What you say and how you say it.

This country, especially the youth are always looking for new ways to communicate with color words in unique combinations. The new language of Americans beyond what is taught in English classes. We look for new ways to have old words roll off our tongues, to tickle the ears of whoever is around us listening.

     Many of the new words came out of the internet, computer information age from mouse to hard drive to down load. As real estate brokers we spit out many words unique to our industry. MLS scans, short sales, IDX feeds and a slew of media stream jargon from tweets to reblogs that are salt and peppered,  colorful new words dropped in to describe our day to day activities, chores. "Jingle mail" a term where instead of a borrower sending in the home mortgage payment, the keys instead are slid in, tucked away in the loan installment envelope. The buyer is "upside down" meaning they owe more than the value of the place. "X" and "Y" Generation groups, babyboomers, all niche audiences to market too.

     In college we had our own short hand for just about everything. We would round up fraternity brothers to go down to Orono Maine's Pat's Pizza for "Za's or "Gers". Somehow wasting the energy saying pizza or burgers completely out was too plain, not cool or with it. We would wash down food with bug juice which I was told later is a term from Vietnam vets for a slurp of Koolade, Hi-C or juice drink. Being around kids and listening to them tell each other "It's all good" when asked how "things and stuff are", makes you realize everything around us is being re-invented, re-created to keep it new and interesting. Funny new ways to say the anything but the same old same old.

As real estate agents, brokers can you think of new ways to say something to make it new and different?

To keep boredom from setting in? Expressions are still popular too like "a woodpecker would have to pack a lunch to fly over that woodlot". Meaning it was cut so hard, harvest so heavily there is nothing left standing to eat. Colorful expressions and words to gain attention in headlines and thru out copy are what make you stand out. There are so many signals, voices, messages and "broadcasts" of buy this, you need that to sort thru. As real estate brokers, the names of subdivisions, roadways and housing projects for retirement or resort use are pretty creative, colorful and memorable. Some make you stratch your head like "Mouse Mountain Drive" in Florida which I remember seeing. I thought Mickey Mouse, Florida and made the connection but the idea of mountains in Florida seemed out of place or a stretch.

Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers