Jay, over at the ThePhoenixRealEstateGuy.com, recently posted about the poor images that some agents (or homeowners) will post on an MLS listing or other website as the primary, or first photo. As Realtors, we spend plenty of time on the MLS researching properties, and we are constantly reminded of how important it is to make a great first impression on the web.

I remember when my wife and I were shopping with a Realtor for our first home. We’d jump in the car with her and go on a tour of homes. We never had an opportunity to see the home before the actual showing. The internet was in its infancy and online home photos and tours did not exist.

Fast forward to present day and buyers and their agents now have many sites to choose from to preview homes and even see a neighborhood virtual tour. Buyers now rule out whether or not to see a home first hand while they are online at their home or office.

First impressions are very important with today’s technologies. That first impression (and all impressions really) has to be good or you might just lose that buyer at their desktop. The goal should be to present the property in such a way as to get the buyer or their agent to pick up the phone or shoot an e-mail to schedule a showing.

I learned a lesson a while back when a fellow Realtor and neighbor mentioned what a buyer client of his was looking for. I immediately told him about a listing of mine that sounded perfect. I sent the listing to him via e-mail and he later told me that he had seen it on the MLS, but had ruled it because of something he had seen in one of the images. He subsequently did show it, they wrote an offer and closed on the home weeks later. I am now very cautious about what I post to the MLS.

Things to consider:

• Consider a professional photographer to produce the images and virtual tours.
• Use caution in deciding what to post on the MLS or anywhere else online.
• As a Realtor, if you can’t find 10 images that show a home in a positive light, don’t post 10 images on the MLS.
• Sellers should prepare the home prior to the photo shoot.
• Put the buyer hat on and ask yourself “Would this image compel me to pick up the phone?”

Buyers today often rule out a home while researching online. Homes are often ruled out quickly based on the first, or early impressions the buyer gets from the listing images and/or virtual tour. Buyers will then send their agent a list of homes to see based on their own research. Remember to make a good first impression, and get the phone to ring.