- Photo from http://lovelylisting.com, THANK YOU!!
So, they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so what are your listing photos saying about your house? It is so important to double check the photos your agent is using to advertise your home. Now, I’m not talking about homes with weird wallpaper, tons of clutter, or crazy themes. I’m talking about plain old BAD photography, and agents who are too _______ (lazy? tired? uncaring? unmotivated?) to make sure the photo looks as flattering to the house as possible.
I spoke with a woman who told me that she was thinking of putting her house on the market very soon, I was hoping she would call me to list it. Of course, one of the first things I do is research the house. I look at the tax records, the listing history, and the neighborhood comparables. When I looked at the listing history of the home, I saw that the house was listed recently, and had just expired.
When I looked at the previous listing’s photos, I was shocked by how bad they were! The photos of the house were dark, making it very hard to see the details of the home. They were all labeled as “Exterior Front” and had no description written for them. Did you know you can add a description to each photo in the MLS? The photos just didn’t do the gorgeous house justice at all.
Entire websites are dedicated to bad listing photos. Check out http://www.lovelylisting.com or http://www.uglyhousephotos.com
How about agents who list the home in the winter and then never take new pictures, even though it is now summer, and the picture still has snow in the front yard? Seriously, how much effort does it take to go get fresh pictures? I try to get new photos at least every 2 months, more often if needed. What’s even worse? No photo at all, or only 1 of the front and none of the inside. What does that tell a potential buyer?
I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of houses where the sun was behind the house, cause the front of the house to be completely in shadows, to where you can’t even see it? Surely that agent could have come back at another time of day or even on a different day to improve that picture?
I have seen some horrible photos of homes, and wondered how people put up with that? Perhaps they trust their agent so much that they don’t even check? If you see that your photos are dark, unfocused, or just plain bad (who really wants to see a picture of your toilet!?) then call your agent and have them take new pictures. I do not think a professional photographer needs to be brought in, but I do think agents need to take the time to do things right! I’m not saying I’m perfect, by no means, but when I see a photo like this, I just have to wonder what they were thinking??
PS: That woman did not have me over for a listing appointment, so I didn’t have a chance to show her the previous agent’s photos. She re-listed the property with that agent, who used those same photos over again. No comment about that.
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