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This is a “beautiful” house? Seriously?

By
Real Estate Agent with Alain Pinel BRE 01367196

This is a “beautiful” house? Seriously?bad MLS photo

This listing in Hayward CA was described as 

Beautiful doll house. Corner lot. Excellent neighborhood. Granite floors and countertops.


But the agent posted four pictures, all of them “muddy”.  Is this the best he can do?



Fiduciary duty to properly market a listing

We made a promise to our clients when listing their property that we will do our best to market their property in the best possible light. It’s part of our fiduciary duty after all, to get the property sold as quickly as possible and for the best and highest price. But who would be attracted to a property if what they see is something like this?

This is a real pet peeve, to see listings that are so poorly presented on the MLS, specially since listings are picked up by various sites. So whatever pictures one posts on the MLS will be seen by so many.

Many of our smartphones have high-quality cameras. And if the agent does not have a smart phone, heck, he can buy an inexpensive camera which should be among the tools of the trade anyway.

Or maybe this agent was just not smart...not motivated....not sincere about doing a good job. Whatever reasons he may have for not taking decent photos, the outcome reflects on him and puts him in the worst possible light.


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Comments (13)

Inna Ivchenko
Barcode Properties - Encino, CA
Realtor® • GRI • HAFA • PSC Calabasas CA

well, it has a potential to become one:)

I had somewhere real estate glossary where all those.....well, here, some of them:

Luxury Living                                                    Overpriced

 

Great Starter Home                                           One Room With a Toilet

 

Well Below Market                                             Nobody Else Wants It

 

Plenty of Parking                                               Stadium Across the Street

 

Extra Storage                                                    Four Hooks

 

Sunken Tub                                                     Floor Unlevel

 

Gated Community                                             Bad Neighborhood

 

Rent With Option to Buy                                     Been on the Market for Two Years

 

Cathedral Ceiling                                              A Bear to Heat

 

Nighttime Security                                             Street Lights Shine into All Windows

 

Jul 26, 2012 05:45 AM
Pacita Dimacali
Alain Pinel - Oakland, CA
Alameda/Contra Costa Counties CA

Inna -- this list I haven't seen before. Thanks for sharing. So... "beautiful" really means "use your imagination" or "compared to living in a box"

 

Jul 26, 2012 05:47 AM
Bill Gillhespy
16 Sunview Blvd - Fort Myers Beach, FL
Fort Myers Beach Realtor, Fort Myers Beach Agent - Homes & Condos

Hi Pacita,  Amazing !  And remember, these agents help create the publics' percption of the rest of us !

Jul 26, 2012 08:05 AM
John McCormack, CRS
Albuquerque Homes Realty - Albuquerque, NM
Honesty, Integrity, Results, Experienced. HIRE Me!

Yep... Grrrrr!  I saw a listing in the MLS the other day a million plus NO PICS at all.  Give me a break and what are the sellers thinking too?????  Call me I'll show you what real marketing is!!!

Jul 26, 2012 08:09 AM
Pacita Dimacali
Alain Pinel - Oakland, CA
Alameda/Contra Costa Counties CA

Bill --- maybe we should have MLS rules about minimum standards of photography, including using original photography and not one copied from someone else's work. And you're right...rotten apples like this agent make it extremely difficult for us to change the public's perception of realtors.

John --I don't know if the sellers care, and know how to care. It's a short sale. Tenant occupied. And extremely difficult to schedule appointments. They only allow showings on Saturday 11 - 1. I have a feeling this will be foreclosed soon.

 

Jul 26, 2012 08:37 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Pacita

That's pretty pathetic. How can anyone possibly think this is a good thing, and doing what is right for the client? You almost want to go to the property and take some better photos and send tham along, free!

And it creates such a bad impression of agents in general.

Jeff

Jul 26, 2012 08:53 AM
Debbie Laity
Cedaredge Land Company - Cedaredge, CO
Your Real Estate Resource for Delta County, CO

Hi, Pacita...I have to agree with you. NO pictures or BAD MLS pictures is a pet peeve of mine, too. I also get a laugh out of the ones where you can tell the agent took the front shot from inside the car. You can see part of the window frame or side mirror.

Jul 26, 2012 09:15 AM
Pacita Dimacali
Alain Pinel - Oakland, CA
Alameda/Contra Costa Counties CA

Jeff - I actually have done that for a listing... I couldn't stomach the lack of decent pictures for a fabulous property. So I took pictures and sent them to out of area agent.                                       

Debbie- sadly they also give us realtors a bad name. People like them shouldn't be in this business 

Jul 26, 2012 11:14 AM
Anja Kerstens, 669.270.8034
Compass - Morgan Hill, CA
GRI, NHCB, CDPE, CHS. Silicon Valley Homes

Pacita, you just pointed out what I see around too here and there: agents taking short cuts.  This is not the only short cut they will take.  Really, you need to be worried about the integrity and work ethic of the agent.

Jul 26, 2012 02:51 PM
Fred Carver Real Estate Consulant
Retired BC Realtor - Victoria, BC
Accredited Real Estate Consultant

Hi Pacita...Where do I begin...It's so 70's. I sure the agents phone is quite along with their business.

Cheers, have a fun and successful day!

Jul 26, 2012 11:36 PM
Pacita Dimacali
Alain Pinel - Oakland, CA
Alameda/Contra Costa Counties CA

Anja --- really bothers me that some agents are either too busy, too cheap, or too uncaring to take care of their listings, starting with a decent photo

Fred -- geez...I hope agents behaved better in the 70s.

Jul 27, 2012 09:06 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Pacita ~ that photo and the description that went along with it are so deceptive!  How can any agent provide such poor service to their client?  If that had been your client, the presentation and photos would have been "beautiful" but what they've shown online is a "nightmare."  I can't imagine that anyone would want to go see it!

Jul 28, 2012 12:10 PM
Sharon Alters
Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty - 904-673-2308 - Fleming Island, FL
Realtor - Homes for Sale Fleming Island FL

Pacita, sadly so many Sellers have no idea how much poor photos hurt their chances of a sale in any timely manner and sometimes of having a sale at all.

Sharon

Jul 30, 2012 01:34 PM