Hello everyone and Welcome to another
episode of Selling Greenville your
favorite real estate podcast here in the
upstate of South Carolina I'm your host
as always Stan McCune realtor here in the
Greenville area and I am happy that
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today we're going to have not a a super
informative episode but this was a
listener request shout out to Ian who
specifically requested this I just
just been waiting for the right week and
this feels like the right week to do
an episode on realtor code words these
are words that we use when describing a
property that would normally mean one
thing to another person but realtor to
realtor we know exactly what we're
saying and in full disclosure the
examples that I'm going to give are not
examples that I have come up with I did
not have time this week to sit down and
ju just come up with a list of these
things but these are examples that I
think are good examples that other
Realtors in a a thread on Facebook
there's a realtor group I'm a part of on
Facebook that other Realtors put this
together and and I just got a big
kick out of it I had to sift sift
through a lot of them a lot of them
weren't weren't that funny but this
is a list the that's intentionally
designed to be funny and I'm no comedian
so I'm probably not going to make you
guys laugh but at the very least it will
help you to be informed when you start
to read listings you will understand
better what the realtor is trying to say
to other Realtors when he or she uses
these various words so let's go ahead
and Jump Right In we're going to start
with cozy and these first few are pretty
short and sweet cozy what does cozy mean
when a realtor says this house this is a
cozy Ranch located in a great area of
Taylor South Carolina cozy means just
tiny like it doesn't
mean a house isn't inherently cozy I
mean I guess maybe if it has some you
know some different aspects on the
interior some some character to it
perhaps cozy could play into that but
cozy just means tiny that's it if it's a
Cozy home it's just small you know like
we're just trying to make sure you
understand it's small but in a very very
appealing
way Hidden Gem the the person that
wrote this it was an exploitive type of
code that they put that this refers
to the Hidden Gem so I'm not going to
put say the exact words that they put
because we don't do expletives on the
show but Hidden Gem they said that
equals crap box okay crap box if you're
looking for a Hidden Gem listen and and
and also I'm going to say some of these
aren't going to be as accurate as others
Hidden Gem being a crap box that is
pretty accurate cozy being tiny yeah
that's accurate as well but the reason
why Hidden
Gem why it's definitely not typically
going to be a good house is because
nothing is hidden there's no such thing
as a Hidden Gem we have like the
historically low inventory levels
nothing is hidden historically low
inventory levels and
historically high levels of of
interest in real estate and people being
able to just use their phone to find any
house in the entire country so nothing
is hidden and if it's hidden it's not a
gem so let's just be clear about that
won't
last okay that's the next phrase won't
last and the interpretation for that one
is will last okay this one maybe maybe
not accurate I'm I'm not going to say
that that is 100% accurate all the time
to me I don't really see a reason why
someone would would put that in their
listing description I'm not going to say
that I've never done that but I just
I don't really see I I don't really see
how that really markets a property
typically but often times if a
realtor feels the need to put that in
there they're probably concerned that
the
market you know that they're probably
concerned that actually will last and
they need to to generate the perception
that in fact it actually won't last
or I'm sorry they're afraid that yeah
exactly I think I said that right they
want the market to think it won't last
so the market responds in kind but in
reality it probably will last motivated
seller oh this is a good one this is a
good one right
now there are different sorts of
motivated sellers but this is pretty
pretty much accurate for all of them it
says the interpretation is desperate the
translation for a mo when you see the
words motivated seller desperate and
that is very very accurate there are a
few times where there might be a
motivated seller that's
not entirely desperate but typically
typically speaking that's the case
someone else on this thread put and I
love this one as well although it's
less accurate but just funnier and
accurate enough that I think is worth
giving consideration to that
motivated
seller should be translated as whoops
price too high and yes that I have
seen a lot of instances of that where
they change that that's an example of
when the listing description gets
changed where it didn't originally have
motivated seller in it and then later
they changed it to where it said
motivated in there that's an example
whoops priced that one too high sorry
up and coming that one I've got to be
careful with this but so I will just say
again this is not what I said this is
what someone else said they said they
the translation they used was ghetto
now of course I don't use the word
ghetto I don't even even colloquially
use that terminology but and and in
Greenville I wouldn't even say that we
have places that
I've been in places in the US where
where people have described me oh this
is the ghetto and those places don't
compare to any places that I've been to
in Greenville so let's just be clear
about that that being said if it says
up and coming it probably is a rough
area it's probably not you know the the
best block in town you should
probably be packing heat or something to
protect yourself if you're going to
an upand cominging area stunning
stunning should be translated as
completely normal which which is
probably I I
mean it depends it depends on what is
stunning right if it says a
stunning staircase yeah I've seen
examples of like a stunning staircase
and like a two-story foyer but I've seen
plenty of examples of stumming just
being complete stunning just being
completely normal so I I think that
there is some accuracy there
this one's kind of funny feels like
should be translated as doesn't feel
like does it feel like home it probably
doesn't feel like home does it feel like
a palace it probably doesn't feel like a
palace like let's just be realistic here
that one that one's accurate if if
you're describing what a house feels
like you're really not describing
anything at all you're probably wrong it
probably feels like it might feel like
that to you
but remember the realtor is trying to
portray this in the most positive light
possible so they're trying to think of
what this could feel like in Utopia so
it probably doesn't feel like that in
real life good
bones I okay this
translation said that good bones means
about to collapse I disagree with that
one that one I think is very inaccurate
when I hear good bones I think that
house needs a complete interior remodel
older house needs a complete interior
remodel I wouldn't say most of the time
the one real use that at least not in
this market in in Greenville I don't
think they're usually saying that it's
about to collapse I think that
they're typically saying it's a gut job
but it's going to this is a house that
will withstand a good
Windstorm how about unique floor plan
unique floor plan that should be
translated these are going to be a
little bit longer U because that that
first the there were like two different
lists here that I pulled that first list
was was one list now here's kind of a
second list unique floor plan should
be translated not sure if the architect
was drinking but here we are and yes
I would absolutely agree with that if
you're using really unique again not a
word that I would say realtor should
avoid but it's that's a dangerous word
unique means a a lot of different things
to a lot of different people and you
know if it's a weird floor plan where
the architect basically was drinking I'm
going to try to avoid marketing the
property in a way that that talks about
the four plan you don't want to draw
attention to things that are negative to
the house now I will try to get out
in front of some of those things but
again if you're drawing attention to it
you need to draw attention to it in a
way that spins as a positive in the mind
of the buyer so you know if the FL plan
is kind of weird I'll try to to think
about some things of well what would I
do with this FL plan to make it not
weird maybe a room could be used in a
different way than it currently is or
what have you there's a lot of different
ways to spin things that aren't
inaccurate but that help the buyer to
kind of paint the picture in the buyer's
mind so that they understand you know
okay this is a negative right now but it
doesn't have to be a
negative here's another one owned by
the same family for X number of years
equals never been updated and yeah
that that's that's probably pretty
accurate if you're talking about if
you're having to Market one of the
positives about a house is that it's
owned by the same family for a long
time odds are it's probably in okay
shape but it has never been updated
handyman special oh boy this now this
one's interesting because there's
already kind of jokes not even among
Realtors about what handyman specials
like refer to but I really like this
one will not
appraise because that's very specific
right we all think of handyman special
okay it's obviously a fixer uper of some
sort but specifically you're saying
handyman special if you're saying fixer
upper I think you're you're basically
saying okay this needs to have this
needs to bring a cash buyer like this is
not going to qualify for financing at
all but if you say handyman special
you're kind of leaving it open for a
little more open for interpretation and
you you might you get some of those
people that might be looking for
something that just needs a little bit
of work but they're trying to get it
financed the handyman special
unfortunately will not appraise you
won't be able to get that
financing in demand area
equals lock the car doors I wouldn't
say that that is 100% accurate but
again do you need to say that an area is
in demand you have to think about that
you know like let's say that I am
listing a house in Downtown Greenville I
just have to say the house is in
Downtown Greenville well it's not going
to be they they don't allow houses in
downtown Greenville let's say a condo in
Downtown Greenville right let's say I'm
I'm listing a condo in Downtown
Greenville I'm not going to say in
demand area people already know that
but I might explain let's say that it's
in an in a more transitional area but
that is up and coming as we've already
described or in demand quote unquote
I'm going to instead of just saying it's
an in demand area or an upand cominging
area I'll usually try to explain some of
of the things that make it positive it's
the this close to downtown it's this
close to the Swamp Rabbit Trail it's
it's very close to Unity Park which is
by the way coming along very nicely if
if you're in the Greenville area I
recommend driving by unity Park it's
really starting to look cool or or ride
a bike up there as the Swamp Rabbit
goes right by it's starting to really
come together cool very cool development
that we've been waiting a while
for all right another one here
perfect for young couples should be
translated as not safe for kids at all
and yes I I think that that is very
accurate perfect for young couples
not not safe for kids it probably also
implies that that older people
wouldn't want to live there which might
mean that there's a lot of stairs things
like
that Renovators Delight now I haven't
heard that one very often but if you
hear that that should be translated and
and I think that this is accurate as
know anyone who owns a bulldozer like
yeah Renovators Delight you're
probably going to have to bulldoze that
property needs a little TLC should be
translated as needs a lot of TLC yes
that is very accurate I would say
probably
99% of the time if a realtor says a
property needs a little
TLC it needs a lot of
TLC and plan appropriate
back on the market due to no fault of
seller should be translated as 200
issues on inspection report that the
seller won't fix I would say that's
has low accuracy but I still think
it's funny and and it's accurate enough
that that yeah that for me personally
if a property comes back on the market
and and I feel like it is the fault of
my sellers I simply won't explain in my
listing why it's back on the market I
will let people ask me and then I will
try to explain it on the phone in a way
that portrays it in the best light
possible but also without violating my
realtor code of ethics and and lying
if the seller would not address things
on the inspection report that were items
that they had agreed to repair as part
of the initial contract then yeah
that's that is would be an example
example of due to the fault of the
seller now let's say we've talked about
this the Section 8 of the form 310
which is the standard South Carolina
Association realtor form that we use
for contracts here in Greenville they're
not it's not used all across the state
of South Carolina but pretty much
exclusively in Greenville that's the
contract form that's used among Realtors
it specifies nine categories that a
seller needs to repair if the the
items listed in those nine categories
are not
functioning or have major problems major
defects so a seller may decide not to
do items that they were requested to do
that don't fit those nine categories and
the buyer May back out on the basis of
that and I would feel completely
confident and completely within the code
of ethics to put that it was not due to
the fault of the seller the seller
agreed to do the items that were in
the nine categories did not agree to the
items that were outside of the nine
categories and here we are so there's
a little bit of of nuance to that
one well-maintained
equals desperately needs updating this
is kind of similar to to the one that
we talked about a little bit earlier
with with good bones yes
well-maintained
that that's very accurate often times
means that the house needs some some
serious updating probably mostly on the
interior but yes that I I have seen that
many a time
hidden one person commented remember
this on Facebook he said I thought
Hidden Gem meant you might hear banjo on
your long drivein make sure you have
four-wheel drive in case it rains well
obviously that Realtor is in the country
now we're we have some country areas
here as well and that certainly can
certainly can mean that I I could
I could see that in in some areas not
not so much in Greenville who knows I
I didn't look up where that Realtor is
located but I I like the the crap box
definition of Hidden Gem and and
last but not least gently rolling
acreage should be translated as
mountains and cliffs yes absolutely if
you are described acreage as gently
rolling there's probably nothing gentle
or rolling about it you're probably
dealing with a hilly topography
something that is going to be a pain to
build on I I 100% agree with that
interpretation I tried to avoid using
these thing you know using the same
terms in in cliche ways but hey let's
just be honest we're communicating
different things to different people
when it comes to this but at the end
of the day I am a
pretty pretty forthcoming realtor and I
have done what we what we call and what
you may have heard me describe as
wholetail properties which is basically
buying a a Hidden Gem as it were and
then not doing anything to it just
listing it for more than you bought it
for I have done that on multiple
occasions where I bought properties that
had that I had good equity in them and I
would just tell people this needs
everything it literally needs a full
renovation and I'm not going to
disguise that with with special words
and and whatnot I'm I'm just going to
tell people exactly what it is and you
know what people like that they respond
better when when you're forthright
now there are sometimes when it's good
to use those realtor C code words it
just depends on the situation it's
not a one- siiz fits-all type of thing
but if you guys have any other ones that
you're thinking of any that you've seen
that you're like hey I wonder what this
means please my contact information is
in the show notes I'd love to have some
fun with this send those over to me send
me a listing that you see that that uses
some of those code words and we'll try
to decipher it if you like the show
Please Subscribe rate review download
all of those things let me know hit that
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get this out to more and more people I
hope you guys enjoyed had a little bit
of fun you know it's starting to get
colder well not this week but
normally this time of year it's starting
to get colder and I'll probably probably
the temperature will fall off pretty
soon here so here's something to
give you guys hopefully a little bit of
levity and also a little bit of
understanding about how realtors talk to
each other and this is all we talk about
every day we just get together and you
know have some beer and just talking
these code words all day long and that's
that's that's what we do so if you
have any questions about that or
anything you want to contribute let me
know hope you guys have a great rest of
the week and we'll talk next time
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