This is by no means a new topic, but I've decided to put a new 'spin' on it and, hopefully, further make my point with the aid of a few visuals.  The following list was created by me but the photos, and this post, are part of my "As Seen on the MLS" series which is aimed at educating buyers and sellers everywhere.

10. It's not as easy to wallpaper as it is to paint.

  9. Painting over wallpaper simply doesn't look professional.

  8. You're renting and you want to get your entire security deposit returned.

  7. Wallpapered doors and ceilings are not fun to replace and/or repair.

  6. The buyers may want to use the baby's room as their office.

  5. The buyers will want to use the office as their baby's room.

  4. The buyers have two boys and you have two girls.

  3. You are into pastels and the buyer is a fan of earth tones. 

  2. What looks like "the latest" style today will look dated in a few years.

  1. The offer amount will reflect the buyers' estimated effort & cost to remove, repair & repaint the room(s).

         

         

Do not attempt to adjust your computer monitor!  The latest addition to "The Lazy Agent Series" was selected because it is an example of why it is not only important to proofread your MLS listings for accuracy but also for the quality of the photos uploaded.  I can only hope that this agent possibly did not realize that the resolution of the photo was too low and had they seen how the photo looked on the MLS, they would have returned to the property to take better quality photos.  Apparently, the seller did not see the photo either.

Anyone new to digital photography should consider spending time learning the basics as it can make the learning curve a little less frustrating.  Kodak offers tips on digital photography and cnet offers an online course on digital photography basics. 

The Lazy Agent Scale:  (not so bad) 1....2....3....4....5....6....7....8....9....10 (worst) 

              

Some photos I come across on the MLS don't quite fit into "The Lazy Agent Series" I started last week but are interesting and educational in their own unique way so I've decided to name this new series of posts "As Seen on the MLS".  Maybe it's just me, but I've always believed that part of my duty when I'm the listing agent is to advise sellers on matters that may affect them or the sale of their property somehow.  Many sellers don't realize how the photos of their property on the MLS can sometimes help or hurt them in any number of ways. 

Looking at these photos, can you find reasons why a listing agent may want to think twice about including them?

There's no rating system for this series, but comments are always welcome.

Sit, doggie, sit!

              

The Hunter:

              

Trampoline Man:

              

Today's selection for "The Lazy Agent Series" was chosen because it left me wondering "How hard could it have been to move a few items before taking the picture?".  Don't get me wrong... I wouldn't expect any agent to start acting like wife and real estate agent, Carolyn, did in the movie "American Beauty" when she went on a cleaning spree of her listing just before her open house.  However, there are times when taking a minute or two to just move a few items out of the way can make a huge difference in how a property is presented to prospective buyers and whether the property is appealing enough to make a buyer want to take the next step... make an appointment to see it in person.

The Lazy Agent Scale:  (not so bad) 1....2....3....4....5....6....7....8....9....10 (worst) 

              

In keeping with the title of "The Lazy Agent Series" , I found this example that at first blush may not appear too terrible, until you notice (among other things) the date imprinted by the camera on the photo and then check the MLS info only to find that the house was built several years after that date.

I know this series is probably being read much more by ActiveRain members than sellers, but I think it's important that sellers realize how important the marketing of their home is, how it is possible that it can affect their bottom line and that they should be comfortable with what an agent's marketing plan includes (or doesn't include) before they hire them.  Perhaps they should even insist that the marketing plan and its timeline be part of the listing agreement - before they sign on the dotted line and put the sale of what is likely their biggest investment in the hands of just any agent, relatives and friends included.

                Anyone got a spare set of sunglasses?

The Lazy Agent Scale:  (not so bad) 1....2....3....4....5....6....7....8....9....10 (worst)

                

 

Yesterday I introduced "The Lazy Agent Series" and it seemed to strike a nerve with those who commented.  I suspect this is because those of us who work with buyers are forever frustrated by the quality of what we find on the MLS.  In a few of my 'old' posts, I'd given examples of funny typos in listings and showed a funny example of "before & after" photo editing and have even blogged about how the MLS is the best under-used marketing vehicle we have as real estate agents.

For those of you who wondered whether one of the items on yesterday's photo was a puppy head, please read one of my last comments (my reply to Carole Cohen) as I think I solved the question.  As for today's installment in this series, well... I'll let the photo speak for itself.  I only ask that you take a good look at it before you brush it off as just any ol' example.  I assure you, it is not.

              

It's voting time again.  On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being "not so bad" to 10 being "the worst", how would you rate this photo, keeping in mind the title of this series (The Lazy Agent).

 

Seeing new & used cars that are marketed better than some homes on the MLS is frustrating for both real estate agents and buyers. This post is a slight departure from my previous two entries for "The Lazy Agent Series" but it's to bring home a point.  That point being that, time and again, studies have shown that the number one thing buyers want to see are photos... lots of them!  Knowing this (or even just putting yourself in a buyer's shoes), why do so many listings in MLSs throughout the country offer no photo or even just one photo?  I decided to get some real, hard facts for this post, so this morning I searched the MLS for single-family homes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Here's what I found:

• Total # of Listings:  2,186
• Listings with NO photos:  313 (14.3% or 1 in 7)
• Listings with just 1 photo:  235 (10.8% or 1 in 9)

This means that out of 2,186 listings, 548 of them had no photo or just one photo.  That's a whopping 25% or 1 in 4 listings!  The Southeast Florida MLS allows us to upload up to 16 photos and, yet, this is what we see in 1 out of 7 listings:

      

If you can relate to this and would like it to change, albeit slowly, consider writing a blog post of your own showing the numbers that you find in your area and then including a link to your post in a comment below.  Perhaps the more sellers get 'wind' of how lousy their homes are being marketed, the more photos we'll start to see!  Wouldn't that be nice?

I'm sure all of us have our pet peeves about the MLS and what we see (or don't see) on it.  I'm starting a series of posts which I've decided to title "The Lazy Agent" to illustrate some of the things that I see on the MLS that just make me shake my head and think to myself "What were they thinking?".  I hope you'll come along with me for the ride.  I promise it'll be an interesting, if not funny (albeit sad) one.

Below is a photo I found recenlty that just makes you wonder why the agent bothered to not only take it in the first place, but to actually include it with the listing.

                

Let's take a vote.  On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being "not so bad" to 10 being "the worst", how would you rate this photo, keeping in mind the title of this series (The Lazy Agent).

 

In recent years there has been a surge in the number of people purchasing a second home to be used as a vacation home.  The majority of Florida vacation homes are located near lakes or along coastal areas such as the hundreds of miles along Florida's coastline.  Some people have purchased second homes to be near other family members (especially children or grandchildren).  According to the reports I've read, this is in large part thanks to the baby-boomer generation and low interest rates. 

Buying a second home for many people sometimes means taking on a second mortgage and some opt to treat the vacation property as an investment by renting it out part of the year.  Dozens of websites dedicated to assist you in finding renters for your second home have popped up on the Internet.  Owning a vacation home does not come without additional responsibilities so be sure you do some research to know what you can expect.

If you're looking for a vacation home to rent be sure to check our Vacation Rentals Directory to search for any listings in the area you'll be traveling to!

Are you going on vacation and need a place to stay but you don't want to stay in a hotel?  Are you a real estate agent or property manager with any vacation rental listings or do you own a vacation rental that you'd like to advertise here to the public and our colleagues?  If so, please join one of ActiveRain's newest groups:

                                                   Vacation Home Rentals

This group is intended to be a "Vacation Rentals Directory" where you can find vacation homes, beach houses, cabin rentals and villa rentals throughout the U.S. and beyond. 

Do you need help putting your vacation rental listing together - photos and all - in a neat little package which you can place on ActiveRain as a blog post?  Here are a couple of resources to help you do that: vflyer and postlets.