The #1
Real Estate Investing
Community

Sat, Jul 19, 2008 
TCI Shopping
Featured TCI Properties
Best Storage Taylor
Taylor, TX
Price: $2,200,000
Topics 'N Comments
Forum Topics
* Can An HOA For One Property Put A Lien An A Different Property?
* Landlords-Where Do I Get Cheap Drapes?
* Laundry Machines - Whats The Reality?
* REIT Alternative
* Good Rehabbing Books/resources?
* NNN Sale-leaseback Opp. - Need Help!
* Address Service Requested
* Freezing HELOCs
* Is Email Working?
* Who Does FHA Secure Down To 500 Fico?

Comments
* Sorry, but your...
* Ed, you lost me when...
* Sources are: NAR, 50...
* "Buying real estate...
* Try http://www.Red...
* We work just the...
* My response to the...
* I think this is the...
* I have people offer ...
* " . . often visited...
Contact Us
703-778-5755
Login Problems?
Sales
Support
Feedback
Recommend Us
History and Purpose of TCI


Advertise on our site
Advertising Login
Sell Your Product Here!
Official PayPal Seal
Send this to:                            

Outrageous Broker Claims

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 @ 12:34 PM EDT Printer Friendly Page  Printer Friendly Page
Send this Story to a Friend  Send this Story to a Friend

Contributed by: Mark Reynolds

Mark Reynolds Properties

Read more archived articles about Buying

I have been meditating for the last few days on the comments that real estate brokers put on their listing sheets.

This all started because of a very enthusiastic but very inexperienced young sales agent who is trying hard to get my business and must be saying up all night combing the MLS for properties. So the other day she brought me a group of 10 potential commercial/industrial properties.
 
Advertisement
Of course in addition to the standard listing information each of these listing sheets had the comments section where the listing broker could write a few words attempting to make his property stand out from the 15.000 other listings in the Chicago MLS.

Apparently my young agent took those comment sections seriously because when we met to go over the leads she pointed them out to me as serious reviews of the properties.

Of course being the curmudgeonly old man that I am I had stopped reading the comment sections of such things years ago on the grounds that most of them are completely bogus. Do you know the old joke, “How can you tell when the listing broker is lying to you?” answer: “His lips are moving.”

None-the-less the young agent caused me to look at these comment sections with fresh eyes and I found them absolutely hilarious.

My personal favorite among the group was "Bring your user occupants or investors!!!!"

Now maybe I just spent too much time in graduate school but what does this phrase mean? I mean who other than a user occupant or an investor would buy a 30,000 square foot industrial building? Is this not pretty much the same as saying "show this to anybody you think might be interested"?

Another favorite was “High-profile free-standing building” which at least appears to say something until I realized from the address that it is located at the back of a pretty seedy old industrial park where all the buildings are free-standing. Then I notice that two more of the listing sheets had the same phrase. Thinking that I had found a new buzz word or something I looked closer. Each of these properties were listed by the same broker who apparently thought that High-profile free-standing building” was a very powerful description because he included it in every property he listed— pretty much regardless of the location or condition of the property.

Which got me thinking about other outrageous broker-speak I have read over the years. Of course the #1 most outrageous has to be "Great Cash Flow" attached to a building which was 100% vacant. Perhaps somebody can explain to me how a building without income can have cash flow? Or perhaps the broker is convinced that negative cash flow is a good thing, so lots of it must be a Great thing?

Anyway, I thought I would start this thread of "most outrageous broker phrases you have heard". What the heck-- it might be good for a few laughs anyhow.

So come on, TCI community. Help me out here. What comments on listing sheets (or other situations) have you read or heard that struck you as either completely meaningless or utterly false?






Word Cloud:
much property listing building” very read saying most would sheets comment properties. young perhaps something agent must when which cash these same thinking what them broker over other might have favorite good because course thought pretty industrial completely sections building group this outrageous free-standing found comments claims where user each

 
Username or Email

Password

Remember Me:

Join 228,359 other
members FREE!
· More about Buying
· Other articles by Mark


Most read story about Buying:
Carleton Sheets Real Estate Investing

Average Score: 0
Votes: 0

Please take a second and vote for this article:

Bad
Regular
Good
Very Good
Excellent



Printer Friendly Page  Printer Friendly Page

Send this Story to a Friend  Send this Story to a Friend
"" | Login/Create an Account | 0 Comments
Threshold
These comments are owned by the posters. We aren't responsible for their content nor endorse them.

TCI Comment section - where you are the moderator!

If you see an offensive post or advertisement, please use the "As Is" drop down menu to choose a topic rank, then click Moderate at the bottom. This in turn will allow registered users to view only the topics that are most relevant to the article and get rid of the advertisement spam and junk.
Home | Articles | Article Archive | Article Submission | Calendar | Chat | Channel Partners | Freebies | FAQ | Feedback | Forums | Lender Finder | Members List | Real Estate Clubs | Recommend Us | Reviews | Search | Services | TCI University | Shop | Surveys | Properties | Web Links

The Creative Investor web site was created for Landlords, Property Managers and Real Estate Investing community.
Through using our forums, investors will be able to talk about finance, no down payment purchases, debt payoff, purchase strategies and current real estate news.
Privacy Agreement and Terms of Use. All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner.
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest 2002 by PropBot.com L.L.C.