Do you ever wonder why some word usage goofs are so common in real estate blog
posts? I’m beginning to think that it’s because people see these errors so often they begin to believe they’re correct.
Meanwhile, those word usage goofs – whether in a blog post, an email, a property description, or a prospecting letter – can destroy understanding. And worse – real estate clients and would-be clients are bound to think less of you if they can’t figure out what you’re trying to say.
It’s always best to use the word that says what you mean.
Here are some of the most common word usage goofs seen in real estate writing.
Advice and advise
One of the most common is the misuse of “advise.” I see it all the time – “Thank you for the advise.”
Strangely, I don’t see the opposite. So far, I haven’t read where anyone said “Please advice me.”
This one may have a secondary reason for being so common, and that reason is Word’s grammar checker. I discovered that a couple of years ago when Word tried to tell me to use the wrong word.
If you have trouble with this one, remember this:
Advice is a noun. You can give advice and you can get advice. Ice is a noun. You can buy a bag of ice.
Advise is a verb. You advise someone. You can pay someone to advise you, but then they’ll give you advice.
Effect and affect
Effect is a noun: “Your marketing efforts will have a decided effect on your success.”
Affect is a verb: “The kind of marketing you do will affect the outcome.”
The difference between effect and affect can be tricky because there are a few exceptions to the rule. You’ll probably never need to use the exceptions, but it’s possible.
So any time you’re confused, just substitute the word “impact.” It will work fine in either case.
Prospective and perspective
Yikes! I keep seeing people talk about perspective buyers or sellers, which is really impossible.
The meaning of these two words is not remotely the same.
Perspective has a Latin root meaning “look through” or “perceive,” and all the
meanings of perspective have something to do with looking. If you observe the world from a dog’s perspective, you see through the dog’s eyes. In drawing, perspective gives your drawing the appearance of depth or distance.
You could say your client has a different perspective on pricing, etc. – but that’s about the only way you could tie that word to a buyer or seller.
Prospective is an adverb related to something likely to come about in the future. As in, of course, a prospective client.
Strangely, this form of the two words is the only place I see them misused. No one writes that they’re sending perspecting letters, and no one calls a new lead a perspect.
So if you ever get confused and can’t decide which to use, remove the “ive” and think is this person a “prospect or a perspect?” The answer should be clear.
Me, myself, and I
Do you ask people to “Please call myself?” Oh, I hope not. But a whole lot of people do. Even people in academic positions say things like “Gary and myself will be available to answer questions,” or “Please email your questions to Gary or myself.”
Of all the common errors, I think this one makes me cringe the most.
“Myself” is a reflexive pronoun – it can only refer back to the speaker.
- “I speak for myself when I say….”
- “I attended the concert by myself.”
- “I bought myself a present.”
This one isn’t limited to real estate agents. I even heard a former President saying that he was thankful to some foreign head of state for his “…hospitality to myself and my wife.” (Double error that time – but he always did put himself first.)
Meanwhile, do remember that “I” is an object word. “I went to the store,” or “I love my new real estate listing.” If you’re the subject of the sentence, use “I.”
“Me” is an object word. It often comes after words such as for, to, about, and with. It’s also used in sentences such as “Please join me in welcoming tonight’s speaker” or “Can you help me?”
Loose and lose
Lose and loose are misused so often in real estate blogs that it’s commonplace – but choosing the wrong one is still misuse and it still destroys the meaning of a sentence.
When you lose something, you’ve lost it. The reason could be that it came loose and fell off – but then again it could be that you just put it down and don’t remember where. Or, in the case of losing a client, it could be that they wandered off to some other agent.
Loose is the opposite of tight. You diet to lose weight, then your clothes become loose.
Do word usage goofs really matter?
Yes. Not all of your clients know the difference between these words, but some of them do. When you use the wrong one, those who know will get a bad impression of you. If nothing else, they’ll think you don’t pay attention to details and don’t take time to proofread.
Finally, since laughter is always a good thing, here are some bloopers that will make you laugh or cringe.
Some word usage goofs really are funny, even if they’re damaging to the writer’s credibility. Here are a few I’ve seen on line: 
This bares repeating.
Replace the headshot photo on your site and on your social media profiles with one that shows you laughing, or wearing a crazy hat, or with your hair died.
I past out fliers.
It through us all for a loop.
I’ve considered it and whole Hartley disagree with you
I don’t have anymore patients for this.
I found this on the side of the rode.
Let your words give them a peak at life in that home.
I have a hunch that at least some of these came from using voice recognition software – and failing to take a few minutes to proofread before uploading.
(And isn’t it funny that my screen is telling me that some of those errors are errors – but not all of them!)
If you have problems with grammar or word usage…
Get a copy of my Grammar Guide for Real Estate Agents. Read it, pay attention to the hints I’ve included to help you remember, then keep it handy for referral when you’re writing.
And if you’re really unsure, enlist a friend to proofread your work before you send it out into the world.
