09/11/2026
I recently took my client to another broker’s listing.
Beautiful home. Gorgeous views. Lovely finishes.
Then the agent started talking.
“Of course it’s in the MLS, the DOM is low, we should review the HOA and PUD docs, get the ILC, and depending on LTV, we should be good for COE.”
I looked at my client.
My client looked at me.
I have been in real estate for years, and even I was thinking:
Are we buying a house or launching a satellite?
MLS. HOA. DOM. CMA. PUD. ILC. LTV. DTI. COE.
At one point, I wondered if I had accidentally wandered into a CIA briefing.
And I felt bad.
Because here was an intelligent, successful buyer trying to make a major financial decision, and we were speaking to them like they had completed six semesters at the University of Real Estate Acronyms.
They came to see the kitchen.
They did not come to crack the Enigma code.
We Realtors are guilty of this all the time.
“What’s the DOM?”
“Did you run a CMA?”
“Have you checked the HOA?”
“Is it a PUD?”
“Do we have the ILC?”
Meanwhile, the buyer is thinking:
IDK. I JUST LIKE THE HOUSE.
The truth is, our clients are not supposed to speak our language.
We are supposed to speak theirs.
They are making one of the biggest financial and emotional decisions of their lives. They deserve clarity, not alphabet soup.
So the next time I hear:
“The DOM looks good, but check the HOA and ILC before COE…”
I may just translate:
“The house looks great. We have some homework to do. We will explain everything.”
Much better.
OMG.
Look at that.
Another acronym.
