Sexy Trumps Love in Real Estate

We all know that love hurts and love scars, but it turns out it can also hurt the value of your home.

That’s according to an analysis of 1.6 million home real estate listings by Realtor.com, which found the word “love” used more often in property descriptions of lower-priced homes, whereas the words “sexy” and “seductive” were used more often in homes priced on the higher end.

“When you talk about extreme wealth, you’ll see terms like ‘sexy’ bandied about,” Adam Alter, an associate professor of marketing at the New York University Stern School of Business, told the Wall Street Journal.

According to Realtor.com’s analysis, homes with the word “love” in the description were on the market for a median asking price of $250,000—the variation “loving” accompanied the lowest median asking price of the terms analyzed, at $195,000.

Contrast that with properties listed as “sexy,” with their median asking price of $620,000; or “seductive,” on the market for a median $640,000. Topping out the list was the word “romance,” which appeared in listings for homes with a median asking price of a whopping $640,000.

And if you believe that carefully placed words are all it takes to sell a house then I’ve got a seductive bridge to sell you. Romance.