Is your description uniquely "yours"?   Plagiarism lawsuits in real estate. I wonder.  Fair or right?  Likely not. Lawsuits?  Hmm...this could be a true "Honey, stop the car" moment if we want to keep the advertising reference that was made previously.  Interesting question. 

Well, I wouldn't do it. I know our MLS does not allow using another agent's photos. As for copy, I'm not sure... it just doesn't feel right. I'd check with your MLS what the rules are.

Is this right?

Well, life is not fair. Zdevil, franchises and local associations have made that crystal clear.

The problem with condos is they all share many of the same features. What you can do is call the agent and ask for the definition of the select words you used in your description.

Otherwise, although disappointing, your text is fair game. In a sea of common thought and diminishing creativity, stealing the creation of others is common practice among real estate professionals.

Congrats!  You created something worthy of stealing!

Yep, it happens all the time. Move on, go sell a house.

Send a note to the agent that you are flattered with the use of your prose.

why would anyone want to do that.... it's NOT right.... but it would also depend on what your MLS rules are... I doubt if that's acceptable anywhere.

Lazy and unoriginal. Or flattering that no one can improve on your prose and narrative  Tim Ball . If it was hogwash it would not be duplicated in the copy and paste.

No, not really but you can't really call copyright on listing words. Photos are a totally different story. I know what you mean though about some agents not being able to complete a sentence about their own listing.

This is a great question! I don't know if you can claim ownership to words in this context. I have seen this over and over again.

I find people who cannot come up with their own words, thoughts, personalities, to be quite pathetic.

But this is good news for people who are original. Because they're always going to be a step ahead.

It's a signal to remember to change it up. Keep it fresh. Let the wannabes try to catch up. As if.

I'm not a lawyer, but it strikes me as unethical but probably not illegal. Certainly lazy.

I don't think there's a law against it; don't believe plagiarism applies, but it's not right. Guess they just love what you write.

Yes. It's not verbatim and you are not writing a novel. Take it as flattery Tim Ball , you are obviously good at it and inspiring to this other agent.

It's sad when agents are so uncreative that they can't come up with their own description.  There are so many ways to describe the same thing.  I never see a need to copy.    Agents that do this are lazy and uncreative, which is also a sign of their overall marketing skills.

Typically at least a few words are changed. To answer the question, I would say yes as it happens all the time and it has been accepted as common practice.

Hard to win a lawsuit. However, I have agents copy my photos and post on MLS. Same broker just got escorted out handing out business cards at my open house. SHe probably has been that way for 20 years.

Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 has this one nailed.

Is it worth it to let yourself get worked up over this? are there not more productive uses for your time, effort and energy? If you prioritize your activities this one should be at the bottom of the list.

Send them an email and copy their broker.  Totally not acceptable.

I agree with Nina Hollander .  A

No I would not do it.  Surely they could come up with their own description. 

Is it right to plagiarize? No. But sometimes, baring the fluff piece, there's only so many ways to describe amenities and floor plans. I don't police my MLS, I'm too busy.

You can't copy anyone elses work without their permission.  I can't even legally copy and ask this question.  We must follow US Copyright laws.  

Nope, nope, and nope. Oh, unless you really want to show your new seller how incredibly lazy and non-talented you are.

I suppose you could copyright the contents of your listing. I would be annoyed, but I’m not sure I could do anything other than that to stop them. 

I wouldnt recommend it, on the other hand I would not let it upset me either.

I wouldn't lose to much sleep over this. Imitation is a form of flattery I've heard.

In colleges across the Nation this was rampant until they came up with software that tests it for originality. In other sectors like Real Estate, people who have no marketing skills or are lazy or tempted take the E_Z way. The search for identity (who are you) is at risk when you copy or imitate

Copy it verbatum, absolutely wrong. Doesn't say much about their work ethic either; writing a unique, appealing, verbose description is part of our job. 

If they took the listing from you (expired) & then took your words then it's even more aggregious!

If you have no thoughts of your own or there is just not that many things to say then I suggest PARAPHRASING, that'll work. 

it's not what I would do, but I'd "let it go"

I echo what Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA said.  The MLS has rules and the board frowns on copy and pasting listing descriptions.  There are agents out there that do that with entire websites!!!  I know of 2 examples where they were so lazy and stupid they did not change the name or the phone number.  Holy Crow!!! 

In my area, it would not be allowed.  It happens and if the thief does not correct it once called out on it, the board will usually come down pretty hard on them.

Now with that said, if it's a section in the writeup about community pools, parks, etc. there are only so many ways to say "Neighborhood has community pools, etc."

NO!  that is not acceptable in our local board

I would not, come up with your own.

No, it is not acceptable.

I see it happen alot in our area.

Not really. 

Hell NO!

It is not acceptable but, we do see it quite often. 

If your verbiage is unique and you have worked to make it different, it would be an affront to you to have it duplicated on another agent's listing. If it is descriptive of the features of the unit or community...well, there are a limited way of describing shared features...pool, community center, parking.

Yet, it is easy to see if the other agent just took the lazy way out out used your creativity or simply used common descriptors.

Not in my opinion.

I would not suggest that to any agent. Create your own copy and also don't take my community photos for your use either. I see  this going on all the time.

It's probably allowed and could be acceptable. Sometimes it's the seller that writes the description that they want agents to use. If sellers didn't create, other agent might have said go ahead and use it. Otherwise, new agent can give it their own twist. Not something I'd worry about.