I check new listings manually every day on the MLS rather than setting up automatic notifications and I look forward to checking out each new listing to see if it matches any of my clients' needs. (Patting myself on the back). One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing a new listing put on the market that might be good but has no photos.
Our MLS does require photos to be entered but I believe there is a grace period. I think there should be no grace period. An agent should not be able to enter a listing if they have no photos. Why? In my case I don't forward listings without photos. The description does not do it for me; I need to see what the property looks like. I am not sure if agents realize they are not serving their clients well by entering properties into the MLS without photos because I am sure there are many agents who will pass the listing by and not come back to it. I actually transfer these kinds of listings into a cart to check on later, which is more than the agent deserves, but I sometimes forget about it, and it languishes.
I cannot think of one reason why an agent has not been able to take photos of a property they probably knew they were going to be listing for a while. I was in a brainstorming session at our MLS with another agent who suggested that maybe the agent went on a listing presentation the night before and had to put it on the market in a hurry. Yup, sounds feasible to me (eyes rolling). Even if that were true, I think waiting a day while they took some temporary photos would not derail the deal. It is mind boggling to see how many listings come on the market without photos, or even more head scratching, photos take in the rain. This is Southern California!
If you put your home on the market, make sure your agent has at least taken some photos, or you may not have to worry about that first impression. There may be no impression at all.
Comments (60)Subscribe to CommentsComment