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.