The banner you see above is from a massive late 2007 ad campaign from our very own Washington Realtors that is a veritable gold mine of hilarity just three years later. Of course, the entire thing has long since disappeared from the Washington Realtors’ website, but guess who saved most of the material on his computer?
Here’s a trio of 1-minute radio ads that ran as part of the blitz.
“In Washington, our home values continue to appreciate.”
“The facts are, home values are still appreciating in Washington.”
“Our housing market is the envy of the nation!”
That last one is still my favorite. Here’s a longer quote:
Our housing market is the envy of the nation! Why? Because Washington has a strong economy, and job growth, and very little unemployment. In fact, we are projected to add a ton of new jobs in the next few years. What that means is: buying a home in Washington is one of the smartest investments you’ll ever make.
“A ton of new jobs” is a technical term used by people in the fact-spreading industry.
Additional amusement awaits in the “facts flyer,” newspaper ad, and mailable brochure (all pdfs). Here are a few choice quotes from these (bonus points if you can spot the basic grammatical error in the newspaper ad):
On October 15, 2007 Washington REALTORS will expose the truth about the strength and stability of the Washington housing market.
We are tired of listening to the doom and gloom of the national media. What is going on in Florida, southern California and other parts of the country does not represent the market in Washington.
…
Our Key Message
The Washington real estate market is a stable and an excellent investment that you get to live in!The Market is Strong … The Market is Stable
Why Washington Is Different
The home market isn’t keeping pace with the growth of the state’s population…
…
Washington has a strong vibrant real estate market. Purchasing a home in Washington is an excellent long term investment.
You might say that this stuff is only funny in hindsight. You would be wrong. I was laughing when it first hit in 2007, too. On-market inventory had been steadily growing for over a year and a half while the number of closed sales had been dropping for two years. Although home prices had only been falling for three months, the writing was on the wall.
I pity anyone who was gullible enough to buy this crap just as home prices began their long slide to the bottom.