I get the feeling that someone at Inman News has been reading Seattle Bubble lately… Check out this story about the misleading descriptions real estate agents sometimes write for properties.
Do you steam when you follow up on a newspaper advertisement for “cozy cottage” and find a falling-down fixer? Can the term “waterfront access” accurately describe a public boat launch three miles away?
Advertisements sometimes are too complimentary and do not accurately describe the property for which they were written. Some homeowners and creative real estate agents, like many people in the sales game, dress up a product prettier than it actually is to lure the largest number of potential buyers — especially when the market has slowed in many neighborhoods.
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In Washington state, Puget Sound residents are spoiled and often take for granted the number of properties with amenities in this region. The numerous bodies of water coupled with terraced hillsides offer area residents view opportunities not available in most areas of the country.But don’t get carried away if you are a seller attempting to write an ad. A “peekaboo Sound view” should be more than standing on a toilet and cranking your neck to get a glimpse of water through the neighbor’s trees in winter.
Now check out this quote (first posted as part of a comment, then in a separate blog post) from one of Seattle Bubble’s most vocal prognosticators, Eleua:
“peakaboo view” = in the dead of winter, during a 50 knot gale, you may, if conditions are perfect, be able to use a 500 power telescope from the upper windows in the laundry room, and be able to see more than 1/4 mile for half of a second.
Granted, not exactly the same wording, but Inman’s story certainly sounds to me like it was “inspired by” Eleua’s “Rosetta Stone.”
What’s the most egregious example that you have personally seen of an overly-rosy property description?
(Inman News, 11.29.2006)