The estate agent's descriptions

Those of us who live in St Leonard's know that we are very fortunate; it is a very pleasant place to live.  So it is not surprising that estate agents promote the area when they are selling houses.  In several parts of the neighbourhood, of course, many houses sell quickly, and don't need much promotional language from the agent.  (And perhaps the houses which do not sell are priced too high?)

However, it is amusing to see what language appears in advertisements about houses described as "St Leonard's" (with or without the apostrophe).

• "this highly sought after residential location", 
• "highly desirable St Leonards location", 
• "walking distance of the city centre and the quay", 
• "highly desirable location",
• "close to excellent local amenities, hospitals and the city centre", 
• "occopying [sic] a highly prestigious residential location within the ever-popular residential area of St Leonards", 
• "in the sought after St Leonards area", 
• "an elegant crescent in St Leonards", 
• "superbly located in prestige location", 
• "the exclusive St Leonards area of central Exeter", 
• "the most desirable area of Exeter", 
• "the most prestigious area of St Leonards, Exeter", 
• "the highly desirable area of St Leonards", 
• "in one of the most sought after roads in St Leonards"

But my favourite this week is:

• "Set amidst the grand avenues of Exeter's premier residential district".

Don't the words "grand avenues" conjure up visions of French boulevards?

In July 2014, we were encouraged to know that there were "tree-lined terraces" in St Leonard's