Real Estate Wordplay

November 26, 2007 by Redfin Blogger

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Recent posts on Sweet Digs Seattle:

Writing good listing descriptions is a fine art that few real estate agents truly master. The listing service only allows 500 characters to play with which is a much more generous than the previous 64 character limit. Fair housing laws also regulate listing language to ensure ads don’t discriminate or show preference based on race, color, gender, etc. Within these constraints, agents do their best to be creative, especially in today’s market where buyers are scarce and competition is high.

Here’s an interesting study on the relationship between price, time on market, and the works in the listing description courtesy of Seattle PI:

There are of course some unwritten rules agents go by to help paint the picture (also from the same article):

Listing Language Decoder
Some words and phrases real estate agents use in listings, along with what they (may) mean:

Very quiet interior: You can barely hear the freeway with the windows shut.

Convenient to shopping: Next to a strip mall.

Convenient to freeway: Next to the onramp.

2+ bedrooms: The room in the basement isn’t a legal bedroom but, well, you know.

Seller has left you to your own imagination: Hasn’t been updated since 1940.

Great bones: You’ll need to tear it down to the studs.

Build some sweat equity: See “great bones.”

Charming: Small.

Cozy: Tiny.

Cute: Small and fussy.

Dollhouse, adorable: Nauseatingly cute.

Turnkey: Just overhauled, complete with granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances.

Unique: Remodeled by someone on acid.

Handyman special: Bring boots.

Walk to Fremont: Fremont’s 20 blocks away.

Motivated seller: They need to sell before they default on their mortgage.

Dirty, ugly, smelly: Dirty, ugly, smelly.

Source: P-I staff

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