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Another search yields listings without pictures!

No Photo Available Isn't it the worst when you're browsing the MLS for homes and the agent didn't bother to insert any pictures? There have been several posts in the past about the importance of including pictures with listings. I want to share my experience from early last week that will hopefully re-iterate the benefit of pictures. I received a call from a nice woman on one of our team listings. It turns out she was looking for a home to rent, not buy. I don't specialize in rentals but I was willing to help her. Sometimes renters eventually become buyers.

This potential client told me exactly what she was looking for and the particular area. She also told me she'd made an appointment to see a house (and emailed me the link) but that if I could find something similar that she would gladly look at it. I told her I'd do a search and get back to her. Given that she's in another part of town she would review the details and pictures of the results and select a few homes to schedule a visit.

So I logged into the MLS to see what I could find. My search came up with 6 homes that fit her criteria. Guess how many had pictures? One. That's right, one. One out of six. That's less than 17%. I went through each listing and the second to last is the one with pictures......and it looked familiar. That's because it's the same house from the link she sent me!!! So here's a potential client who WANTS to sign a lease but I can't even show her pics. The next day I grabbed my camera and went to two of the listings and took pics which I emailed to her. In my opinion, one house was inferior, however the other was not bad. The lady went ahead with the one she'd already visited so I didn't get the business. I'm ok with that. What I don't understand is why an agent with a decent home doesn't have pictures. How are people supposed to know how nice a home it is? And it's not as if these 5 homes just got listed. At least one had been on the market for over 2 months - there's really no excuse for that.

I don't expect any agent to have professional pictures taken for a rental or to necessarily use the full allotment of pictures, but is it too much to snap one of the front and several interior shots? 4-6 pictures is better than zero. If you're going to take a listing, please do the right thing for your client and market it with pictures. After all, that's part of our MLS subscription!

Posted by Tchaka Owen on 12/29/2007 12:53 AM

Comments (16)

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16 Comments on Another search yields listings without pictures!

Our MLS recently decided to start automatically fining agents who don't have at least the one required exterior photo.

12/29/2007 12:59 AM

by Sarah Nopp, REALTOR(R), CRS. RE/MAX Four Seasons, Olympia WA (RE/MAX Four Seasons)

Tchaka, I like the idea that Sarah has of an automatic fine for no picture.

12/29/2007 01:05 AM

by David Matney, CRS - Omaha, NE Real Estate (Alliance Real Estate)

Wow, how progressive Sarah! I like that idea. I don't like the notion of "forcing" agents to do something, but there are so many listings in S.Florida that don't even have a single picture, you want to pull your hair out. (Good thing I barely have any hair!)

Quite frankly, that's the main reason I don't like to do rentals. It's not the smaller commission, rather it's the near blank rental listings. I don't have time to drive around and preview every rental. Kudos to your MLS!

12/29/2007 01:09 AM

by Tchaka Owen (Elite Coastal Properties)

My MLS is similar to Sarah's and I think it it the way to go. It is for the greater good of the board members and -- most importantly -- for the client!!! Tchaka, I can't believe you were getting 1 of 6 with photos. I would be irate if I was the seller or landlord.

12/29/2007 01:27 AM

by Tim Walsh (Strano and Assc.)

My board will fine you $500 if you do not have a picture on a listing within 3 days. The funny thing is people still don't do it.

12/29/2007 01:32 AM

by Adam Brett - Fullerton, California Realtor (RE/MAX NOC)

Tim - I agree it is for the greater good and I'm glad your MLS has that rule. Yep, 1 out of 6. The ratio improves significantly with forsale listings. I would say 50-60% have pictures. But to me, anything under 100% isn't acceptable.

Adam - Does your MLS enforce the $500 fine? That's stiff but it sure will send a message. A good friend is an agent in Cerritos, I'll have to make sure she doesn't mess around. BTW, I was in Fullerton in late August...went to the 'downtown' area and ate at an Italian restaurant on a corner. Could I be more vague? LOL!

David - Thanks to Sarah, Tim, Adam (and hopefully others) I might do a little research and put together a proposal for my MLS. Perhaps you might pursue it with yours as well.

12/29/2007 01:42 AM

by Tchaka Owen (Elite Coastal Properties)

Sometimes I think that who ever puts the info into MLS needs to be shot and hung simultaneously! I have seen properties listed as slabs that are post-and-beam, septic systems listed as municipal, and the list goes on. AND, the directions? Don't get me started! Thank goodness for maps and GPS! Have a GR8 '08! 8-)

12/29/2007 02:43 AM

by Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector (Complete Home Inspections, Inc.)

Personally I think the listing agent is doing a huge injustice to his seller by not having good quality photos of the exterior AND the interior.

12/29/2007 03:16 AM

by Kay Perry (Classic Realty/GMAC)

Tchaka, it is so frustrating when there are no pictures of a listing in the MLS. Often a buyer (or renter) would weed out particular homes by one picture alone. When there's no picture, it seems like the listing agent and/or owner have something to hide!

12/29/2007 06:42 AM

by Brian Block -- Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate (RE/MAX Allegiance)

one of the local MLS companies will fine an agent with no pictures after 24 hours. IT is a good policy, I think HAppy Holidays!

12/29/2007 07:48 AM

by Donald Bradbury, REALTOR Bucks County PA (The Bradbury Team at Coldwell Banker Heritage)

Rentals are the worst with listing information incomplete or incorrect. It drives me insane when trying to set up a search and drives the potential renter insane (especially if they live out of town) and does the seller or landlord NO justice to not provide pictures. The amount of out of towners that we have as potential renters or buyers is high so it's time for listing agents (rental or resale) to get into the game!!

12/29/2007 09:40 AM

by Renee Burrows - Las Vegas NV Real Estate (Nevada Realty Solutions)

Michael - you're tugging at my inner barbarism! This blogpost only complained about the lack of pictures and not the other problems. You are so right in that many listings are way off. The sad thing is that it often only takes a few minutes to locate the right answers.

Kay - I agree with you 100%. Just to be clear, when I wrote that pics in rentals don't have to be taken by a professional, I meant that an agent using a good digital camera will suffice. Not camera-phone pics (yes I've seen those!!).

Brian - I no longer have MLS access in the DC area but I remember agents doing a pretty good job with pics. Has that changed? You're right about clients weeding out particular homes by one picture alone, I admit to doing it on occasion - unless I happen to know the particular area well. The agent loses and the seller/landlord loses.

12/29/2007 12:56 PM

by Tchaka Owen (Elite Coastal Properties)

Donald - Indeed it is a good policy. I'm happy (and surprised) to hear that a number of MLSs do that!

Renee - Great hearing from you! I believe Vegas is similar to S.Florida in that aspect and you aptly described my feelings on this issue. Perhaps we should get our respective MLSs to enact fines.

12/29/2007 01:01 PM

by Tchaka Owen (Elite Coastal Properties)

Tchaka,

I agree - I like the idea of fining Realtors who do not submit at the minimum an exterior shot, but I really think we should all be utilizing the full extent of pictures we can with all of our listings. I recently told our staff photographer some very specific shots to take of a 633 SF condo, to more effectively market this listing, so being more involved with our listings may be part of the equation.

12/29/2007 04:09 PM

by Carol Zingone, Broker Associate, GRI, SRES (Vanguard GMAC)

I would love to know the reasons why an agent would not include a picture when listing a property. I just can't imagine what those reasons could be. I go overboard with pictures but when a buyer asks for more pics, I've got them at almost any angle you could imagine. I even had a client ask me how I managed to take one shot of the back of her house. She said you must have climbed a tree to get that shot and guess what, yep, that's what I did!

12/29/2007 04:20 PM

by Donna Yates, Georgia Realtor North Georgia Blue Ridge Real Estate (Mountain Investments of North Georgia)

Well this is a problem in a day and age with digital cameras, it is a real bummer, it means you have to go and drive by them all to narrow the field, I wonder if they do that on purpose in order to get you to go by and look? Lance

01/09/2008 02:17 AM

by Lance Winslow (The Car Wash Guy)

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