This is a sequel to my blog about updating your remarks section. I will not use pictures of known real estate listings in my MLS to protect the guilty.
This is a neat little picture of a house and totally fits a listing done in January in most parts of the country. However, if it's still on the market in June....I'd question its effectiveness to capture buyers. "I wonder if that's a garage behind that snow mound...if it is, wow- we should take the kids to see it when they're back from swimming!"
As bad as that is- I'll take it over the agents that don't even put a picture of the house in their listings! In my MLS, we can upload an exterior photo and 8 additional for interior, landscape, other exterior, you-name-it....I do my darnedest to use all available spots on every house. But I only include the pictures that show the home in a nicest light.
Some pictures shouldn't be included:
If the homeowner/ family pet is present and watching over you or sleeping in a chair, it's not inappropriate to ask him or her to please stay out of the picture or take them at another time. Also hilarious when a kid follows you room to room.
There's little reason to shoot a dark room, or one with a tv on (or both).
If you shoot a mirror with your flash or you catch yourself in it...delete and take another. For fun, I'll combine this with my 'it's REALLY rare that a bathroom is deserving of a spot' comment.
If your thumb or pinky is present- by all means, do not post that on the internet. How can you NOT see that???
Some houses need just the tiniest bit of elbow grease- others need a super-power washer and a small HAZMAT team.
If your photo is blurry- you can always claim that you were in a rush to list and sell more properties...
**And agents, these bad photos aren't exclusive to the MLS and print advertisement. You know who you are if you have a bad photo.....my excuse is obvious--- unless I get a new face, I'm somewhat limited in what photographs will do for me.....but you're never going to catch me using one:
I snapped up against the wall in an office or at a party,
I took in 1974,
or did at Glamourshots!!!
Listen, I know not all properties lend themselves to being overly photogenic. I've had many of them in my time- and you can only do so much with very little help from the seller. I'm not a photographer, but I take alright photos for the most part...if you really struggle- there's a multitude of professionals that would be happy to help you.
We could probably all make a part-time job out of finding bad MLS photos. But if the agents or assistants that ARE ACTUALLY getting paidto do this would take 2 or 3 extra minutes to look over their photos- we'd have less to laugh at and some sorry home seller would have less to be irate about!
I have to thank Athol Kay for some of his borrowed photos for the blog. He has his own cool blog with a 'Bad MLS photo of the day' section here...as well as Shaun at Orlando Real Estate Photography which has a neat 'MLS Trash Can' here check it out- you'll laugh.
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