When you hear agents say, “Check out this beautiful house. It’s MASSIVE,” and it’s actually not. It’s called puffing.
What is Puffing?
Definition: The term puffing refers to “extravagant claims made by sellers in order to attract buyers.” In plain terms, puffing is an exaggeration of a fact.
Many people, including real estate agents, are guilty of puffing.
Agents will say things like, “wow, look at this beautiful yard. It’s the nicest I have ever seen,” and maybe they are not directly lying but are close to it. Who knows, perhaps to them, it is a beautiful yard and the nicest they have ever seen, but more than likely, the agent is exaggerating. They are doing this to make the property seem nicer.
Puffing is usually common for a lot of salespeople. Real estate agents included. It’s one of those things that occur often. It happens in ads, stores, and pretty much everywhere sales happen. I am sure you’ve been to a clothing store before where someone offered you some perfume stating it is the best they’ve ever smelled. Like before, who knows? It could be true? More than likely not.
So is it legal? The answer is yes because it is more of an opinion rather than a fact. This is why it is usually not considered illegal. Puffing is legal as long as the statements are not fraudulent.
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