Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The 'Classy'fied Ad

Have you noticed that classified ads for houses have undergone a makeover? They read a lot like matrimonial ads.


Only superlatives.

While it is good looking/well educated / good family / tall, beautiful, handsome in the matrimonial ad, it is  beautiful, classy, posh, state of the art for the house.

Nothing short of being located in a posh locality. Italian flooring…. designed by international certified architect…. It does not matter if the rooms are match box sized, but the apartment you are viewing is a deluxe three bedroom.

Of course, we are great ones for vaastu. East facing, north-east facing, 100% vaastu compliant they say. The master has to occupy a particular bedroom even if it is the worst, only because it is ‘right direction facing’. I am not sure how it could be as per vaastu when the room has no natural lighting. Do you think experts have lost the core of vaastu science?

The park facing room is one which overlooks an unkempt open piece of land full of weeds and scraggly bushes. The one facing a lake is a threat, a heavy downpour and your home could pass off for a fortress with a moat. Stone throw from a school could mean that you would have to live with badly parked cars, autorickshaws and school buses.

A bit of luck is what you need. The title may be good, the papers may be clear, sign on the dotted line…. Move in and then you realize the impact of your decision. Are we talking of the house or the spouse?

( picture source : http://www.thepropertybuzz.com/ )

20 comments:

  1. Interesting viewpoint! I myself is about to write a classified ad for my property! My ad also will look like what you have mentioned here! :(

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  2. Do you seriously believe in Vasthu?
    I don't know if people elsewhere care about it.Recently an expert came and told me that my house is improper by vastu principles and I have to move out. Confused!

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  3. Hilarious but very true.Never go by the description- like wheat coloured complexion or the breath taking views from the building.Caveat emptor is the guiding principle be it a house or spouse.

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  4. 'Are we talking of the house or the spouse?'

    Ha,ha!well said. But I think I'll take the advertiser's side. When medium complexion/short height is never mentioned in matrimonial advertisements why can't a park be a weeded open space?

    Jokes apart you are right. Advertisements are misleading. It took 17 years for a so called fast developing area of Tanjavoor to get about 20 people to construct their houses in the periphery. We were assured that its value would double in 4 years.

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  5. Very interesting. Classified ads have come a long way from a simple description to actually "staging" the products, especially homes.

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  6. Nice play on words- 'classy'fied! And interesting post!

    Oh yes, the advertisements for real estate do sound like matrimonial ads!

    Particularly on auspicious days like Vijayadashami- I think our newpaper had a special section that day for these ads for ideally located, Vaastu-compliant prime properties!

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  7. Nona - hope you made the sale.
    Indrani,Manju,SM - thanks. Manju - Vijayadasami supplements are only ads these days.
    Dr A - I think it is more about proper ventillation, movement of air etc. I do not know if I will follow it if it involves such serious measures as moving out or breaking down a house.
    KP - yes, buyer beware.
    Hip Grandma - The area will develop depending on who is in power. If a politician owns a piece of land in that area, you can be sure there will be instant development.
    SG - There is a lot of 'gloss over' that is being done to the ordinary classified ad.

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  8. I found my house and spouse through the classified ads;p I was lucky it worked for me.

    But like you said, they can be very misleading!

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  9. Totally agree Radha. We are house hunting these days and the ads promise much more than they deliver. I wanted to add a few more adjectives which seem to have become the in thing - 'clubhouse' ' swimming pool' and 'gated community'. All of which are supposed to be things we should desire apparently!

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  10. At least we can resell the house!!! With a similar ad that too. Imagine, second hand husband, father of one, pot bellied and thankfully still employed ad. Wouldn't get too many takers! ;)

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  11. Yes, the words are similar for house or spouse...you have written interestingly! We have to take the risk for both! Unless you go closer to them, you will never know the truth!

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  12. RGB: There are always success stories. Glad it was with you. And definitely, not all ads are misleading.
    Deepa- And what about the exotic names of housing projects? Straight from the English countryside.
    Jyothi - that comment was hilarious!
    Sandhya: Yes,maybe these ads too should come with risk factors in fine print!

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  13. Well, welcome to the world of window dressing....As in spouses so with houses...the picture and the real image can be poles apart. Nice read. ;)

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  14. Today time is for selling..and to that it is necessary to attract people:)

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  15. At the moment about a house which is vaastu friendly.

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  16. How is searching for a house different from searching for a spouse? :-)

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  17. songsnwords: Thank you. Right in your observation
    Renu - Very true. While it is required, it should not be total eyewash
    BKC- At the moment, yes about the house.
    Anil - It is a question of a lifetime for most.

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  18. House hunting! I spent more time with the property dealer in Kolkata looking for the rented apartment in which we are still living, than in our courtship! Thankfully, I don't regret either choice. Not often, anyway!!!!! And it isn't the house, either:)

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