I really can't call it a hobby, or even a pastime, however, I tend to regularly post comments on Facebook regarding some of the silliest things I find in other agents' listings. Note, as I typed "silly" a little alarm went off inside my head because it's actually not really lighthearted amusement: I am certain the sloppiness translates into lost opportunities. However, we will set that aside for another blog, and focus on the humorous side of these bloopers.
Most buyers are familiar with a style element found in many homes called "wainscoting." Thus, when I review a listing with no interior photos to give a clue, and read that the home includes "Wayne's coating" my mind wanders: perhaps the seller's son, who lives in the basement, and has a friend named Garth, may have painted the walls in some unique style.
Some words are used to the point of ad nauseam: "stunning" pops to mind. The word means "Causing or capable of causing emotional shock or loss of consciousness." Agents would be well-advised to remember this when describing a fireplace, or brick patio. Otherwise, they should provide some smelling salts along with those cute blue booties at the front door.
On the other side of the coin, there are agents who really do try very hard to use unique terms in their copy, yet there is a reason one doesn't describe a backyard as "palatial." First, kudos to this agent for spelling the word correctly, however, unless there is a moat and drawbridge off the deck, I would consult a thesaurus next time.
Sometimes the old adage "If you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing at all" can be applied to real estate advertising. When describing the property do not use "semi-private" even if that is what pops to mind. Either the yard is "private" or it's a yard.... lovely, landscaped, or large. However, when you add a qualifier such as "semi" that is the word that sticks in the buyer's mind: "Hmm, so if it's only semi-private; I wonder if the neighbor's deck is just 10 feet from theirs" or " SEMI-private...I really don't want to be on top of the neighbors so...NEXT!"
A picture speaks a thousand words and the twenty-five photos posted on the MLS will, in many cases, be what makes that buyer pick up the phone. However, one should not discount the power of the thousand characters afforded to its description: words really can hurt...and if they don't necessarily crack a rib, they certainly can tickle a few.
Comments(5)