What is puffing in real estate and is it legal?

Puffing is the use of exaggerated, subjective opinions or superlatives to promote a property, such as calling it "the best house on the block" or saying it has "an amazing view." Puffing is legal because reasonable buyers are expected to recognize it as opinion rather than fact. It becomes illegal misrepresentation when the statement crosses from subjective opinion to a specific factual claim, such as saying "this basement has never flooded" when the agent knows it has. The line between puffing and misrepresentation is whether the statement is a verifiable fact or an obvious opinion.