What They Actually Mean

Free, complete glossaries of the language one trade uses when it means something else, then the printed version for a pocket. Estate agents first.

What is the What They Actually Mean series?

What They Actually Mean is a Home Truths series. Free, complete glossaries of the language one trade uses when it means something else, then the printed version for a pocket. Estate agents first. Every factual claim in every book is traced to a named source, and the sources are printed in the back.

Start here if

Every book in the series

BookWho it is forWhat it covers that the others do notStatus
What Estate Agents Actually Meansold stc meaningThe pilot decoder. Estate agent language in two registers: the technical terms that change what you pay, like sold STC, guide price and vacant possession, and the flattering ones that cost you a wasted Saturday, like deceptively spacious. Every entry says what to say back.in production

Frequently asked

What is the What They Actually Mean series?
What They Actually Mean is a Home Truths series. Free, complete glossaries of the language one trade uses when it means something else, then the printed version for a pocket. Estate agents first. Every factual claim in every book is traced to a named source, and the sources are printed in the back.
Which What They Actually Mean book should I get?
Match the book to the person rather than to the occasion. What Estate Agents Actually Mean is the pilot decoder. Estate agent language in two registers: the technical terms that change what you pay, like sold STC, guide price and vacant possession, and the flattering ones that cost you a wasted Saturday, like deceptively spacious. Every entry says what to say back.
Do the books repeat each other?
They share a structure and not their content. The tables, the years and the observations are specific to each book, which is the whole reason there is more than one rather than one book with a variable printed on the cover.