Listing photos. Six months ago I wrote a lengthy tome titled, “Real Estate Listing Photos. Or not. From the ‘I don’t get it’ files”.
I still don’t get it.
Today, as I was torturing myself on Trulia Voices – a Q&A like forum where real estate buyers and sellers ask questions and agents present themselves as the Second Coming – I noted quite a few questions about listing photos. Or lack thereof.
Questions like:
It goes on and on and on. A search on Trulia for “more pictures” returns 534 results. Search for “more photos” and you only get 434 results.
These search results are filtered by “recent activity”, so these 969 inquiries have only come in the last couple of months.
People want need to see photos when looking for homes on-line.
Agents, load the photos up, it’ll help sell your listings.
Sellers, demand you agents place photos in your on-line listings.
Buyers, be aware that most buyers blow right past listings without photos. You may just find some hidden gems in those photo-lite listings.
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Another thing that blows my mind is when agents get new listings and don’t upload photos right away to the mls… they take their time and let the listing sit for days before the light bulb goes off.
Jay – This problem just won’t seem to go away. PHOTOS, how hard is it? I’d rather see poorly shot photos than none at all or not enough. And if you do take photos, please for the love of all things real estate, take a few of the inside (and no, not just the toilet). We’re not asking for much, just a little help that can be done quickly, easily, and cheaply.
Wait until I finish my post about how I propose we solve the problems of real estate. I think you’ll enjoy it. I’ll tweet about it once I get it finished (it’s been a slow one to write, but it will be well worth it, I hope).
**Matt Stigliano´s last blog post..Avalon Subdivision – San Antonio, TX
Jason – I do admit I have done that, but it was because the seller wouldn’t let me take them until they were ready. Unfortunately we had already done the listing agreement and I had to get it in to the MLS. My solution was to put comments in both the remarks and agent remarks that photos would be shot and uploaded on xxx date. I did include one photo of the front that the seller allowed me to snap.
**Matt Stigliano´s last blog post..Avalon Subdivision – San Antonio, TX
Sometimes that’s what you have to do Matt. At least you added a note. And I suspect stuck by it. (I saw something in the MLS once along the lines of “Lockbox will be put on home on June 17″. And I was reading it in September…)
Of the active properties listed in Scottsdale, 52 of them do not have photos, ranging in price from $74K all the way up to 4.3M.
While I can understand that a listing may be on the market for a day or two without photos, but when the average days on market for properties in Scottsdale with no photos is 98 days?!? it just doesn’t make sense.
Who are these agents and what are they doing to market these properties? GRRR!
**Jon Griffith´s last blog post..I Hardly Use Google Because of Twitter
I want to know what the agent tells his/her sellers when they ask why it isn’t getting much traffic. The line of BS they would spout must be very convincing…
**Benjamin Ficker´s last blog post..Mesa Community Farmer’s Market
No photos or lack of photos make me believe there is something to hide. And if there is one photo, how bad is the house you couldn’t find one other angle. But please oh please, skip photos of the toilet.
**Mike Rohrig´s last blog post..Names and Naming Stuff
Jay-
You wrote this post for me, didn’t you?
You and I have talked about this before, and are of similar mindsets.
Some would argue, but numbers don’t lie. Statistics show that on average, a home with 20 or more photos will sit on the market for less than half the time- and sell for 3.8% more- than a house with only one photo.
What’s this mean to an agent and/or a seller? Well, as they say, money talks. Strictly from a cash standpoint, 3.8% on a $200,000.00 home, that’s an additional $7,600.00 in the seller’s pocket, not to mention, as a listing agent, an additional $228.00 in your pocket, give or take.
Too busy, or lacking the right equipment to take the photos yourself? Hire a photographer in your area (shameless self-promotion- for those in the greater Phoenix Area, I’d like to offer my services!); chances are you can work out a mutually beneficial agreement that will get you a high-quality set of photos to post with the listing, while still managing to keep some of that additional commission in your pocket… and getting your client the absolute most for their home is a sure way to earn repeat and referral business.
Jay, you’ve been in attack mode for a couple of days, part time agents, lack of pictures (but I couldn’t agree more).
Who or what are you going after next
How about agents who don’t bother to return phone calls to *either* their clients or other agents.
**howard´s last blog post..Seth says: you matter
As primarily a Buyer Agent team, we like it when listing agents don’t provide good pictures, because then the clients ask us to go get them more photos, and we do, and they buy from us.
Thanks Listing agents for dropping the ball….we will pick it up and run it in for a score!
**brianculhane´s last blog post..Why should I do a final walkthrough?
Now you are giving away my trade secret. I do the little things like input good quality pics the day it goes on the market. I will not list until the home is ready to show. Buyers don’t spend the time reading my description unless it passes the photo test,
A picture tells a thousand words. I once came across someone who was concerned about putting interior pictures up of high end homes. They and their clients were scared that robbers would be looking. I think if your clients are concerned about robbers and they are well off they should take all of their valuables and place them in storage while you try to market the home effectively. Pictures are of the utmost importance when buyers are looking online.
**Halifax Real Estate´s last blog post..A Rental Property Horror Story
It’s absolutely true that listings must have pictures uploaded ASAP!! In a world where practically every buyer searches online, you are shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t upload as many pics as your MLS will allow. And as an agent searching for my buyers, I breeze right past any listings that don’t have pictures uploaded — with sooo many listings to choose from, I am going to focus on the ones where I can study the pics to see if it matches my client’s needs. I hardly ever read the descriptions, I just look at the pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words…
I notice that all of the entries cited are asking for “more” photos suggesting that there were photos but just not enough. Our MLS previously did not require any photos on a listing. I used to use it as a listing tool showing the pletora of listings without photos stating that I always put the maximum number of photos possible on my listings. Now our MLS requires at least 1 photo (Darn). Now I cannot site the listings that have no photos so now I feature the fact that I do virtual tours on all my listings (Unless it would be disadvantageous to do so). I however beleive that regardless of how many photos you include, some buyers will still want more. Do you reach a point where additional photos might discourage people from a showing. Are they only looking to disqualify a property because of something they see in a photo that they don’t like? I think too many photos can be disadvantageous.
Our MLS requires six pictures before it will send it anywhere other than our local agents, ie Trulia, etc. There is a beautiful home, with a lake view, that has been on for several months – 2 photos. I still don’t get it.
**Heather Rankin´s last blog post..Page, AZ, This Weeks Movies In The Park – June 11th Marley and Me
How can any agent who doesn’t provide good photos tell their clients (or themselves, for that matter) that they are marketing the property effectively? It doesn’t cost anything, other than the initial camera investment and a little time. It’s the least we can do for our listing clients. We owe it to them.
BTW…if you MUST include the toilet shots, please, at least close the lid.
I really don’t understand it either. All I can do is shake my head and hope that home buyers take the time to look through listings that may not have pictures.
Sometimes property owners, contrary to common sense will refuse to have photos taken until the house has been “done up” which then takes ages with some of them. And the agent can’t really do much else then.
Then there’s the picture I came across today with a foot of snow in the front yard. How hard is it to go take a new picture; REALLY!
Photos are definitely important when listing real estate. Photos can help draw buyers as long as they’re good photos.
Celina Home Builder