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My head is spinning....your house photos are darn right confusing!

By
Real Estate Agent with HomeSmart Real Estate AZ Broker BR030809000

 

 

Yesterday while searching for a higher end homes in Phoenix AZ I was quite surprised to see such poor quality home pictures. My clients budget is from 700K to 1.2M and the selection of homes, based on photos alone was looking dismal.

 

Selling your Moon Valley Phoenix AZ Home - Hire a professional

 

And here is why.....out of the 20 or so homes there was only 2, maybe 3 listings that had good quality photos. The rest of the listings had poor quality photos both in lighting and what area of the home were chosen to take pictures off.

 

For instance - do potential clients want to see the front of the home and then immediately be shifted to a living room, then back to the front door, then to a kitchen, then back to front of home, then a small powder room, and up to master suite, back down to kitchen, back up to home office, on and on and on? If I were a potential buyer I would not be impressed. And to make things worse several homes still had all the Holiday decorations up inside and out. Your getting why my head is spinning, right. It was darn right confusing.

 

For the Moon Valley neighborhood this is the high price range and it seems to me the pictures should be of high quality and definitely follow a good sequence of order - just like a virtual tour would. And no, the majority of these homes did not have virtual tours. Which I found very odd in this day and age of easy to use virtual tour apps and online marketing being the driving force of real estate and the #1 place that buyers look for homes.

 

While reading some featured posts on ActiveRain I was delighted to read Andre R Aragon, Real Estate Photographer  success post about a home that he shot in Tampa. An offer was on the table within 5 days - which would make most sellers very happy. The listing agent was a smart and savvy marketing expert to hire a professional photographer to make the listing be a STAND OUT HOME on the internet. Check it out....this in my opinion is the way to showcase a home!

 

 

My head is spinning....your house photos are darn right confusing!

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Comments (92)

Tom White
Franklin Homes Realty LLC (615) 495-0752 or www.FranklinHomesRealty.com - Franklin, TN
Franklin Homes Realty LLC, Franklin TN

Anna, low quality photos are a pet peeve! In our MLS, 20 photos are allowed. Wouldn't you think you could find 20 photos to take or have taken? We regularly see less than 20 and sometimes they must have been shot with someone's 2 megapixel flip phone! C'mon! 

Jan 26, 2014 07:44 AM
Robert Fowler - 55CommunityGuide.com
President of Retirement Media Inc. - Braselton, GA
55+, Active Adult and Retirement Communities

Photos are so important, it is hard to believe this was lacking in that price range. The listings agent and owner would have been well served getting a professional photographer.

Jan 26, 2014 08:27 AM
Rosie Crow
Serving Sugar Land, Richmond, Rosenberg, Missouri City - Sugar Land, TX
Exceeding Expectations. Delivering Results

It amazes me how some realtors post poor quality photos of their listings. Don't they realize that they are doing a huge disservice to their clients? Whether the home is listed for $100,000 or $1 million, the photographs must be high quality. Secondly, the home must be staged properly. And, what about the captions? Some realtors fail to include captions with the photos. Captions highlight the selling features of the home and help buyers become emotionally connected to the home. Finally, the photographs should follow a sequence as if you are giving a tour of the home. No wonder your head was spinning Anna! Mine would be too!

Jan 26, 2014 09:51 AM
Steven Nickens
Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers - Wailea, HI
R(S)GRI ABR, Maui Real Estate Hawaii

Anna higher end home should have professional photos. Again I love taking photos and videos, but sometimes you need to stop wearing so many hats and give it up to the pros.

Jan 26, 2014 10:18 AM
Barbara Altieri
Better Homes and Gardens RE Shore and Country Properties - Shelton, CT
REALTOR-Fairfield County CT Homes/Condos For Sale

Anna -- I don't know why but it seems lately I have seen more bad listing photos than good. I don't understand it with the great cameras available and/or using a pro photographer... but they still exist. Sellers really need to see preview how their property will look online before it is listed.  Then the photos jump all over like you said. There is no natural flow.

Jan 26, 2014 10:21 AM
Karen Feltman
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, IA KW Legacy Group - Cedar Rapids, IA
Relocation Specialist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I have a hard time believing that the seller is not aware of how their home is being marketed.  Especially in that price range, first impressions online can make or break a buyer's decision to add it to their list.  And the order of the photos bouncing all over?  That is just horrible.  I would be confused too.  Thank you for sharing.

Jan 26, 2014 11:36 AM
Karen Feltman
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, IA KW Legacy Group - Cedar Rapids, IA
Relocation Specialist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I have a hard time believing that the seller is not aware of how their home is being marketed.  Especially in that price range, first impressions online can make or break a buyer's decision to add it to their list.  And the order of the photos bouncing all over?  That is just horrible. 

Jan 26, 2014 11:39 AM
Sharon Alters
Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty - 904-673-2308 - Fleming Island, FL
Realtor - Homes for Sale Fleming Island FL

Anna, since we have been using a true professional photographer, our internet leads have increased and we are converting more of them. And yes, the order is important. I do think it is important to show a view or pool, etc. up front, as buyers really want to see those, then do the rest of the house tour.

Jan 26, 2014 12:10 PM
Amy Jones Group
South East Valley - www.AmyJonesGroup.com - Chandler, AZ
4 Time BEST OF OUR VALLEY Winner

So true, Anna! My listing photos have actually created a strong market presence for me. Luckily I love photography and can take my own photos, but if not, I would pay the price to have every single listing highlighted. Every home seller deserves great photos, but those luxury listings with awful photos, I wonder if the seller has even seen the photos? I have a couple listings in Chandler that might work for your buyers!  Bring them on down!

Jan 26, 2014 12:31 PM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

Beat me to the punch on this one, Anna! :)

Jan 26, 2014 12:50 PM
Eric Galuppo
Real Estate Rev - More Leads Means More Revenue

I believe that a poor quality photo could bring a negative impact on the home sale so getting a professional photographer is very important.

 

By the way, I am one of Andre’s fans. LOL.. So like his works.

Jan 26, 2014 01:08 PM
Peter Pfann @ eXp Realty Pfanntastic Properties in Victoria, Since 1986.
eXp Realty, Victoria BC www.pfanntastic.com - Victoria, BC
Talk To or Text Peter 250-213-9490

Taking good quality home pictures is not all that complicated, and if it is...... delegate it,  you are very correct as usual.

Jan 26, 2014 03:23 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Anna... we suffer from the same issue here in Charlotte. And when I see bad photos or no photos on high-end properties my first thought usually is "what are those sellers thinking? Have they never looked up their home on the internet?"

Jan 26, 2014 09:49 PM
Eric Kodner
Madeline Island Realty - La Pointe, WI
CRS, Madeline Island Realty, LaPointe, WI 54850 -

Agents are slowly getting wise to the need for top-notch photography of their listings. Even with great camera equipment, the user still needs to know how to get good results.  And there aren't a lot of real estate education offerings out there that teach agents how to achieve that.

Jan 26, 2014 10:47 PM
Jill Saddler
Draper, UT
Draper Utah Real Estate Professional - 25 years+!

I couldn't agree with you more, Anna - pictures are SO important!!

Jan 26, 2014 11:46 PM
Sharon Parisi
United Real Estate Dallas - Dallas, TX
Dallas Homes

Every home in every price range deserves professional photos that show the property in the best light.

Jan 27, 2014 11:34 AM
Andre R. Aragon
Greater Tampa Real Estate Photographer - Tampa, FL
Real Estate Photographer

Hi Anna - Thanks so much for the mention. It is great to see this topic discussed and to have so much feedback on the subject. I'm going to continue to put ideas together on how we all can make better listing photos. There are already a number of great resources here on AR such as Craig Daniels ,who put together camera and software tips for Agents who want to tackle real estate photography themselves.

Jan 27, 2014 08:04 PM
Jeff Stevens
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New Mexico Properties - Las Cruces, NM
Jeff Stevens, Associate Broker/REALTOR

Ana - At that price point you'd think the agent could spring for a pro to photograph the property.

Jan 27, 2014 11:23 PM
Brian Clinger
Coldwell Banker AJS Schmidt - Cascade, MI
Brian Clinger ABR, GRI, CRS, SRES

Although many agents in my area have improved, it is still amazing to see how bad some homes are marketed.

Jan 28, 2014 10:10 AM
Dana Basiliere
Rossi & Riina Real Estate - Williston, VT
Making deals "Happen"

Anna, we see the same here.  What confuses me is when a "full service" listing has photos obviously taken while walking around with a cell phone. It kills me when they don't even take the time to straighten the photo and crop out their rear view mirror. 

Jan 07, 2020 05:14 AM