Leanne Paynter's series The Lazy Agent Series: Just The Facts, Ma'am has inspired me. You see, for some time now, I've been thinking that something needs to be done about the laziness so many agents display when it comes to their listings. Why is it that some agents work so hard to get listings, but put so little effort into 
actually marketing those homes they've listed? Isn't getting the listing actually one of the biggerchallenges we face?
I can't speak for all agents, but I know that I put a great deal of time, money and effort into marketing myself, so that I can secure those precious listings. It's a competitive business, and without a proven track record and a name that's recognized, it's MUCH more difficult to gain the trust and respect of the sellers we work so hard to get ourselves in front of. Most times, just getting the chance to meet with a seller and show what we offer is the toughest step of the process. Once we have the listing, we must then put every single shred of effort we can into marketing that home and getting the results our clients want. When we do that, we've gained more of that "proven track record" I mentioned earlier. It's much easier next time we meet with a seller, when we can show that we've sold our listings in a reasonable amount of time for a reasonable amount. Basically, what we're showing them is that we do what we've promised. We do the job we're being hired to do and we put everything we have into achieving THEIR goals. It's our duty to them as professionals and when an agent doesn't do their job, it makes us ALL look bad. Sure, I can take the stance that it makes my job easier, because it's easier for me to stand out from the rest, but the truth is, the consumer doesn't always see it that way. When certain agents are lazy and don't perform, it gives our entire industry a black eye. The consumer perception sometimes is that we're all the same, which makes those of us who take pride in our business have to work even harder to prove ourselves to the public.
So, what is it that would make an agent work so hard to get a listing, then post up pictures like these on the MLS or post no pictures at all? The very minimum any agent should do for their seller clients is post the maximum number of quality pictures of the property online, right? How hard is that? Digital cameras are VERY affordable these days, so it 
can't be a money issue. Those same digital cameras are very user-friendly, so it can't be an issue of inability to take a decent picture, can it? Here in Central Oklahoma, we're able to upload 10 pictures and one virtual tour for each listing. Here's the real kicker. If I didn't have a digital camera, or was just too lazy to take the pictures myself, there's a little box I can check and the OKCMAR will take a picture and upload it FOR me. As Leanne mentions in her post, the MLS is the most under-used tool we have in our business. How many listings do you see that don't have adequate descriptions, room dimensions, features and pictures?
So, maybe if we all begin doing as Leanne mentioned, posting the pathetic pictures we see all over the place, maybe some of those agents who didn't do half their job will be ashamed enough to raise the bar a little. Maybe, just maybe. I can hope, can't I?
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