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These MLS photos are JUST WRONG! I think my head is going to EXPLODE!

I was minding my own business doing an MLS search of high end homes for a prospective luxury buyer client. There are some nice homes on the market, and in the million dollar plus range there is high inventory and some great deals to be had in the Coeur d'Alene area real estate market.

The luxury home niche happens to be my speciality. I love those big, beautiful homes and estates. LOVE to market them, promote them and strategize with their sellers on the profile of the most likely buyer, and how to go about reeling him in. My associates laugh at me, say they would much rather have 5 homes priced at $200K than one home priced at a million, because their five homes will sell before my one. Well, yes, they do have a point. But I just laugh back and tell them that I can't help myself.

I was clicking on the details of one local home for sale, priced at $2,700,000. A very nice home indeed. I clicked on the photos and as I scrolled through I ALMOST FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR! The photos are so WRONG! How can an agent who is savvy enough to land such a listing be so dumb about what constitutes an acceptable marketing photo? And how can a seller, sharp enough to own a $2,700,000 house, not be aware of how incompetent his agent is and how bad his marketing photos are. HELLO????????? These photos would be unacceptable no matter the price of the home, but for a multi-million dollar listing it is OUTRAGEOUS!

It just makes no sense. I know from working with affluent sellers that they really hold one's feet to the fire to perform. They are used to running companies, hiring and firing employees and holding people in their employ accountable for a high level of performance. I just don't understand how it is possible that this home is on the market being presented to the public this way.

Yes, that is a guy sitting in the chair....

Look honey, room to throw lots of junk around.

Would it really have been too much trouble to flip on the lights and move that pile of papers out of the picture?????

And the icing on the cake is this one. The one that really, truely, makes my head feel like it is going to explode! Can somebody PLEASE PUT THE TOILET SEAT DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Janna Rankin Scharf provides a superior level of real estate services to home buyers and sellers in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County, Idaho. Visit Janna.ServingNorthIdaho.com to search for homes in the Coeur d'Alene MLS for anywhere in spectacular North Idaho.

No matter how grand or modest your real estate dreams may be, you can turn to me in confidence. Give me a call today and let me know what I can do to be of service to you!

Janna Rankin Scharf AB, GRI, CSP, CNS, CLHMS 208.651.9700

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Posted by Janna Rankin Scharf on 05/18/2009 01:26 AM

Comments (41)

Bad Photos in the Home Selling Channel

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41 Comments on These MLS photos are JUST WRONG! I think my head is going to EXPLODE!

MAY

2009

Looks like they left in a hurry. Could be pics from its pre-foreclosure

Janna, it looks as if your pet peeves are very similar to mine! The toilet seat up is the worst offense! Oh, and I have made a few beds in my days as a Realtor to get the picture right!!

Janna, for that much the pictures should indeed be better. You sure that is the right house, LOL? If the listing expires, you sure know what to put in a letter to them. Amazing, perhaps they really don't want to sell?

They are out there... This picture unfortunately are common on the mls especially the last one. Way take the bathroom at all we all know the home has at least one... But if you do... put the seat down... Thanks for sharing

Is the house owner occupied or are these tenants/squatters in there?

Perhaps this house was being staged by a third world refugee? When It expires, it has your name all over it.

Oh my!! I think the listing agent's assistant mistakenly grabbed the wrong folder -- this just isn't possible is it -- those certainly will not help sell this home! You're right Janna- that's wrong!

This is very wrong, but not so very surprising. It does make you crazy wondering how they can list such terrible photos, but it's their loss. Good news is...makes selling your listings much easier, doesn't it?

What was this agent thinking?

MAY

2009

I don't know, I would advertise the chair comes with the house, look how comfy it is.

OCT

Hey, Janna — I left a surprise for you in my blog post this morning. What? You thought I was going to tell you exactly what and where? Ha! But this comment is a clue.

Happy Saturday!

Hi, Janna - I came over here from Russel's Golden Oldies post this morning. Our MLS rules forbid pictures of people in the photos. They are serious consequences. However, apparently dog rear ends are okay:

MLS photo

Janna: I just reblogged your blog with a question of my own. Oh, and Jim & Russel sent me over.

Bad Agent! Bad Home Owner! Perhaps the Home Owner was not home when the photos were taken AND have not seen the listing??

This is TOO funny to see this blast from the past! And Jim, I almost choked on my apple juice looking at your picture. What's the MATTER WITH PEOPLE!!!!

Hi Janna....wrong..just plain wrong! Like you said..I always run my pictures by the sellers before I put them online..and even then have them take a look once they're there. Even if this is a foreclosure...the agent was there. Put the garage door..and toilet seat down, put the guy sitting in the chair to work by asking nicely to move the pile of papers in the kitchen....man. Just wrong.

Janna - This would be hilarious, except it is really sad. Wow, I cannot even imagine someone that ... dense? Forgive me but that is just the basics of Real Estate!

Hi Jana,

Wow, now my head is spinning.

Have a wonderful weekend.

OCT

Janna, it's always a nice touch to see how lived-in the home can be. The 3-car garage is so awesome, was that the showcase photo?

Looks like a case of reverse staging on a short sale to me! Apparently seller doesn't care and agent doesn't care about the impression they have conveyed.

Very bad showing of these lovely homes....the MLS pics are the first impression and in some cases the last!

I think I see ones like these on short sales, sometimes these are your only options on really messy short sales. Still I dont think I would actually post them in MLS.

Those photos are funny, hard to believe that they are included in the MLS. Makes me wonder what the photos that got rejected look like. :)

I see more bad pictures in the MLS than good ones! Great post-- I found you through Russel-- Best, Kathy

I can't believe the listing agent posted such horrible pictures. For a luxury home, I would have hired a professional photographer. I would have politely asked the seller to clean up the place. I'm sure that the home would have looked great professionally staged. Maybe the seller did not have a chance to review the pictures prior to the listing agent loading them in the MLS? I can't believe a seller would have approved those images.

Since this was one of Russell's blasts from the past... can you tell us if this house ever sold?

Janna, i am always amazed why a seller of a high priced home does not check the lack of a virtual tour or the lack of professionally done pics on their home...this is crazy! They don't deserve to sell the home truthfully...

Wow. I can't believe it either. This is one of the worst examples I've ever seen. How much work would it have been to make the small changes you suggested? The agent is obviously clueless and yet, he has this listing. Looks like he stepped in the proverbial ****.

Janna- I came here thanks to Russel. As I've said before, when I want a chuckle, I often head to the MLS photos.

Janna, Those photos are definitely unexpected. Marketing any product requires putting your best foot forwad. If this is the best foot, I wonder what the other foot is like.

Janna, You've asked the question I always ask which is why isn't the seller as upset as I am bout the hideous representation of their home? I DON'T GET IT!! Wroth a reblog Janna!

Came from Beverly's reblog. The funny part is that these agents do not do it intentionally. They just don'[t get it.

But how come they are not fired is beyond me

OCT

Janna, great points that I sometimes don't understand why everyone doesn't know them! This is definitely worth a reblog : )

Janna - You still haven't told us the ultimate fate of that house...

Oh my, my, my ... I don't think I've ever seen a home listed in that price range around here without professional photography. There IS plenty of "attitude" in the photos ... the "up yours" kind of attitude...I'm guessing its a foreclosure and access to the site was controlled? or rules/times for photography were controlled? .. the ole "you may get it at the end of the month, but before then its still mine and we're playing by my rules -- knock yourself out, take all the photos you want" schtick --- or the agent sincerely believes snapping photos with their cell phone is going to work out well in promoting this property and also attracting future luxury listings??? Oh my, my, my....

Thanks all of you for your comments. I don't know the ultimate fate of the house, it was so long ago I don't even remember the address or who the agent was. I was relatively new in town at the time... I guess I could do a search of that price and see if I could pull it out of the MLS history. When I get a few minutes...

OK, curiosity got the best of me... It was cancelled in July of 2009 after 170 days on market. The current owner is Washington Trust Bank. There has been no other listing activity so it appears that this home is part of the mysterious shadow REO inventory we hear so much about. Interestingly, the current assessed value is still over $3M which means in 2009 it was a bargain. It sits on a lot of acreage above the river....

OCT

Janna, It is a wonder that agents who provide this lack of professionalism when marketing a property aren't being sued for incompetence. This property was probably skipped over more than a few times when being reviewed on the MLS. Once it finally goes on the market as an REO someone is going to get one heck of a bargain!

Maryland Mortgage Mama

OCT

Its not surprising that it didn't sell and later went into foreclosure. I do wonder how many sellers actually look at their own listings to see exactly how their listing agent is presenting their home to the buying public.

Yep, Janna, shoulda known it was a house in trouble. But that's still no excuse to hire a bad agent. And that toilet seat thing. I can't even begin to tell you how many naked toilets I've seen on the MLS.

OCT

Janna - I stopped by because of Russel Ray's Golden Oldies Blog. Hum, definitely looks like a homeowner in trouble. There just has to be more to the story.

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Janna Rankin Scharf

Coeur d Alene, ID

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