Truth in real estate advertising
The latest fad in writing real estate ads is apparently brutal honesty.
Several real estate agents interviewed for a
story in the Homes section of Sunday's Globe offered tips for marketing a home and writing the ad copy. Turns out revealing your property’s faults won’t necessarily scare off potential buyers.
“You definitely want to paint an interesting, intriguing picture without over promising or under delivering,” Keller Williams Realty broker Paul Campano told correspondent Kate M. Jackson.
For example, Campano recently listed a “fixer-upper” in Cambridge that needs lots of work in the kitchen. To make sure prospective buyers have an idea of what they would be dealing with, he made sure to post a picture of the kitchen with the listing, even though it was the worst room in the house. It’s better to be upfront than to lure buyers to the house and have them feel they were misled, he said.
Washington real estate agent and Active Rain blogger Anna Matsunaga told Jackson buyers are demanding truth in advertising now. It’s a bad idea to sugarcoat the truth, she said. Though it may seem like a crazy strategy, Matsunaga said it works.
Honesty sounds like a good policy to me. When real estate ads are cryptically worded, it does tend to raise questions in my mind about the property. For instance, the phrase “must see” often makes me wonder if they mean I have to see it because it’s so beautiful, or because there’s simply no way to adequately describe the shade of lime-green used to paint the bedroom woodwork.
Are there any particular phrases that are sure to pique your curiosity in a real estate ad? What’s the worst ad you’ve ever encountered? Do you have any tips for people writing a home ad?
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I'm afraid I haven't seen much in the way of brutal honesty yet - most write ups make me laugh out loud. There is a line - not even that thin a one - between making a property sound enticing and spouting the sort of nonsense that would make a used car salesman blush.
That said, I do think honesty would be better. Most, if not all, buyers can see through the smoke at this point.
The problem is, if you are going to be honest about the kitchen needing renovation, you have to price the property to allow for that. And that last bit is something I DEFINITELY have not seen. We'll be told the kitchen is ugly, and still expected to pay full price
My favorite ad ever: "Steps to the hardware store." Presumably, you'll need it. The worst ad has to be a famous MLS listing with a photograph of the bathroom with the toilet seat up. And that wasn't all, if you catch my drift.
To your larger point, honesty would be a good move. A kitchen may be awful, but if they layout is good, I know I don't have to spend money moving walls or putting on an addition--just replacing cabinets and appliances and such. If you don't show me the kitchen, I'll assume the worst, and probably not bother looking further.
What's an "ad"? :)
I am half serious though. most of my thumbing is through MLS, where 99% of time you can find pictures. I's say forget good copy and learn how to take a photo with your digital camera - a bad photo is almost worse than bad copy. You can have fun though - looking a pictures of a fixer-upper, and read the copy that uses words like 'charming' and 'TLC'. I sometimes wonder what's worse - a home in poor condition, or a home that's been renovated with extremely taste-specific decor.
I try to be as factual as possible when writing my remarks in the MLS. I won't sugar coat the deficiencies of a property but I won't blast the deficiencies of a property either. There is a fine line that I see crossed much too often.
It's funny that you posted this today because I just received a new listing in my inbox (for a nearly half-million-dollar house) that said,
"Home decor is unique to sellers taste and can be modified or changed quite easily."
I've never seen a warning like that up front before - this has got to be good.
Of course, there's nothing but an exterior picture of the house. Now they've got me curious. I can only imagine what lurks inside. Can someone go take a look and report back?
"Easy Access to Highway"... because it's in the backyard.
"Handyman's dream"... for specific values of "dream." Nightmare, for instance.
"Needs TLC"... Tile, Lumber and Concrete.
"In a Cul De Sac"... so you never have to worry about noisy plows waking you up on snowy mornings.
"Priced to sell"... in California.
"Great Potential"... like the Augean Stables!
They're not dishonest, you just have to know how the finish the sentences.
I think my favorite was a $300,000 house that boasted that it qualified for a home improvement loan. Oh goody! Just what I wanted, two mortgages!
LL, that sounds great - would you post the MLS #? And most importantly, are there interior pictures yet?
Considering what I've seen without that warning, I've gotta see what actually gets that warning
I like "great investment opportunity!"... ok, if its so great, why are you selling it? Maybe the money isn't quite as easy as claimed?
I'm flipping through this mornings singles and multis in cambridge. Brutal? Yes. Honesty? No signs so far.
Tough to say what my favorite is, though "Convenient location nestled between Kendall, Central, Inman & Harvard Sqs." is up there. I suppose its not dishonest... though granted most of cambridge qualifies!
The same house is "freshly painted" yet "in need of major renovation" ie they put lipstick on the pig. The brutal honesty of that act also seems lacking.
I agree, and would like more honesty about the real situations behind listings like these:
Over 1600Sq.Ft this well kept unit,At One First 5 distinct addresses elegantly integrate in a rich & varied community. Each residence contains: Soaring Ceilings, Open LF/DR, granit, cherry cabinets & Floors, stainless steel & marble BA. Amenities incl.: 24/7 concierge, garage, fitness room, library.SELLER OR AGENT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE CONDITION OF THE PROPERTY. SELLER HAS NEVER OCCUPIED THE PROPERTY. P&S IS DUE 48HRS FROM TIME OF ACCEPTANCE OR CONTRACT IS VOID.
Um, OK. Sounds like a compelling opportunity.
MLS #: 70821583
LL, that listing doesn't have any interior photos. Honestly, if I hired a realtor and didn't see any photos of my home on line, they would be fired immediately.
Of course, I am a realtor so that wouldn't happen !
I believe in honesty, too, but the biggest problem with that is you can't account for other peoples tastes. What I feel may be a horribly outdated kitchen, someone else may love for being "rustic". A busy street in a small town may seem like a peaceful oasis for someone from downtown Somerville. So you have to appeal to the masses when writing your ads.
The worst comment I ever see in listings is "Not a drive by ! " Because 99% of the time, yes it is.
yep.
"Must See" in a listing means "this place is so ugly it hurts, but I'm hoping if you actually show up I can trap you into a corner and try to push you into an offer in a moment of insanity"
Eventually a lot of the poorly built, ugly houses in un-attractive neighborhoods in massachusetts will have to be priced at a much more appropriate level. I think we're running out of suckers. And the banks are certainly running out of money to loan to the suckers...
Yeah, I knew there werent' any interior photos. Which is why I was wondering if anyone would take a look and report back :-)
I know that area fairly well and the houses there tend to be well-kept. I've looked at a lot of properties in that neighborhood. I'm leaning towards believing that there's some 'quirky decorating' inside so my curiosity is piqued.
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