DO YOU SPEAK REALTOR?

I recently used the term HELOC while visiting with a client and he replied, “I don’t speak REALTOR, please explain in English”.  This reminded me of a Real Estate Marketing class several years ago where the instructor handed out newspaper clippings with Real Estate Ads and asked everyone to read and interpret.  Do you know what this says?

 “3br/2ba w J&J, WBFP, great AMEN, WOW in PUD w/ EIK, FROG, FDR, IGSP and CAC priced at $399,000, WLL”. 

Don’t feel bad, neither did I.  By the end of class we were all extremely confused, laughing not only at the ads but at ourselves because we have all been guilty of this.  Abbreviations and Acronyms are a necessary evil in our industry and Real Estate Terminology can be very confusing sometimes.  Space limitations in the MLS and Websites force us to find ways to fit as much information as possible into 450 characters, or less, and that can be challenging. Not to mention our newest form of communication, Texting, which is typically more abbreviations than not.  So, we improvise, and sometimes the result is an epic fail that looks like we are speaking a foreign language.

Accordingly, I thought it would be fun to share some of the more common terms as well as some of the downright ridiculous ones.  BR for bedroom, BA for bath, and WBFP for Wood Burning Fireplace are all common. Other widely used in our industry includes things like; ROI: Return on Investment, CMA: Comparative Market Analysis, an opinion of value usually prepared by a REALTOR® not to be confused with an appraisal.  MLS: Multiple Listing Service, PITI: This pertains to mortgage payments and stands for, Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance. AC: stands for Acre not Air Conditioning, DOM: Days on Market, WIC:  Walk in Closet, SFH: Single Family Home, HWF: Hard Wood Floors and FDR: Not to be confused with former president Franklin D Roosevelt, FDR this is short for Formal Dining Room.

So now let’s translate that ridiculous ad at the top of the article: 

(3BR) 3 Bedrooms, (2Ba) 2 Baths, with (J&J) Jack and Jill bath, (WBFP) Wood Burning Fireplace, great (AMEN) Amenities, (WOW) Walk Out Water in a (PUD) Planned Unit Development, with (EIK) Eat In Kitchen, (FROG) Finished Room Over Garage, (FDR) Formal Dining Room, (IGSP)In-Ground Swimming Pool and (CAC) Central Air Conditioning, priced at $399,000, (WLL) Won’t Last Long. 

Sometimes we just need a good laugh, so when I saw a recent Facebook post titled “Is You Child Texting About Real Estate?” I couldn’t resist.  An obvious parody on the use of Anacronyms in Real Estate and Texting this was just too funny not to share.  LMAO: Let’s Make an Offer, BRB: Backyard Ready for Bar-B-Ques, LOL: Lots of Listings and my personal favorite BTW: Bro, Tight Wainscotting.

So, the next time you read an advertisement or get a text message that makes absolutely no sense give me a call.  We will figure it out together and have a good laugh.  For a complete list of Real Estate Terms Anacronyms & Abbreviations visit our Blog Page at www.WeSellGranbury.com, and before I forget HELOC stands for Home Equity Line of Credit. As always if you are planning to buy or sell real estate in the near future, I hope you will give us a call at 817-219-0456.