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Lousy Grammar Just Cost You a Sale ~ THANKS!!!!

By Kat DeLong

Real Estate Agent with Realty ONE Group Mountain Desert

October 24, 2011 03:38 AM

No one is perfect, just let me lay that out there right here and now. But this post isn't about perfection; it is about grammar, plain and simple.

Yesterday, I got a new lead (off the Internet) and after several back and forth emails, she sent me a "cut & paste" paragraph Teacher written by a local Realtor (I know very well). This Realtor had answered one of her online questions about a property. In the poorly written "response," there were NO capitals (anywhere, not even at the beginning of sentences). NO periods at the end of any sentence. NO commas used at all. MISSPELLED words all over the place.

This particular lead turned out to be a teacher and if there's one thing a teacher can't stand, it is poor grammar (especially from ADULTS). They will excuse a boo-boo here and there, but ALL over the "paragraph?" NOT gonna happen.

Need-less-to-say, I have a new client and I am thrilled.

My advice to anyone when answering a contact/lead:

Take your time.
Use Caps where appropriate.
USE your Grammar/spell check before returning your response.

Lastly, THANKS for the lead.

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Anonymous

Karen Rice

I had to chuckle at the title of the Daily Drip email from ActiveRain...it said "Lousy Grammer" instead of "Grammar." ROFL

Oct 31, 2011 03:05 PM

#196

Cheryl Dukes . . . . . Intown Atlanta

Guaranteed Offer for your Home - eXp realty - Atlanta, GA

What kills me is readying (oops) a book and finding misspelled works, (oops) words left out, grammer (oops, oops, oops) errors, etc... They must not make proofreaders like they used ta (oops again)!

Oct 31, 2011 03:43 PM

Kat DeLong

Realty ONE Group Mountain Desert - Prescott, AZ

REALTOR

Joy; We all deserve to be forgiven... especially me when I mess up. :-)

Aram; Thank you so much!

Wendy; I always do... but sometimes even my button hitting finger is to quick.

#201: I bet u r a wanna b whiter. ;-)

Rick; That IS a great story/memory. You'll never be forgotten by that client (or almost client).

Karen; Grammer/Grammar; Who cares? LOL LOL

Cheryl; They may only have poofreaders nowadays. Oops.

Oct 31, 2011 05:19 PM

Anonymous

Virginia O'Connor

If someone can't be bothered to be careful and accurate in communications, particularly in the beginning when presumably trying to make a good impression, why would I want to have that person handle a complex legal or real estate transaction on my behalf? I am not a teacher (I don't even portray one on tv), but poor grammar and spelling are pet peeves of mine. Too many agents appear to be functionally illiterate, if one were to judge by their MLS listings and emails. Everyone can and will make a mistake now and again, but a pattern of carelessness speaks volumes about a person.

Oct 31, 2011 08:51 PM

#199

Anonymous

Brian Schantz

I am in total agreement. We wouldn't send a business letter so sloppy!

Nov 01, 2011 02:04 AM

#200

Dennis J. Zisa & Associates, Inc.

Dennis J. Zisa & Associates, Inc. - Camden, NJ

31 years in So. Jersey and the Greater Camden area

So, so true!

Comment #202 reminded me of a property management client I had years ago. He was a copywriter, by trade, and he would always send back any leases or other documents with corrections in red ink!

Nov 01, 2011 03:53 AM

Kat DeLong

Realty ONE Group Mountain Desert - Prescott, AZ

REALTOR

Virginia; LOL. I don't portray anything on TV.

Brian; Most are.

Dennis; My writing mentor was the Queen of The Red Pin. She has taught me so much.

Nov 01, 2011 04:44 AM

Amy Robinson

London Pierce Real Estate - Scottsdale, AZ

Realtor, Scottsdale Arizona Homes For Sale

This is what our phones will do to us when we are in a hurry. To bad for her and lucky for you.

Nov 01, 2011 04:45 AM

Dan Pinson

International Realty Partners - Phoenix, AZ

Broker,ABR,GRI,RSPS,SFR,TRC

You don't need to look any further than an ActiveRain blog to see poor spelling and grammar.

Nov 01, 2011 07:11 AM

Maria Gilda Racelis

Home Buyers Realty, LLC-Manchester, Bolton. Vernon,Ellington - Manchester, CT

Home Ownership is w/in Reach. We Make it Happen!

I am guilty of typo errors when I send e-mail via I-phone. Something I have to be careful about.

Thanks for sharing.

Nov 01, 2011 07:13 AM

Dan Pinson

International Realty Partners - Phoenix, AZ

Broker,ABR,GRI,RSPS,SFR,TRC

I also found six errors in the first nine responses to this post.

Nov 01, 2011 07:18 AM

Tamara Schuster

Naperville Glen Ellyn Lisle Plainfield Wheaton Illinois - Naperville, IL

Realtor Broker - Naperville

This blog is very helpful. We must always be professional. Sometimes we want to be quick to respond and be the first to respond. However, always take your time and be professional as that is a key to your level of standards.

Nov 01, 2011 04:39 PM

Kerry Jenkins

Prime Properties - Crestline, CA

Sew curious 2 no hoo it was...

Nov 03, 2011 06:56 AM

Kat DeLong

Realty ONE Group Mountain Desert - Prescott, AZ

REALTOR

Amy; I bet u wood. ;-)

Nov 03, 2011 07:09 AM

Mary Abella

a little bit of red Interior RE-design LLC - Indianapolis, IN

creating magic on a regular basis.

As a former English teacher, I often cringe when I read property descriptions on our local listing service. I want to call them and offer to proof them for them. They have no idea how many potential clients they are losing by turning them off. Writing poorly is like dressing in ragged clothes for an appointment. People wouldn't take such a person seriously, and would find him or her unprofessional and untrustworthy. Same thing with poor grammar and punctuation. We all need to put our best foot forward in our dress, our speech, and our writing.

Nov 07, 2011 01:55 PM

Paul Armstrong

Realty Network - Laguna Hills, CA

Serving Orange County & The Long Beach Area

Great point Kat .. Just the other day I noticed a Realtor's marketing piece and it said "Sell your home for top dollor, guarantee!"

I though to myself.. this poor agent is going to have a very hard time getting business!

Nov 15, 2011 06:32 AM

Sylvie Stuart

Realty One Group Mountain Desert 928-600-2765 - Flagstaff, AZ

Home Buying, Home Selling and Investment - Flagsta

It's so easy to spell check anywhere you write, and as far as capital letters and punctuation, that seems strange to leave out. If your written word is the only impression you have on someone to try to get them to meet and work with you, it definitely pays to take your time in your messaging.

Mar 04, 2012 09:18 PM

Kat DeLong

Realty ONE Group Mountain Desert - Prescott, AZ

REALTOR

Mary Abella (love that name): I like your description of "Dressing in ragged clothes." That pretty much sums it up. Thank you for stopping by.

Paul; OMG! It is funny, but sad.

Sylvie; Exactly. Spell check, then proof read. Thanks much for stopping by.

Mar 04, 2012 11:52 PM

Matt Robinson

Professional Investors Guild - Pensacola, FL

www.professionalinvestorsguild.com

Carelessness and sloppiness are both success killers indeed, and the agent undoubtedly deserved to lose the lead. Yesterday I showed a listing in which the agent had the acreage as 0.04, instead of 0.40, and thankfully my clients found it on their own, because they didn't get it from me in my MLS search because it was eliminated as too small when I entered their required lot size. Silly stuff like that can sometimes cause a listing not to sell in our challenging market, and it's amazing how a simple spell check and quality control review would prevent such mistakes.

Apr 05, 2012 02:28 AM

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Jun 12, 2018 03:54 AM

#223

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