How to Read a Listing

Real estate listing jargon is a lot like instant messaging and texting shorthand. You can probably figure out that "4BR/2.5BA hm on lg lvl lot w/ vu" translates as "four bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom home on large level lot with view." (A "half-bath," in case you were wondering, is just a toilet and a sink; some might call it a "powder room.")

There are two different kinds of decoding you'll need when you look at a listing: Amenity abbreviations resulting in alphabet soup, and descriptive "fluff."

Decoding Acronyms

ASSUM: Assumable mortgage
ATT: Attached (garage, studio, in-law suite)
BAL: Balcony
CAC: Central air conditioning
DET: Detached (garage, studio, in-law suite)
DR: Dining room
D/W: Dishwasher
EIK: Eat-in kitchen
FIN: Finished (attic or basement)
FDR, FML, DR: Formal dining room
FP, FPL, FRPL: Fireplace
GAR: Garage
GRTRM: Great room
HDW, HDWD, HWF: Hardwood (floors)
HVAC: Heating, ventilation, air conditioning
IRPL: In-ground pool
KIT: Kitchen
MBR, MBA: Master bedroom, master bathroom
SPLT: Split-level
WAR: Warranty
W/D: Washer/dryer

Decoding Descriptors

State-of-the-art: Meet the Jetsons
Spacious: Airplane hangar
Charming: Small
Gourmet: Viking range
Cute or cozy: Small
View: Of what?
Fantastic: According to whom?
Well-maintained: Old, but not a disaster
Wonderful: Not much to talk about
Great neighborhood: What's wrong with the house?
Renovated: Red flag: botched job?
Remodeled: When? How long ago?
Fixer-upper: A shack
Handyman's dream: A wreck
Needs TLC: Somebody screwed up a remodel
Romantic: Old
Tear-down: Just what it says: tear it down
No price: Overpriced
Great starter home: Tiny
As-is: Smells like a tear-down


When you read a listing, pull it apart for descriptive words that are trying to cover up a weakness. And beware of exclamation points: Too much hype is usually just that - hype.