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Yes, you're expecting too much. My current MLS doesn't even have an option to describe the property beyond house, condo, 1/2 duplex, or townhouse... and then you have the multi-family description of 2 units, 3 units, 4 units, or 5+ units.
In my previous MLS, there was an option and more than 99.9% of the time, no matter the style, because there really is only one style in the area, it was marked as Traditional. Yes, you have some streets of older homes that would be Tudor style, but since they were still brick homes, they were considered "Traditional".
You're expecting too much for agents to go beyond the 99% of the people obvious. It might have been a revival to you, but to someone else, it might have been a modern renovation or a contemporary just because of the furnishings.
I'm running into the same thing looking at small older homes. I've seen many lovely old 2 story homes listed as 'ranch', LOL. Often these small older homes have basements that are never mentioned but they are included in a picture or two. The same thing with having a 1.5 story old house with rooms upstairs. They are listed as one story, but then would you look at the pics there is a finished room or two upstairs with original stairs going up there. You'd think being fairly accurate would help sell houses.
I pretty much at this point take the written description with a grain of salt.
Another RI person here. I very rarely heard or saw the term 'foursquare' used. Our agent knew it, and I knew it from both learning about house styles plus having family in Chicago where it is a common term. Also I dislike the style so I didn't seek them out
In any case, even people here who know terms like Dutch Colonial vs Tudor vs Bungalow vs Victorian are not likely to use "four square". I think many people here would call them colonials, but could probably distinguish them informally in some way vs "classic colonials" or "traditional colonials" or whatever they'd call a true colonial.
Quote:
Originally Posted by willow wind
Hollytree-
I am in CT & in CT a four square is a colonial. Go into places such as New London & huge sections of the city are four squares. Agents call them colonials. No place on the MLS service for four squares.
Regarding American Foursquares, this design was a response to the ornate homes of the Victorian era, and they were popular in neighborhoods built during the early twentieth century. I googled around yesterday looking for examples in various places where posters mentioned no familiarity with them. While I was able to find several gorgeous Foursquares in Georgia and Vermont, in Rhode Island I came up empty except for one mention of the style in a document associated with the Wayland neighborhood of Providence. I did not take the time to do a street view search, but I may do so later to see if I can find some examples to share. American Foursquares in the Midwest, where they were built by the thousands in my hometown, had Craftsman style interiors, and there are lots of local variations on the theme.
What most people consider a Colonial today is a revival style that has gone through many iterations. True Colonials are period homes in the Northeast, where they really can date back hundreds of years to the colonization of America. Farther west, they are simply interpretations on the theme. My hometown has a nice selection of Dutch Colonial Revivals, which some might recognize as a two-story house with a "barn" roof. There are also some vernacular styles that I would not expect anyone outside of southwest Ohio to recognize, much less name.
My thoughts on this topic mostly arose out of my interest in historic neighborhoods. Modern tract homes draw from a variety of influences, and I would expect them to be labeled more simply as one- or two-story. As for the Cape Cod, that is a very specific style that is very often misapplied to all small houses in the area I was searching. And it certainly doesn't help that many of these once distinctive small homes have been re-muddled over the years with white vinyl siding by well-meaning owners who wanted maintenance-free exteriors, effectively destroying any interesting details. That was the case with the property that inspired me to write the original post.
In any case, I now understand a bit more about how properties are classified in the MLS thanks to those who responded. I'm going to chalk this all up to me being a house geek. Happy New Year everyone! May 2016 be your best year yet!
Last edited by randomparent; 01-01-2016 at 09:41 AM..
I am in CT & in CT a four square is a colonial. Go into places such as New London & huge sections of the city are four squares. Agents call them colonials. No place on the MLS service for four squares.
What are they called in RI out of curiosity ?
A four square is a type of colonial but not all colonials are four squares. Just like gambrels, garrisons, et al - all types of colonials but not the traditional definition.
If someone told me they lived in a colonial here in MA, I think of this:
Center entry, fireplace up through the middle of the house, simple granite steps, very little ornamentation.
Today, while I was perusing real estate listings, I noticed once again that many agents don't seem to have even a basic grasp of the major architectural styles. This time it was a Cottage Revival described as a Cape Cod. Am I expecting too much when assuming that agents know enough to identify a Victorian, a Tudor, an American Foursquare, a mid-Century Modern, and a Colonial? Most of the time, I think the mistaken identities are funny, but it struck me today that perhaps agents don't receive any education at all in residential architecture and do not think it important enough to seek the information out on their own. I'm not suggesting weeks of study but maybe just enough to provide a general familiarity with the basics. Am I out of line here?
That's what separates a great agent from a good mediocre or bad agent. Having the knowledge of your property style and describing it correctly. I know I misspell words online but I'm not getting paid for my opinion. That is their job. I've seen some atrocious spellings pictures and descriptions on MLS listings
If someone told me they lived in a colonial here in MA, I think of this:
Center entry, fireplace up through the middle of the house, simple granite steps, very little ornamentation.
How is that colonial? Where are the rounded columns on the front porch? In the older part of town in my market, which is only a handful of streets, that picture is not representative... You would need a covered front porch and columns. But that's just how each market is different.
Here's a discussion of the American Foursquare from Old House Web. The example looks like it was pulled straight out of one of my favorite hometown neighborhoods.
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