Do you have any idea what “bottom line it for me” means?  That is a phrase someone I worked with once used all the time.  I think he thought it was a nicer way of saying “Please, get to the point.”

In 2009, Dow Jones did an analysis of 711,123 press releases to identify the phrases that were so overused, they had become an ineffective way to communicate.  They called it the Top 25 Gobbledygook words and phrases.

While you may recognize the pain as you review some of those words and phrases, don’t get too smug.  The real estate industry has its own set of problems with gobbledygook!

When you’re writing any type of real estate marketing content, whether it’s for your real estate website or blog, or print advertising, make sure you’ve eliminated the goggledygook!

In real estate, there are problems with overused words.   But, I think the biggest problem in the real estate industry is jargon.

Here’s the first dictionary definition of jargon:  the language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group. 

The second definition is:  unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing; gibberish.

If you’re using a lot of real estate jargon in your writing, your readers probably find it to be gibberish!  So, it’s a good idea to proof anything you write looking for real estate jargon.  Let’s make a list of real estate jargon.  I’ll start.

Overused or Generally Confusing Real Estate Terminology

• Real Estate Industry Designations – GRIS, SFR, ABR, CCIM, CRB, CRS… and as you know, the list is very long.  Without any explanation, what do you think those letters mean to a website visitor, for example?
• Distressed Property Terminology – Short sale, REO, distressed property, deed-in-lieu, etc.  If you have a page on your website offering to assist homeowners in distress, do you think you should call it Short Sales?  or Avoid Foreclosure?
• Buyer’s Agent – As far as Joe public is concerned, any agent who represents a buyer is a buyer’s agent.   Are you surprised that people don’t want to sign a buyer’s agreement?
• Amortization – The act of making unwanted advances????
• Escrow - NAR helpfully defines this as: An item of value, money, or documents deposited with a third party to be delivered upon the fulfillment of a condition.  What???  Sometimes, even the explanations don’t help!

Leave a comment with your favorite overused or jargon real estate phrases!