Now I know everyone sees everything a little different from everyone else, but though most of us will disagree on shades we can usually agree on the color. It has become sort of a running joke with my clients to compare the Realtor remarks to the reality of a listing. One or two of these in a day can be funny, but more than that and my clients and I get a bit frustrated.

I have put an example here.

Where do you draw the line between fact and fiction? Shouldn't "like new" be called "old"? Should anyone be allowed to call anything under a million dollars "stunning"? Should we be allowed to tar & feather agents who abuse the "!" ?

P.S. I have started a group on the photo sharing site Flickr to post funny photos of Realtor creativity gone awry here.

Creative license run amuk is right. Are you going to include the diatribe of some unlicensed "marketing" companies. I mean that would be the ethical thing to do.

Great idea! Post them here.

Okay, an agent in this area listed one I had done an interior inspection on. There are places where the floor is about 6 inches lower than the rest;the roof is as wavy as the ocean; plumbing is run along the walls,up and over door frames and through walls from the kitchen to the bathroom; there is a vent hole all the way through a wall to the outside; holes all over the walls, etc...The mls description reads "a little minor cosmetic work needed."

LOL! Lets get some photos!

I have a good one They give the truth to agents but not consumers.
Consumer Remarks--"The Bedford by Landmark. Open foyer. Wrap around porch. Over 2100 sf according to Butler County Auditor. Large rear deck. Needs TLC."
Agent remarks--"Lender owned. Sold as is where is. No disclosures. Needs paint, carpet,plumbing. Water and gas will not turned on for inspections.The HVAC system does not work and their(sic) are water leaks. No FHA, VA. Lender chooses time and place of closing."

This is what someone posted on another website yesterday I thought was funny:
Old charmer- an old and ugly house.
Stunning house- the house is not ugly.
Tudor- two bedrooms are in the attic which is not insulated; very hot in summer and very cold in the winter.
Cape Cod- styled after Third World slum dwellings.
Sunny corner lot- noisy intersection of two busy streets.
Easy freeway access- noisy arterial street close to freeway.
Flow maintenance lot- no yard; the kids will have to play in the street.
Meticously maintained in the original condition- the appliances are 50 years old.
Ready to remodel- the house is about to collapse; you will have to invest twice the asking price in remodel before you can move in.
Newly remodeled kitchen- 50 year old cabinetry and faucets have been replaced with cheap modern equivalents.
Ready to move in- the interior has been painted with one coat of cheap paint.
Desirable neighborhood- this little house is extravagantly overpriced because the neighborhood has a snobbish reputation.
1 car garage- you can drive your Ford Escort into the garage, but there is no room to open the door.
In-city living- it is not safe to walk in this neighborhood after dark.
Recreation room with wet bar- basement has been painted and has a faucet.
Large family room- large basement.
Bedroom in basement- basement has a 1' x 2' window.
Lots of storage space- basement too small to be called a family room.
Partial mountain view- you can see the tip of mt. Olympus, if you climb the roof.
Territorial view- good view of your neighbor's bedroom window.
Build sweat equity- the house is not inhabitable.
Seasonal creek- muddy ditch across the property.
Usable land- all the trees are gone.
Doll house- tiny place filled with ugly knick-knacks.
Private backyard- 8'x 10' surrounded by dog eared fencing.
Convenient location- you can see where you want to go, but you cannot get out of your driveway.
Mrs. clean lived here- previous owner had indoor pets, and died of exhaustion.

Those are great! Here is one more.

Like New- Old and clean.

Better than new....lol

Here are a few from the rural areas:

Secluded: Home is located 5+ miles from the nearest paved road.
Intermittent Stream: Is a stream only when it rains; otherwise it's a dry gulley.
Heavily wooded: Underbrush so thick you can not even walk the property.
Recreational tract: Flood plain
Unrestricted use: All of the neighboring properties have 30+ yr old single-wide mobile homes.
Mostly cleared: Someone has sold the timber and left all of the stumps.
Abundant wildlife: Watch for snakes when showing.
Unique: Something's very wrong with the floor plan.
Partially fenced: Most of the fence is so old it has fallen down.
Outbuildings: Ancient structure that used to be called a barn but now is falling down.
Gated entry: If you leave it open, the cows will get out.
Vintage: Old.
Original: Old and ugly.
Appliances included: 'Cause they don't work well anyway.

I just looked at a house with my agent this past Saturday. The house is brick and hardiplank, priced on par with the neighborhood, five bedrooms, finished basement, front and rear stairs, three-car garage at kitchen level, in a lovely and well-established neighborhood in a desirable area. It was new construction (rebuilt after a fire) and was well-finished, nice materials, hardwoods, huge kitchen, etc.

Sounds great? It did to me. Well, every interior room was painted a different bright color with no thought to coordination. Screaming yellow living room (would have been ok if the fireplace brick wasn't pink-hued). Orange kitchen. Bright aqua loft/bonus area. Turquoise bathroom. Purple bathroom connected with an indigo toilet enclosure. Pepto-bismol pink bedroom. And so on... quite amazing. Someone built a lovely home and then used a few coats of bright paint in such a way that any sane person would have to immediately spend $20,000 to have painters come in and paint right over it.

Who would do something like that?

It did explain, in retrospect, why the listing included no interior shots at all.

Someone who is color blind?

LOL! :rolleyes:

I saw a tv newscast item about a weblog put up by people disgusted by runaway prices for not very much real estate in California. The newscaster read the description from the MLS: "2 bedroom Victorian. $750,000. Garage door opener included." The photo showed a tiny house with overflowing garbage cans strewn about the sidewalk.