Many prospective and current homeowners are noticing a peculiar trend when looking at recent home listings. A handful of homes for sale have descriptions that are touting the fact that they are “ugly” properties, complete with photos of overgrown landscapes and run down interiors. According to a recent REALTOR.com article the trend of the “ugly home” is a growing one too, with listings actually going so far as to advertise the home as the “worst in the neighborhood.”

Shannon Kutchek, Top Producing REALTOR at Smothers Realty Group in LaGrange, IL doesn’t feel that using a property’s unattractiveness as a listing feature is a necessarily a good idea. “As a REALTOR it’s my job to be a financial advocate for my clients, bringing them the most money I can for their property. This means promoting the best aspects of any home that I list, whether it’s newly renovated or a fixer-upper.” Shannon goes on to share that while positioning a listing as an “ugly house” may be a novel approach that could generate a lot of online interest – that interest may not necessarily translate into good offers.

While homeowners may not want to rely on an “ugly home” marketing approach to move their property, they can be assured that their less than perfect property is still marketable. Quite a few first-time homebuyers are more than willing to put in sweat-equity to bring a home up to their standard of living. Student loan debt is one reason that many millennials are willing to make a housing investment that can help them to build a stronger financial future. “Rehabbed homes can generate cash flow and, potentially, a steady income to help build wealth over time.”, states Homevesters.com.

So should homeowners with properties in need of a little TLC consider trying the “ugly house” listing technique? The bottom line is that the role of a REALTOR is not only to make the process of buying home easier, but to act as their client’s strongest financial advocate. REALTORS will take trends like the “ugly house” advertisement into consideration, but will ultimately invest in the listing technique that they feel will result in the highest monetary gain for their clients.