YOU COULD HAVE BLOWN ME OVER WITH A FEATHER:

I just received a photo from a fellow REALTOR that I admire very much asking for my feedback on his new  $2.4 Million Dollar listing and you could have blown me over with a feather.  He send a shot of the yard that needed a Gardener in the worst way, a shot of the dated interior of the house which could have been helped immensely with a few gallons of interior paint, and worst of all a shot of a half filled pool/spa that was 1/4 filled with brown dirty water.  

I see this over and over again.  Doesn't matter what the price is but at 2.4 Million if the seller would not pay to do it I would have shelled out a few bucks (with a 1 year contract) to have it done on my dime and made arrangements with the seller to reimburse me at the close of escrow.  How can you expect to sell a dirty house, garden, pool, etc?  Especially in this competitive market.  Even if the price is a huge discount buyers will expect even deeper discounts on dirty smelly properties.  Remember the old saying "IF YOU CAN SMELL IT YOU CAN'T SELL IT"....well?

So if you insist on taking listings in this condition then at least have the common sense to not use photos of dirty homes filled with clutter and trash. I am seeing this over and over again on REO listings and I think it borders on violating your sellers trust.  My REO clients always pay for trash outs and initial cleaning. My REO's are selling like hotcakes while others are sitting and expiring, wonder why?  I wait to take the photos until after the cleaning crew leaves.  If a seller will not pay to replace the carpet or paint I have the crew take down all the window coverings, have the carpets cleaned and deodorized with scented baking soda, and have the kitchens and baths scrubbed down with a bleaching product to kill odor and eliminate mildew.  Even the rottenest of my listings (and I have several) are selling because I took the time to have them smell better.  Here's a great tip...buy Fabreze in bulk carry it in your trunk and spray the carpets every week when you go to check on your houses. Especially helpful when the houses are closed up and get no air circulation. I have one house that even cleaning would not help so I took photos that painted the property in its best light.  We got multiple offers last week and sold it at 98% of the asking price. Ok someone will say that was misleading but we explained the true condition of the property to all prospective buyers.  My point is that if you continue to use ugly duckling photos you won't even get the call to elaborate.   

I am certain that all my home staging friends agree that even if you are on a limited budget a broom, mop, sponge, some large trash bags, and a little elbow grease would help even the worst homes look 100% better .  Flash people....the .99 Cent Store sells these items for .99 Cents. Every seller and agent can afford clean.