We all know that real estate agents rank low in listings of “most trusted” professionals. Members of Congress rank lower, but still… We all know agents who perpetuate this with their terrible service and sometimes dishonest dealings, but I wonder if honest agents are helping bring down the industry’s trust ranking by using words that sound […]
Grammatical pronouns – don’t let them get you down
Confused by grammatical pronouns? Are you unsure which are subject pronouns and object pronouns? And does the term “reflexive pronoun” make you want to run the other way? How about possessive pronouns? Worse, are you unsure about where and how to use those different kinds of pronouns? Don’t worry. It isn’t as difficult as you […]
For real estate grammar, go with medium-well
Your real estate grammar is important, because communication is important. When you add content to your web pages, write a blog post, or send a prospecting letter, you hope that readers will understand your message and react positively – and choose YOU for their agent. Grammar is defined as the whole system and structure of […]
Sneaky grammatical errors can destroy your message
Some grammatical errors jump off the page at the reader. Sneaky grammatical errors, however, just give the reader a feeling that something is “off,” but what is it? We have to re-read to find the problem, and of course that interrupts the entire flow of information. These errors wouldn’t be so common, except for the […]
Real estate writing – a refresher
Writing to your real estate prospects, clients, past clients, and those in your sphere is important. So is writing for your blog. Doesn’t it follow then that real estate writing is important enough to do well? I think so, but there is still plenty of evidence that poor practices abound. So – this week is […]
What do you think when you see a sign that says: “Big sale on Banana’s?”
Do you wonder about the price of bananas? Do you cringe at the misspelling? Or does your mind come up with a sarcastic thought like “Banana’s what is on sale? What does a banana own?” (Yes, that would be me.) It’s been a long while since I’ve harped about grammar and word usage, but the […]
More mistakes that can destroy your marketing message
When you take the time to write – whether it’s a blog post, a web page, a prospecting letter, or a simple email to a client – you want people to read it. Most copywriting gurus will tell you that the purpose of the headline is to get people to read the first sentence. The […]
Do you want to lose a potential client because you have bad manners?
Or… do you want to lose a potential client because your blog posts and spoken words show you don’t know the basic rules of grammar? I didn’t think so. I’m being picky again… Sorry, but I do think some potential clients might cross an agent off their list for breaking these basic rules of etiquette […]
“Too much also”
Several times lately I’ve seen a silly error in blog posts and emails. It’s one that makes the writer look like perhaps he or she lost the train of thought, or maybe did a re-write and forgot to remove something. But, perhaps that’s not it, because I hear the same thing over the phone – […]
Perspective vs. Prospective: The Real Estate Grammar Mistake That’s Killing Your Credibility
Here’s a common word usage error that can throw a huge stop sign in the middle of your real estate marketing message: the use of “perspective” when you mean “prospective.” Just to clarify… Perspective is a noun with a Latin root meaning “look through” or “perceive,” and all the meanings of perspective have something to […]