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What phrases do you dislike from estate agents details...

194 replies

KitschinSynch · 22/08/2014 22:01

My pet hates are:
"this fine home" related to any Victorian house
"buff interior" buff meaning fit rather than the colour...
I will add more when they come to me :)

OP posts:
ArsenicyOldFace · 23/08/2014 15:44

unfortunately you let slip three correctly-applied prepositions so they'll have to let you go?

Grin
Kimaroo · 23/08/2014 15:44

Calling a ground floor study a reception room. How you entertain guests in a 5' x 4' cubby hole is known only to estate agents.

ArsenicyOldFace · 23/08/2014 15:45

Knee-trembler, naturally Kim Wink

LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/08/2014 15:46
Grin

That's livened up my image of the 5' x 4' cubby holes I've seen quite considerably.

Kimaroo · 23/08/2014 15:49

Thanks ladies. I'm not going to be able to view studies without sniggering now Grin

ArsenicyOldFace · 23/08/2014 15:51
Grin
ouryve · 23/08/2014 15:54

"Deceptively spacious lounge" - if you're sitting on the sofa, watching telly, you can't quite reach the TV to change the channel, with your toes.
"Decorated to a high standard" - the laminate would put down recently enough to not be scratched and warped, yet, and the feature wall isn't peeling.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/08/2014 15:58

And why is it that a shower over the bath such a great thing? It's a prime candidate for the 'boasts of'/ 'benefits from' treatment. Unless the bathroom is enormous, where the fuck else were you going to put it?

monsterowl · 23/08/2014 16:00

'Architect designed'. As opposed to ... ?
'Airy'. Great - it's useful to be able to breathe indoors.
'Popular area'. Meaning, presumably, that other people live nearby.
'Deceptively spacious'. No idea.

Kimaroo · 23/08/2014 16:02

In our local paper one estate agent puts a one-liner above each photo, designed to grab you but it does the complete opposite. Eg 'Wow! I mean, Wow!' 'Kids - love this tree!' 'I'd buy this for the shed alone!' A few years ago we were selling our riverside property and the one-liner was 'Wot? No ducks?!'. We had no viewings at all through them!

TalcAndTurnips · 23/08/2014 16:17

We are lucky to have a local estate agency that prides itself on its flowery lifestyle descriptions - often written in clunky, awkward language littered with punctuation and spelling errors.

Fine examples include (as cut & pasted):

"Walk into the entrance of the number one building to be greeted by the only concierge service on offer in the area and you immediately get the feeling of prestige that the building emminates"

"The separate garage which is just around the corner is an absolute godsend. No late night missions to find a suitable parking space, and certainly no fear of waking up to a parking ticket! Simply pull up to your spacious garage and head back to the property, smug (Shock) in the knowledge that your car is both safe and secure"

"Weekends here will no doubt begin with a lovely fried breakfast. All the family sat around the table while the smell of eggs and bacon fill the house. What happens from here is up to you. Maybe a stroll along the seafront or an afternoon looking for all the hidden treasures in the local boutiques' s" Wanker.

"The moment you set your eyes on this semi detached house it evokes images of a bygone era. Visions of top hats and tails as well as walking canes and horse drawn carriages wouldn't be too far from what this property has seen"

"offering parking on a first come first serve basis..." Translation: good for those who enjoy a regular spat with the neighbours

......

Oh, the hours I have spent (in my quaint bijou but spacious and airy living space) enjoying this shite. Grin

JuanPotatoTwo · 23/08/2014 17:15

Prestige property = no plebs here, thanks.
POA = if you have to ask, you can't afford it so bugger off and stop wasting our time.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/08/2014 17:18

Jesus, talc. Those are wonderful.

HaveYouTriedARewardChart · 23/08/2014 17:31

I love that one dreamboat. Especially "highlights include" followed by a list of every room...

MsSampson · 23/08/2014 17:42

talcandturnips - that sounds like cubbitt and west to me! They write the best (worst) descriptions, and always have a spiel from the current owners about why they love it, which I know they make up without even speaking to vendors, as they sold DH's manky old flat.

There's a real tendency around our part of S London for referring to grim urban areas as xx "village" which always makes me smile...

monsterowl · 23/08/2014 17:46

"Weekends here will no doubt begin with a lovely fried breakfast. All the family sat around the table while the smell of eggs and bacon fill the house. What happens from here is up to you."

This makes it sound like the family fried breakfast is compulsory. How on earth would idiots earn money if nobody needed estate agencies? Grin

MsSampson · 23/08/2014 17:54

ha monsterowl, I just read that while looking for some classic Cubitt! I bet it's a stock phrase they use across all their regions though, unless yours was a south coast terrace too?

legitsuperhero · 23/08/2014 18:02

Was just coming on here to mention Cubitt and West Grin Honestly their ludicrous descriptions wind me up so much I was desperate not to have to buy from them as a matter of principle Grin "For the Jamie Olivers among you this swish kitchen is just crying out for you to rustle up a dinner party for your envious friends!" They enhance their photos to buggery too, you can spot them a mile off.

TalcAndTurnips · 23/08/2014 18:05

MsSampson - you are correct; Cubitt & West! Bloody hell - is it national company policy to post wanky aspirational tosh in puerile language? I thought it was just our local office. Confused

MassaAttack · 23/08/2014 18:05

"Opaque glass".

Yes, opaque glass exists, but it is not generally used for bathroom windows.

TalcAndTurnips · 23/08/2014 18:11

This one is spectacularly bad.

It's the combination of clumsy attempts to sell a lifestyle, coupled with the abysmal English and overtones of chumminess.

monsterowl · 23/08/2014 18:11

MsSampson I cut and pasted from TalcAndTurnips Grin Haven't had personal experience of the literary geniuses that are Cubitt & West ...

Karenthetoadslayer · 23/08/2014 18:12

In the "rolling countryside" = in the middle of nowhere with only a dirt track leading to it and the dirt track belongs to somebody else who can cut you off any time he likes.

TalcAndTurnips · 23/08/2014 18:14

Can we throw down a gauntlet to link to the worst C&W property blurb? Grin

LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/08/2014 18:15

Oh, I like that one talc.

Imagine after that busy day you are able to pull up at your proud property and parking in your own garage which has electric doors. Being greeted by your wonderful family and the smell of dinner baking as you step through your front door, shut all the stress behind you.

Why do I suspect they 'imagine' you are a 1950s husband in this picture?

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