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Should This Photo Be Used to Market Your Franklin TN Home?

By Tammie White, Broker

Real Estate Broker/Owner with Franklin Homes Realty LLC

September 22, 2013 03:32 PM

Should This Photo Be Used to Market Your Franklin TN Home?

Is this the Photo You Would Want in the MLS? Today, while perusing the multiple listing service (MLS) in Franklin TN, I saw a photograph which, I believe, should have been excluded.

Since it is a copyright violation to post that photo here. I decided to include a similar photo.

Should this photo be used to market your Franklin TN home?

Carefully examine the photo to the right. Is there anything in this photo that jumps out at you? Anything that shouldn't be in the photo?

Don't look at the quality of the photo. I just got a new camera and I was playing with the light settings. Instead, look at the objects.

Did you find it? That's right, the furry little creature in the left-hand corner shouldn't be in the listing photographs. While the seller may absolutely love their little doggy, as I do mine, this is no place to have their pets displayed.

I wish I could say this is the worst I've ever seen in the MLS but this just begins to skim the surface. I have seen a man who looked like he hadn't bathed in a week sitting at his kitchen table smoking a cigarette, a cat with his hairy little butt sitting on the kitchen counter and young children playing in their rooms. That's right, someone included a photo of children in their bedroom. Are they crazy? Let's broadcast to the whole world that the seller has young children in their home.

Now, some may say that visitors to the MLS will know the seller has young children by the room decor. That may be true but posting a photo of that young child is totally unacceptable.

My advice to sellers, don't allow your real estate agent to take photos with animals, people or children in them. If you aren't present while the home is being photographed, ask them to send you a link to the MLS listing so you can review the photos. If something is in them that shouldn't be or the quality is poor, then ask them to delete the photos and take new ones.

Better yet, contact me. I hire a professional photographer to shoot all my MLS photos. The quality and lighting is excellent and you won't find any dogs or cats in them. If you're looking to sell real estate in Franklin TN, call Tammie White of Franklin Homes Realty LLC at (615) 495-0752.

Should this photo be used to market your Franklin TN home?

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Hillary Sheperd

Servpro of Scarsdale / Mount Vernon - Scarsdale, NY

Co-Owner ~ Servpro of Scarsdale / Mount Vernon, NY

Yes, that's just dumb. We love our pets, but they definitely are not a selling point and can be a detractor for many.

Sep 23, 2013 10:03 AM

Anna "Banana" Kruchten

HomeSmart Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ

602-380-4886

Tammie I don't see pets often but when I do it's like - what are you thinking? Seems like they'd simply take more photos but no - they use the pet photos.

Sep 23, 2013 10:26 AM

Elise Harron

Dirt Road Real Estate - Kingman, AZ

Rural Vacant Land and Development Specialist

Man, I have seen some bad photos lately. Why can't the agent at least close the toilet and position themselves so their shadow is not in the shot.

Sep 23, 2013 12:26 PM

Laura Gaither

Crye-Leike - Bartlett, TN

Memphis, TN (901) 239-5284

I was a free lance photographer prior to getting into real estate and I am amazed daily at the images I see on the MLS, not just dogs, kids, and clutter, but also agents. That's right we can see you in that giant mirror. Then there are the huge flashes, dark rooms, orbs, and what about the ones with only one picture (I am assuming we really don't want to see the rest?).

Sep 23, 2013 12:47 PM

Tammie White, Broker

Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN

Franklin TN Homes for Sale

Laura - Canon Powershot SX50 HS. It is a wide angle and telephoto lense all built into one. It's small and light-weight. I just got it and have been experimenting with interior photos. I hire a professional photographer for my listings but I plan on creating web pages for the new construction in our area and I needed a wide angle lense for those photos.

Hillary - Agreed.

Anna - I don't get that either.

Elise - No kidding.

Laura - Don't get me started. This is a real pet-peeve of mine. Get it? Couldn't resist.

Sep 23, 2013 01:30 PM

Praful Thakkar

LAER Realty Partners - Burlington, MA

Metro Boston Homes For Sale

Tammie, I did not realize that there is a dog in this picture so it must be excluded. However, if one has to take picture on the day listing is getting into the system, the sellers will not have much time either!

Sep 23, 2013 03:26 PM

Mohan Tarneja

Aggred with Robert.. pets should not be there..

Sep 23, 2013 07:29 PM

Nina Hollander, Broker

Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC

Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

At least it's a decent photo! I agree about the doggie. But you should see what agents put into our MLS--it's a crime and I can't believe homeowners aren't up in arms with their agents about it.

Sep 23, 2013 11:21 PM

Amanda Christiansen

Christiansen Group Realty (260)704-0843 - Fort Wayne, IN

Christiansen Group Realty

Don't even get me started on bad MLS pictures. Photos like this one just scream laziness and sloppiness.

Sep 23, 2013 11:26 PM

Fernando Herboso - Associate Broker MD, & VA

Maxus Realty Group of Samson Properties - Clarksburg, MD

301-246-0001 Serving Maryland, DC and Northern VA

Great point Tammie. . of course that little RCA doggie is lovable. .

Sep 23, 2013 11:45 PM

Marc McMaster

RE/MAX Centre Realty - State College, PA

Putting my clients before myself

Even worse than pets are the ones with people in them, or the seller's kids!

Sep 24, 2013 12:10 AM

Tammie White, Broker

Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN

Franklin TN Homes for Sale

Praful - It's a must for me. I have seen so many buyers exclude homes because a pet was in the photo. Sellers need to appeal to the largest number of buyers. Also, I never take the photos the day I'm putting in in the MLS. The photos are taken a few days prior to listing so my photographer can edit and get them back to me.

Mohan - You won't get an argument from me.

Nina - I see some atrocious photos in the MLS. I don't understand sellers who put up with it.

Jared - Agreed.

Fernando - She is but she shouldn't be in the photo.

Marc - That's really troubling to me.

Valerie - How does the song go...If I Only Had a Brain.

Sep 24, 2013 04:38 AM

Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker

Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA

Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Except for the 20-year-old bikini-clad female lounging about at pool side, I would not otherwise use people nor pets in a photo. Your photo made me laugh because I didn't see the dog right away. I was thinking, hey, nice fireplace, vaults, is that wood or laminate floor, oh, whoa, wait.

Sep 24, 2013 04:48 AM

Tammie White, Broker

Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN

Franklin TN Homes for Sale

Elizabeth - She's a little dog who snuck into the photo. I can see how she would be missed but buyers seem to always hone in on details like that and miss the other things that might be wrong with the photo.

Sep 24, 2013 05:20 AM

Maureen Megowan

Remax Estate Properties - - Palos Verdes Estates, CA

Palos Verdes Real Estate Blog

It always amazes me how some agents post such horrible shots that are under exposed, or where the rooms are not even cleaned up!!! In this day and age of photo shop, there is no excuse to posting a badly exposed photo.

Sep 24, 2013 05:41 AM

Gary Frimann, CRS, GRI, SRES

Eagle Ridge Realty / Signature Homes & Estates - Gilroy, CA

REALTOR and Broker

I agree, keep the pets out of pictures.

Sep 24, 2013 04:01 PM

Tammie White, Broker

Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN

Franklin TN Homes for Sale

Maureen - Agreed.

Gary - We think alike.

Sep 24, 2013 04:27 PM

Evelyn Johnston

Friends & Neighbors Real Estate - Elkhart, IN

The People You Know, Like and Trust!

You know they saw the puppy! It was probably wagging it's tail to make sure...careless and inconsiderate!

Sep 25, 2013 11:49 PM

Tammie White, Broker

Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN

Franklin TN Homes for Sale

Evelyn - Those pups sure are cute but aren't allowed in my photos.

Sep 26, 2013 05:08 AM

Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089

Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI

Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

Aw but he's such a cute little dog. I never thought it would be a bad thing to include a dog, and have sometimes had my JRT in pictures of vacant land I'm sellling just because she was there and it gave the picture some scale. I will have to be more mindful in the future.

Sep 26, 2013 12:33 PM