has been painted inside and out. HOWEVER, this home is nowhere near being “the nicest home in the area.” In fact there are several homes in the neighborhood with considerably more square feet, have been upgraded, and have a number of amenities like pools, spas, etc.
It is my opinion that the listing agent’s words, “THE NICEST HOUSE IN THE AREA,” is puffing.
How many of you have heard real estate professionals speak with authority about things in absolute terms when they ought to be presented as only a possibility, or a maybe?
As a real estate professional, whether you get into trouble or not, will often depend on how well a lesson I received years ago in an 8th grade English class, has also been learned by you.
During my critical 8th grade year, Mrs. Kane, the English teacher, taught us the “State of Being” verbs. There are 22 of them, and she made us memorize each and every one them. They are as follows:
Is - Be - Am - Are - Was - Were - Been - Has - Have - Had - Do - Does - Did - May - Can - Might - Could - Must - Shall - Will - Should – Would
The lesson is about understanding the importance of not emphatically stating that something "IS" something, when in fact it "MAY" only be something instead. Or stating something "WILL" be done, when it “MAY” or "MIGHT" only be done!
As real estate professionals, mixing up state of being verbs, and not selecting appropriately while communicating in the business world, can find us treading into painful litigation territory - Especially, if the "F" word gets tossed about. The "F" bomb in this situation is the 5-letter word, "FRAUD" - rather than the 4-letter “F” word.
And neither you nor any of us needs that!
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