Idyllwild Listings Sure to Rate on the Flesch-Kincaid Scale

Idyllwild Area Listing Author Reviews Listing Language Critique

Probing the Depths of Real Estate Listing Lingo  

Anyone who creates listings can’t help but be drawn to critiques of real estate writing. There aren’t a whole lot of those to be drawn to, so when a respected national media titan like The Wall Street Journal comes up with an essay on real estate listing language, this is one Idyllwild listing writer who considers it a must-read.  

The poetic analysis in question appeared just last week. From the outset, it presented itself as a less than flattering critique: “Real-Estate Pros Pen Purple Prose” was the headline—with an explanatory blurb to the effect that higher-priced real estate listing lingo tends to get a little bit flowery. Never mind that the Journal put a hyphen between ‘real’ and ‘estate’—this was clearly going to be an authoritative commentary! 

Bottom line: astronomical listing prices get more poetic language. In some cases, extremely poetic:

“Majestically poised along the shimmering Gulf of Mexico” was the first example quoted, for an $11 million beach home listing. The critic didn’t bother pointing out that ‘poised’ indicates that there is at least a possibility that the beach home will eventually topple into the shimmering Gulf of Mexico. Instead, the point was that the example 222-word listing includes such lyrical descriptions as the ‘unique harmony’ of this ‘haven of serenity’ suitable for ‘undisturbed reflection’ (we are left to imagine how undisturbed the serenity will be once the place pitches into the Gulf).

Unlike most literary commentators, the Journal’s critic relied on science and mathematics to underscore the evaluation. The Gulf house listing, for instance, registers at the “12^th-grade reading level based on the Flesch-Kincaid scale.” (Who ever heard of that?) Mathematically, an analysis of recent samples of 1,000 listings found that the language used differed greatly depending on the listing price. For homes priced below $750,000, there were 13 words in an average sentence. Above $10 million: 18 words per sentence. Average syllables per word? $750,000 and below: 1.55. High end? 1.7 syllables. Average characters per word? –well, you get the idea!

As someone who is more than peripherally involved (there’s a 5-syllable one right there!) in creating Idyllwild listing prose, I feel I really should point out that the number of words per sentence, characters per word, etc., really isn’t what makes an effective listing. It needs to be attention-getting, quick and easy to read (prospects don’t dawdle over listing language, most of them scan quickly), positive—and accurate! When a buyer is attracted enough to request a property showing, it better live up to the prose (purple or not).

In case you were wondering, this blog registers a solid 8.9 on the Flesch-Kincaid. But in case you are soon to need a level-headed real estate agent to create an appealing Idyllwild listing that describes your own home in a way that pulls in buyers, you can call anytime!

Gary Agner, Broker of Forest Realty in Idyllwild California

Idyllwild Ca Agent Examines WSJ Listing of the Year Contest

Idyllwild Listing Language VS “Listing of the Year” Contest  

Hats Off to Wall Street Journal’s “Listing of the Year” Ploy

A key step in preparing a home for sale is creating its listing for Idyllwild’s online MLS. It’s part science—getting all the physical details exactly right (trickier than you’d think)—and part invention. The goal is to devise phrasing that accurately portrays the property’s unique appeal without relying on clichés. 

  So it’s not surprising that when The Wall Street Journal sent out the email plea for all its Mansion magazine readers to “vote for the listing of the year,” it struck pay dirt around here. Oh boy! We’d be able to compare our Idyllwild Ca listing efforts with the best-of-the-best from around the globe! Visions of an online Academy Awards-type show for real estate listing writers materialized… 

But from the start, there were issues. For one thing, there was the actual ‘ballot’ itself. These best-of-the-best listings: there were 65 of them. It made for one of those bottomless web pages. You keep going down and down and down through listing after listing, yet the slider on the side of the screen barely moves. Then there were the listings themselves. They all seemed to be for multi-million dollar estates… 

Then there were the photos that illustrated the entries; they weren’t exactly typical. In our online Idyllwild Ca listings, all the photos are on an equal footing: the curbside glamor shot has to fit into the prescribed thumbnail space. None is larger than any other; fair is fair, after all. But here, these best-of-the-best listings seemed to have gigantic, travel poster-sized blowups…some taken from helicopters (or, for the larger estates, perhaps satellites) …and all of them looked like they’d been lifted straight off the cover of Architectural Digest…

As for the part of the contest that should have been most relevant—the language—there was little of use. “A PENTHOUSE WITH BUILT-IN PARKING” read one headline. It appeared above the photo of a contented-looking Ferrari, which seemed to be parked in a gleaming marble hallway. The car looked to be enjoying its own panoramic view of The City. Below it, the copy started out, “This Manhattan residence features a ‘sky garage’” (which turns out to be an elevator that the car can take from the apartment down to the street). The text leaves to your imagination whether or not the auto might decide to tip the concierge at Christmas. The asking price (clearly set to appeal to the economy-minded) was $19.9 million.

Then there was the South Carolina home, illustrated with a “listing” photo that must have been taken from orbit. It bore the understated headline, “A SEASIDE ESTATE ON KIAWAH ISLAND.” The descriptive text began, “The South Carolina home features 5,000 square feet of verandas, walkways and porches…” 

In fact, all of the candidates for Listing of the Year were like that. It was pretty clear that the skill of the listing writers was not what was on display here. In fact, the contest’s small print admitted that the ‘ballot’ was simply a way for the Wall Street Journal to reprise their paid ‘Listing of the Day’ ads. 

I’m happy to report that our own Idyllwild Ca listings do their job without having to rely on ‘perks’ like penthouse car elevators. I hope you will give me a call when the time arrives for putting together your own Idyllwild listing! 

Happy new years from Gary Agner of Forest Realty in Idyllwild California.

In Idyllwild Real Estate, “Property Values” Needs More Detail   

Talk of local ‘Property Values’ Begs Further Explanation

“Idyllwild Property Values”—a Phrase with Varying Meanings 

Every local homeowner knows that the state of Idyllwild property values is important. But regardless of how important property values are, it’s also true that the term itself is hard to pin down. It’s more elusive than most of us assume—it literally means different things to different people. 

One of the odd things about the English language (or any language, I imagine) is how it can convey an impression of being more specific than is actually the case. For example, if you say, “This year there’s been more rain than usual” everyone thinks they know what you mean—which is probably not that since January 1, 2015 until today rainfall has totaled more than the annual average. What you mean is that since the end of summer (or perhaps since October) it’s been rainy. The difference in that example isn’t all that important. But when it comes to Idyllwild Ca “property values,” delving into what is meant is more worthwhile.

The term means subtly different things to different people (or even to the same person, depending on their intentions). To most homeowners, for instance, if you say that Idyllwild property values have been on the rise, their first interpretation is likely to be that their home can now be sold for more than before—in other words, they equate ‘property values’ with ‘market values.’ They don’t mean that it has now become a better place for their family to live in: that would be its ‘use value’ or ‘utility value’—a different thing altogether. 

On the other hand, to a lender, a home’s ‘property value’ usually means its current market value. To an investor, ‘property value’ could well mean its ‘future value’ or its ‘liquidation value’…which could be different numbers depending on whether the speaker is imagining a forced liquidation or an orderly liquidation. The upshot is that “property values” is one of those precise-sounding terms that’s a lot more slippery than it seems.

Especially when it comes to major transactions like the purchase and sale of local real estate, it’s a good idea to be as precise as possible. In that regard, more useful are terms like “asking price” or “selling price.” They describe actual numerical values in a particular currency at a specific time. Although it’s certainly not bad news if we hear that town property values are likely to keep rising in the new year, that needs a lot more detail to be very meaningful (give me some neighborhood comps, thank you very much). And since we’re on the subject: anytime you are ready to investigate the current state of our local real estate market, I hope you’ll decide to give me a call! 

Gary Agner, Broker of Forest Realty in Idyllwild California

New Wrinkle in Idyllwild CA Mortgage Interest Rate Guessing Game 

‘Paradoxical’ Mortgage Interest Rate Move Perturbs Experts

Idyllwild CA Mortgage Interest Rates Fail to Cooperate with Seers

When you are close to buying a new home in Idyllwild, one news item that definitely becomes more interesting than usual is the status of current mortgage interest rates. All those little ads on the side of the screen that blink at you with Mortgage Interest Rate Alert! and Lock Lowest Home Interest Rate NOW! that you are accustomed to ignoring may also suddenly rate a second look—although you quickly learn that the promised local mortgage interest rate won’t be revealed unless you surrender a lot of personal info to the advertiser. 

If you decide to avoid blabbing your email address to the internet (certain to put you onto yet another advertiser’s database), you probably do what I do—which is to check the legitimate news sources for their mortgage interest rate commentaries. When you do that, it’s reassuring when you find words and phrases like widely expected and as predicted (or even minor correction or following recent trends). When you are not quite ready to apply for your own mortgage, sudden interest rate lurches make budget projections less reliable.

So you would have expected it to have been reassuring when last week, as predicted, the Fed raised its Fed funds rate—the basic interest rate banks pay—by just a teense: a quarter of a point. Pretty much as had been widely expected. That may be an understatement; such a move had been thought imminent by many experts for years.

But last week’s Fed action didn’t quite follow through on the as predicted and widely expected fronts. Instead, we got words like ‘paradoxical’ (Mortgage News Daily); ‘fear mongering’ (CNN Money); ‘volatile’ (themortgagereports). 

The good news for potential mortgage applicants was that the disarray the commentaries were describing had nothing to do with what homebuyers were likely to encounter. Instead, it described the problem the commentators were having explaining what the initial fed funds hike had caused: a slight fall in mortgage interest rates!

“Lenders easing up on home loans” and “Fed hike no biggie for mortgages” were stories from CNBC—and they were typical. “Mortgage Rates Slightly Lower Ahead of Holiday Week” was what Mortgage News Daily had found to be the paradoxical descent—eventually deciding it could be explained at the bond market level (traders had erred on the side of caution before the Fed’s announcement). 

By Friday, loan originators were unanimous in suggesting that ‘today may be a good day to lock’ (but then again, to loan originators ‘today’ is always a good day to give them business). There was an underlying theme to most of the commentaries: expect a bounce in mortgage loan rates before too long. Probably, but not certainly—especially if you kept in mind Motley Fool’s “3 Predictions That Were Totally Wrong in 2015.” In addition to the Fed Funds rate and Treasury Note miscues, there was one we all would have shared: a barrel of crude oil ended the week priced at $40…about half of what the experts projected last January.

One fact that doesn’t involve any guesswork: by historical standards, today’s area mortgage interest rates remain in the ‘very low’ range. That means it’s still a good time for buyers and seller to give me a call!  

With love from the Gary Agner at Forest Realty in Idyllwild California!  Call me when it is time to buy or sell a home in Idyllwild we are the local home experts.  

Idyllwild Homes’ Holiday Decorations Trigger Familiar Magic

Holiday Magic Spreads through Local Homes

Holiday Magic is no Exaggeration in Many Idyllwild CA Homes

Last week, those of us who were out and about during the increasingly short daylight hours could take in what looked like the regular number of Idyllwild homes decked out with the familiar holiday paraphernalia. When the weather cooperates, it can’t help but bring a smile to your face to spot the reindeer, Santa's, menorahs, giant candles, elves—all the elements that help bring home the familiar feelings the season seldom fails to muster.

I bet it’s just that—the sheer familiarity—that explains a large part of why the words “Holiday Magic” are no exaggeration. Sooner or later we feel it. It grabs us. The holidays are back This usually starts (for me at least) with a valiant attempt to reject reality. Sometime between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving, with the first department store ad or the first notes of a carol playing somewhere in the distance, we think “OH NO! – NOT ALREADY!!!” This is the part when the ‘magic’ part of the holidays is nowhere in prospect. The whole concept is at its most materialistic (the ‘material’ being that we haven’t started serious gift shopping, are too busy to even think about it, can’t recall whether the roasting pan was wrecked when last year’s gravy got burnt, etc. etc. etc.).

Immediately thereafter, in a truly magical disappearing­ of ­time act, it’s suddenly a couple of weeks before the big day, when all the preparations had better have been set into motion. It’s already holiday running ­around time. This is when we are out and about, and can take in all the Idyllwild Ca homes belonging to local homeowners who have the organizational skills that allowed them to erect the reindeer, Santa's, giant candles, elves, menorahs, etc. It’s also the time of year when we may begin to experience some true holiday magic...especially if our running ­around to get ready happens at night, when the holiday lights are ablaze...

For some of us, there is something about those area homes decked out in lights, and the ornaments, and the music, eggnog, cookies...or even the fruitcake or the stollen or the latkes. It’s the familiarity of the way all the trappings combine to bring back memories: images of our kids’ holidays, or our parents, or dearest friends...and finally, of our own childhood. In spite of all the running around, sooner or later, this most special, set ­aside top of the year puts us in mind of how very much we treasure the ones who are dearest to us. If we’re lucky enough to have them gathered close, it’s pretty wonderful. If this year, that can’t happen—the memories will have to provide the magic. Sooner or later they usually do.

 Whether these holidays bring you Christmas or Hanukkah gatherings (or both!), here’s wishing you and yours the happiest, most joyful of celebrations—the kind that create future holiday magic!

With love from Idyllwild California!

Gary

Tax Break Possibilities Tempt California Real Estate Investors   

Idyllwild Real Estate Investors Eye Seven Potential Tax Deductions 

Another Appeal Idyllwild Real Estate Offers: Possible Tax Breaks

There are two specific times each year when area real estate investors find their thoughts wandering in the general direction of impending tax bills. As we approach year’s end, this is one of them. The other, of course, will be coming up in April—but this is the time of year when steps can be taken that affect the bottom line of what will come due later on.

My expertise is in Idyllwild California real estate, so I don’t offer specific tax advice—as always, that’s best handled by your own financial advisor. But tax benefits (in the form of deductions) are always part of the picture when I’m helping clients find area real estate for investment purposes. In that connection, there was one recent article that ran on the Realtor^® web site that effectively summed up seven main tax advantages that local real estate may offer owners who rent out their property. There are specific provisions in the tax code that qualify a property for each (which is why the piece was titled “Seven Possible Tax Deductions for Rental Property Owners”), but I think listing all seven possibilities in one place is worth repeating, so here goes:

• • Mortgage Interest Deduction (everyone already knows this one—the most obvious and potentially the most significant). What wasn’t mentioned in the Realtor article is the added possibility of deducting the expense for points paid in the year of purchase. That’s an expense that brings down a loan’s mortgage interest rate over the long haul while being deductible over the short haul. 
• • Repairs – they have to be ‘necessary and reasonable.’ Likewise, improvements may qualify if they meet the same standard
• • Depreciation — this one is like other business assets that deteriorate over time due to wear and tear
• • Insurance — the expense common to many businesses
• • Professional and Legal — ditto
• • Outside labor — when you hire employees or independent contractors to ‘perform services…related to the rental.’ 
• • Travel — if your area real estate causes you to travel (for instance, if you live out of town), fuel expenses and meals may be deductible.  

As usual, the caveat is the need to keep detailed records of every expense (your Uncle Sam isn’t the kind of uncle who takes your word for things). 

When you list them all together, you have to agree these make quite an attractive handful of tax deduction possibilities. They really do account for a major appeal that a town real estate rental property can offer. To investigate the Idyllwild area properties with investment potential, give me a call anytime! 

Every Open House in Idyllwild is its Own Unique Special Event 

Universal and Customized Tips for Your Idyllwild Open House 

Idyllwild area Open House Tips Aren’t Hard to Come By 

If you are planning for your own open house in Idyllwild, you won’t have much trouble finding good advice. Here’s a quick list of what you’ll find:

• • Don’t leave your pet behind
• • Don’t forget the yard
• • If you’re not confident in your house cleaning ability, trust that instinct (hire a pro)!
• • It’s the kitchen, stupid (really: don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink)
• • Clear out the medicine cabinet
• • Fresh bath towels 

These are all sound pieces of advice (although the medicine cabinet one should be more comprehensive: any valuable items should also be packed away). It’s why you’ll find some variation of those pointers on just about everyone’s ‘Top Ten Tips for Holding an Open House.’ 

There are also some open house tips that may not apply to every local open house, but which deserve to be in the running anyway. One good idea syncs with the last bullet point: white-out the bathroom. Instead of just seeing that the towels are fresh, use fluffy white ones that you only bring out for your open house or other showing. White and fluffy = fresh and bright to most people. If your Idyllwild home has a shower curtain, consider whether replacing it with a white one might be worth the effort as well.

Another tip is to turn on every lamp, flip every switch, check every faucet, flush every toilet. Picture a house visit that’s going really well—then is interrupted when a switch doesn’t work or a faucet leak can’t be stopped. Every agent knows what happens: they flip the switch back and forth three or four times (or use both hands trying to turn the faucet)—and the conversation is immediately derailed while they fiddle with the single tiny mishap. Those kinds of events plant doubt in anyone’s mind: it’s unreasonable, but human nature. As a side corollary, don’t run your facility check five minutes before the open house begins. A failed overhead light means hunting down a ladder, finding a replacement bulb, etc.; a faucet leak or running toilet, much longer to fix.

An extra tip is to give the floors special attention. If you have taken good care of beautiful floors by protecting them with throw and area rugs, unless they are themselves showpieces, you’ll probably do well to roll them up temporarily. Wide areas of open hardwood flooring can be a real selling point. 

Every Idyllwild open house and showing appointment is its own special event—one that that calls for some preparations that are unique to your property. I can help with this: being able to call upon experienced ‘eyes on the target’ is one of the benefits my clients are able to rely on. Call me!