Rhetoric in the language of real estate marketing

Pryce, G. and Oates, S. (2008) Rhetoric in the language of real estate marketing. Housing Studies, 23(2), pp. 319-348. (doi: 10.1080/02673030701875105)

Abstract

“Des. Res.”, “rarely available”, “viewing essential” – these are all part of the peculiar parlance of housing advertisements which contain a heady mix of euphemism, hyperbole and superlative. Of interest is whether the selling agent’s penchant for rhetoric is spatially uniform or whether there are variations across the urban system. We are also interested in how the use of superlatives varies over the market cycle and over the selling season. For example, are estate agents more inclined to use hyperbole when the market is buoyant or when it is flat, and does it matter whether a house is marketed in the summer or winter? This paper attempts to answer these questions by applying textual analysis to a unique dataset of 49,926 records of real estate transactions in the Strathclyde conurbation over the period 1999 to 2006. The analysis opens up a new avenue of research into the use of real estate rhetoric and its interaction with agency behaviour and market dynamics.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Housing economics, housing market, Aristotle, real estate brokerage, textual analysis
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Pryce, Professor Gwilym and Oates, Prof Sarah
• Authors: Pryce, G., and Oates, S.
• Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GA Mathematical geography. Cartography; H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General); H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor; H Social Sciences > HA Statistics; P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Journal Name: Housing Studies
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• ISSN: 0267-3037
• ISSN (Online): 1466-1810
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2008 Taylor and Francis
• First Published: First published in Housing Studies 23(2):319-348
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher