Real Estate Language - are you saying what you really mean?

Cupboard "You are looking gorgeously shiny today counter top". (The cupboards compliment the counter top!)

Working in real estate entails painting a picture for prospective buyers. You create an image or lifestyle using words, so that people can envisage themselves living in the house you are describing. This then encourages more people to attend open homes and viewings. So, the language you use matters.

It is not just your professional image which suffers from poor grammar and spelling errors. In a study run by webplanet it was found that you lose financially too. Click here to find out more; https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/grammar-report/

It is, therefore, important to avoid misspelling frequently-used words. For instance, I’ve seen “seperate dining and living room” frequently in real estate listings and the correct spelling "separate" makes all the difference. You also need to be vigilant for correct punctuation so you don’t inadvertently put people off your listing. If you miss a space and write “inelegant neighbourhood” instead of “in elegant neighbourhood” no one will be too keen to visit. Then there are the dangers of homophones, those words that sound the same but are spelled differently. Think about the difference in meaning between “their", “they’re” and “there” for example.

How can you make sure you avoid common pitfalls?

1. Create your own spelling sheet of words that you use often. You can add to it regularly and consult it when writing new copy. You could have an office style sheet that everyone uses or your own individual document that highlights your personal style.

2. Use spell check, but don’t rely on it. When typing fast we might write something that is correct but doesn't mean what we intend or no longer makes sense as we have mixed up the letters, e.g. "The corridor leads form the kitchen to the laundry" or "The road is quite".

3. Always check completed copy to ensure the word chosen is not a homophone. A cupboard that complements a counter top is not the same as a cupboard that compliments a counter top. Although I’m sure your cupboards are nice, they probably aren’t complimenting anything.

Recently I have seen;

‘You can peak at the ocean through the kitchen window’. I think ‘peek’ was intended.

‘The colour pallet is neutral’ as opposed to the ‘colour palette’.

‘It is a sort after area’ which should read ‘sought after’.

Here are a few other typical homophones to watch out for:

except/accept

minor/miner

aisle/isle

principal/principle

pain/pane

pair/pare/pear

canvas/canvass

seas/sees/seize

by/buy/bye

pail/pale

4. If you don’t use a proofreader, then always take time to proofread your own work and check for punctuation errors that may cause confusion. “The new subdivision won’t last!” as opposed to “the new subdivison, won’t last!” creates quite a different picture. In the first, the quality of the subdivision is called into question and the other, an idea of desirability is created so that people will hurry to buy their sections.

I wish you all the best in creating concise, evocative descriptions that are easy to read and encourage people to view your listings.