When we scan the listings of properties for sale, how much do we allow, say, more ‘creative’ descriptions? Are they feeding us potentially misleading representations of homes for sale? Should we be concerned with deciphering coded representations of a house’s features? Is some secret agent hiding the truth from us?

If a property is said to be in a ‘well established area’, does that mean, in real estate agent parlance, that it is actually located in a ruined and dilapidated part of the city? Is “convenient for public transportation” a veiled way of saying that the railroad runs along the edge of the yard? When does ‘compact’ really mean tiny and only suitable to house a small pet?

At what point does subtle exaggeration, or flowery prose, turn into deliberate deception? And who will benefit from it? Obviously, no agent will want to show a potential buyer a property that has been misdescribed as clients will only feel cheated and, let’s face it, no one wants to waste time annoying clients and causing irreparable damage to a reputation earned with effort.

Most people looking to buy property will, of course, wait and allow some smoke and mirrors. But clearly exaggerated and inaccurate descriptions will almost certainly result in the total loss of a deal. The problem is that in an industry that has an unfortunate, and largely unjustified, reputation for greed and dishonesty, many home seekers will expect an agent to try to mislead them.

On the other hand, some property descriptions can be overly enthusiastic. Recently a Wisconsin property was announced that contained the line “spectacular room to grow marijuana”. And while this definitely got a lot of attention, it certainly upset other realtors, who were outraged by the inclusion of such wording on a multiple listing service.

At least with the relative safety net of online multiple listing services, descriptions are generally required to meet a standard, which is overseen and monitored by the local MLS board. In the past, each real estate company had its own inventory of properties for sale, and buyers not only had to track the numerous listings, but also gave individual companies carte blanche as to how they wrote marketing material. of its properties. Not all were entirely transparent in their written accounts.

It would be wise to use the information in any listing as a guide, rather than as a description of cast iron, and be sure to allow for some generous interpretations. After all, few home seekers will want to see a perfect home that says “hideous’ 70s brick fireplace” but may be tempted by “cool and original features.” And as long as ‘quiet neighborhood’ means a nice, quiet community, and not that the rest of the houses on the street have been condemned, that’s fine.