Residential Property Descriptions: Enticing or Revolting

"Spacious apartment with good hardwood floors and light."

                                           or

"This is a luxuriously sprawling home with incredible sweeping river and skyline views on the 41st floor of a full service white glove condominium. All of the fixtures and finishes are of the highest quality, including the beautiful hardwood floors and custom millwork. The already spacious living room and dining area have been enlarged by incorporating a third bedroom, which can easily be put back if desired. Off of this are a third full bathroom and an open windowed chefs kitchen with granite eating counter and all top appliances. The master bedroom and second bedroom each have bathrooms en suite, and there is a washer/dryer. The buildings amenities feature a 24-hour doorman, a concierge, a bicycle room and a health club."

Although I’m not floored by the second property description, it certainly is exponentially more appealing and enticing than the former.  I’m continuously shocked and amazed at how some owners and/or their agents describe such a huge asset.  Why would an agent choose to describe a property like the first one above?  The obvious assumption is that the place is horrendous and they having nothing good to say about it.  Often that is precisely the case but I have visited properties described just like this in my 16 years that were true gems with a grocery list of positive qualities that were not shared with the brokerage community nor the general public.  Amazing!

As real estate professionals asking sellers to pay us big commissions, it is our duty and responsibility to both entice prospective purchasers to view a property and accurately and transparently represent said property to prevent dissatisfaction when those potential buyers visit the home.  In my entire real estate career, I have never represented a property that I couldn’t find multiple positive things to highlight in a marketing plan.  And with the explosion and transparency of video, I also no longer have disgruntled buyers who feel like the enticing language of a property description was misleading.

So if your a seller, make sure you are aware of how your agent is representing your home to the professional real estate community as well as the public.  Insist on seeing marketing materials.  Having said that, also make sure that you hire someone with a proven track record who you don’t have to micromanage.  If you find yourself editing copy for ads and marketing materials, you have no one to blame but yourself for not investigating your agent’s marketing strategies prior to hire them.  Check out their websites and Google them…you will be surprised at how much you can learn about the way that they do business.