From the initial presentation, the application looked fairly straightforward — the kind of thing most people could probably figure out in three-and-a-half minutes and a decent Wi-Fi connection. Still, someone decided this required a formal meeting, complete with slides, introductions, and enough industry buzzwords to qualify as a minor political campaign.

So naturally, I assumed there had to be more beneath the surface. There wasn’t. A brief 10 minutes had passed and all I could think was, “too many words.”

Real estate is not the only industry that lacks brevity in explanations. Politicians are the real pros. A reporter asks a politician if taxes will go up if they are voted into office. The answer? “What the people are asking for is thoughtful economic stewardship that protects long-term prosperity.” They could have just said, “yes,” since that is the translation.

It all starts with the listing description. With the help of ChatGPT, suddenly a 1978 split entry in Roy isn’t just a home. It has transformed into a “rare lifestyle opportunity featuring timeless character, curated living spaces and seamless indoor-outdoor flow.” Feel free to come to your own interpretation on that one.

Honestly somewhere between cozy (tiny) and investment opportunity (hope your tetanus shot is up to date), the industry has decided more words equal more value. What people really want to know, and these are the questions they ask us every day when we are showing the listings, is how old is the roof? What are the utility costs? Is there a dead animal in the walls of this basement? Does it have indoor plumbing?

The answers to these questions would be so much more useful than a bunch of descriptive adjectives. “Quiet street in Syracuse, new furnace, roof replaced five years ago and backyard big enough for a trampoline and two badly supervised dogs.” Just enough words to capture interest without the unrealistic expectations.

Utah buyers are not interested in interpreting a Shakespeare play. They just want to know whether the home cuts down their commute time and the driveway is big enough for a future RV.

It seems the more uncertain the market becomes, the more words the pros use. I’ve been guilty of it myself. “What we are witnessing here is simply a recalibration of residential inventory and evolving macroeconomic conditions. Nothing to worry about.” In other words, houses are sitting longer and buyers got picky. Simple, easy, and true. I am hearing buyers just wanting honesty. Our buyers can smell salesmanship from three subdivisions away.

In reality, young families are crunching numbers at kitchen tables in Clearfield wondering if they should buy now or wait. Retirees in South Ogden are debating whether downsizing even saves money anymore. Military families transferring into Hill AFB are trying to understand why every decent listing disappears in 48 hours. First-time buyers are discovering that “starter home” now apparently means “$520,000 with original carpet.”

This is why honesty feels revolutionary. As agents, we need to put down the thesaurus and describe the listing as it really is: “Solid brick home, kitchen needs updating,” or “The backyard gets a little mushy in the spring,” or “The wind in South Weber is a personality trait in the mornings.”

Maybe, it is possible that less is more. Take Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address for example; the verbal equivalent of a single match lighting an entire mountainside. Following Edward Everett, one of the greatest orators of his age, who spoke for two hours, Lincoln stood. He used approximately 272 words and spoke for two minutes. He stripped away the ego, the ornamental, the repetition and the self-congratulatory spew. What was left was pure purpose. “… that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth …” No wasted syllables, or academic scaffolding. It was just immortal steel.

The truth is, we don’t need too many words to sell real estate in Northern Utah. There is certainly enough personality here already. Fifty decorative adjectives describing the mountains, access to skiing, growing job markets, and safe neighborhoods are not needed. The area speaks for itself. We already have a great reputation. And I’ve used too many words to say this.

Jen Fischer is a associate broker and Realtor. She can be reached at 801-645-2134 or jen@jen-fischer.com.