Rules to remember when writing an ad for your listing. Remember Strunk and White!

Lately, I've found myself following the comments by a local Alameda CA blogger. I have bristled more than once about his comments on the Alameda listings he chooses to critique.  Agree or disagree with his blog and opinions, from his tell-it-like-it-is-and-more school of writing, he reminded me to think carefully when posting an ad for a listing. So here are some things to remember:

• First, assume that prospective buyers and their agents will check Zillow.com for sales history of and comps for the property you're listing. So it helps to either address and pre-empt questions that may be asked if there is serious disparity.
• It may be worth it to review the elements of style by Strunk and White who offer two simple ways to add emphasis:
  1. edit out the unimportant words and/or
  2. use typographical devices like bold face, underline, or italics (even if you should avoid underlines on the Web, that's still two devices to make your text stand out)
• Don't just Capitalize words Whenever you Feel Like it
• Avoid irritating clichés and abbreviations (like OBO) 
• Avoid sales fluff. Observe truth in advertising. Like this one. :)

"Dogs attack gator!"

As a review, here's A Summary of Rules from The Elements of Style  (Source: Found on the internet, no name with the post, but appears to be a reference for a college thesis by a student at the College of New Jersey)

A Summary of Rules from The Elements of Style

Strunk's rules:

1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.
2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.
3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.
4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause.
5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma.
6. Do not break sentences in two.
7. Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation.
8. Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption, and to announce a long appositive or summary.
9. The number of the subject determines the number of the verb.
10. Use the proper case of pronoun.
11. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.
12. Choose a suitable design and hold to it.
13. Make the paragraph the unit of composition.
14. Use the active voice.
15. Put statements in positive form.
16. Use definite, specific, concrete language.
17. Omit needless words. Omit needless words. Omit needless words.
18. Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
19. Express coordinate ideas in similar form.
20. Keep related words together.
21. In summaries, keep to one tense.
22. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.

White's rules:

1. Place yourself in the background.
2. Write in a way that comes naturally.
3. Work from a suitable design.
4. Write with nouns and verbs.
5. Revise and rewrite.
6. Do not overwrite.
7. Do not overstate.
8. Avoid the use of qualifiers.
9. Do not affect a breezy manner.
10. Use orthodox spelling.
11. Do not explain too much.
12. Do not construct awkward adverbs.
13. Make sure the reader knows who is speaking.
14. Avoid fancy words.
15. Do not use dialect unless your ear is good.
16. Be clear.
17. Do not inject opinion.
18. Use figures of speech sparingly.
19. Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity.
20. Avoid foreign languages.
21. Prefer the standard to the offbeat.
22. You may use they, them, their as the indefinite singular pronoun.
23. Avoid the indefinite singular pronoun.