GMAT Essays (AWA)

The following appeared in The Homebuilder magazine, a local publication with a focus on construction and sale of real-estate properties:

"According to the most recent survey of our readers, nearly 70% of the respondents indicated that they are planning to build or purchase a new home over the next 2 years. These results indicate that the growth in the construction industry is likely to accelerate in the near future. Therefore, this industry continues to offer lucrative opportunities for investment."

The claim that the real-estate industry offers lucrative opportunities for investment is not effectively supported by the evidence presented. The survey's respondents are biased, the lack of historical data weakens the claim, and the scope is too encompassing.

Firstly, The Homebuilding magazine is focused on the "construction and sale of real-estate properties". It is likely that its readership is made up of mainly those who are already predisposed to the real-estate industry. The sample provided is not an accurate measure of people in general, and consequently should not be asserted as such.

Secondly, it is claimed that the results indicate that there will be growth in the near future. There is no historical data to support this statement. It is possible that more than 70% of respondents to a survey the previous year indicated that they were shopping in the real estate market - in this case, the inference would be the opposite of what is stated. The author should not assume that the reader will accept the current claim without supporting data.

Lastly, the scope of the claim refers to the real-estate industry as a whole. It is important to note that this magazine is a local publication; the sample size is naturally biased based on the location the magazine is printed. The results of the survey are therefore not indicative of the industry as a whole. To make the argument stronger, the author should have decreased the scope of its statements to that of the local level. The author also should have provided more relevant data. However, the author did not provide these details, and therefore the claims made in this magazine are flawed.