7 grammar mistakes to avoid when selling your home

Spelling may not top your list of priorities when selling your home, but it will be at the top of a buyer's list, even if they do not realise it. An incorrect word or an unreadable sentence can distract your buyer from what they are meant to be doing: admiring your property rather than analysing your listing.

If a strong photo makes a good first impression, then correct grammar avoids leaving a bad lasting one. Indeed, research from Grammarly in conjunction with Redfin revealed that 43.4 per cent of buyers are less inclined to tour a home if a listing features prominent misspellings or grammatical mistakes.

"A home listing filled with misspellings or grammar errors sends a signal to potential buyers that details are not important," explains Allison VanNest from Grammarly.

Here are 6 spelling and grammar mistakes to avoid when selling your home:

1. Incomplete sentences

There is nothing more distracting than an incomplete sentence without a full st

2. Capitalised First Letters of Words

Be sure to capitalise the first letter of the first word in a sentence. This - along with a full stop - will make it easier to tell when one sentence ends and another begins. Otherwise, capitalising the first letter of a word should only occur when it is a proper noun for a place or a person. Do say: "This home is situated close to the beach in Malaga, Spain." Don't say: "This Home is situated Close to the beach in malaga, spain."

2. Words that sound like their the same

They're are lots of words that sound like their the same, but there spellings are quite different. Try to make sure that your homonyms do not get mixed up, because they will only make your buyer feel the same way: if they do not understand what you are selling, how do you expect them to buy it?

3. CAPITAL LETTERS

SENTENCES IN CAPITAL LETTERS SHOULD BE AVOIDED WHERE POSSIBLE BECAUSE THEY ARE HARDER TO READ. Sometimes, they can be used for emphasis: for example, if your listing has been updated to reflect the fact that the price has been reduced, "DISCOUNTED: 2 bedroom house in France" can be effective. Writing more than one word in capitals, though, is likely to be annoying.

4. Commas

Full stops are key to piecing together sentences, but commas are key to assembling the phrases within, particularly when a sentence is very long or you are composing a list. Indeed, there is even a term for a comma used after the penultimate item in a list - the "Oxford comma" - which can spell the difference between an impressive advert and an embarrassing one. "New construction, won’t last" is a strong call to action. "New construction won’t last"? That is a demolition warning.

5. Confusing abbrevations

Abbreviations can save on space in a listing, but can also increase the amount of time required to read it. Gone are the days of classified ads in newspapers, when the number of letters available was limited: on the Internet, you can use as many words as necessary. Any time spent away from your listing researching what it says is time your reader could be spending filling in an enquiry form. Do say: "Three bed apartment with balcony, first floor bedroom for rent, with an option to buy." Don't say: "3 BD APT with BALC, FFBR, R/OPT."

6. Long sentences

Redfin and Grammarly’s survey also found that the preferred length of a property description is roughly 50 words. Listings that are not too long or too short are more likely to find a buyer faster - and fetch a better price. In short? Do not be afraid to be brief.

 

Photo: Jovike