Homebuyers are shoppers like any other, which means that certain words appeal to them more than others: “deal,” “affordable”… and “bargain.” But not every sale is a deal; not every home is affordable; and according to a report from Trulia, not every bargain is a bona fide bargain.

“Bargain” is a trigger word for buyers, because it easily sums up the value of a property: worth more than it’s priced (or at least that’s the impression it gives).

In its analysis – which evaluated online-listed homes described with words such as “bargain,” “value,” “deal” and the phrases “under valued,” “fixer upper” and “under priced” – Trulia discovered that marketing a home as a “bargain” is often a misnomer that really indicates the opposite. Of the 100 largest housing markets in country the listing portal analyzed, researchers discovered “bargain” homes in 45 of the cities actually sold above the median list price for comparable properties.

In its initial press release, Trulia explained the discrepancy between bargain labeling and actual bargains as a “serious problem.”

The report read: “This is a serious problem because successful real estate transactions need mutual trust between the buyers and the sellers, meaning that this learned cynicism is one more barrier for real estate professionals seeking to help their clients sell their homes. As a result, listings need to be written using open and transparent language while still appealing to the most probable home buyers, which is one more reason that real estate professionals are so essential for home sellers.”

The Actual Bargains

In the remaining 55 markets, “bargain” equated to a deal, but the discount varied greatly from city to city.

Among all 100 cities, the most prolific bargain market was Dayton, Ohio – located in the bargain belt, which encompasses the Midwestern and Southern markets – where the average discount on such properties was 19.6 percent, equating to a $22,900 markdown on a $116,900 home. The lowest average discount was in Riverside, Calif., where bargain homes averaged a 2.1 percent discount on the local median list price (a $6,480 markdown on a $310,000 home).

Houston was among the 55 markets in which “bargain” alluded to an actual bargain – though, it ranked on the lower end of the 55, coming in at No. 50.

Homes in the area promising a markdown averaged a discount of 3 percent, amounting to savings of $8,861 on an approximately $250,000 home.

See how our city compares to other “bargain” markets below: