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It's Hard to Sell an Invisible House

I know...I've gone on and on about the statistics. Over 85% of today's buyers are looking on the internet for their new home. Listings with multiple photos and virtual tours get more views and more attention from buyers than those without. Kind of common sense, huh?

Well, if I know this, and you know this, then please tell me why there are agents who still don't get it. I'd really like to understand.

I was going through the MLS this morning, looking for the perfect new listings to send to my buyers. Here's the info on the 40 that I viewed this morning:

4 had only 1 picture (the MLS allows us to upload 8 photos)
19 had NO pictures and
Zero - that's right - not a single one of them had a virtual tour

Despite the glowing descriptions, carefully crafted by the listing agents, it all comes down to one question. Is this how you attract a buyer to your property?

Where's the house?

Interested in buying a West Bank home or selling your West Bank home? Contact Lisa Heindel. It would be my pleasure to assist you with all of your real estate needs.

Posted by Lisa Heindel, New Orleans West Bank Real Estate on 11/18/2008 01:27 PM

Comments (21)

Listing Photographs in the Home Selling Channel

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Originally posted at: New Orleans West Bank Living and Real Estate News: It's Hard to Sell an Invisible House

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21 Comments on It's Hard to Sell an Invisible House

NOV

2008

Lisa good way to sell indeed. Thats why I always take my own pictures and post them myself.

Lisa~Those agents should be ashamed of themselves! In our MLS here in Florida, you can't even post a listing if there isn't at least one photo..Seems like your MLS needs to have that same policy! If you ever have a Buyer for the Central Florida area, you can send them to me and I'll even go take more pictures for them AND take a video that they can bring back to LA to show their friends and family! :)

Gees, you would think in this market they would streamlining all the info. Shame on them!

In my experience, most buyers won't go see a property until they see some photos first. The VT is not a necessity, but the photos are! Maybe the photos will be up by the end of the day? Not very proactive...but some agents just aren't on the ball, are they?

Well...that one looks like a beauty! Should get snatched right up! ;). KM

Lisa, I have seen this quite often on MLS in Long Island....it makes me wonder what they're hiding!

Lisa - Well LaShawn wrote what I was going to say about our MLS. Saw a listing today for some vacant land & it said absolutely nothing about it. All I knew from the listing was the price, location, acreage & compensation offered. Hmmm, do you think that property will sell anytime soon?

John, as you know, we can upload the photos ourselves - no waiting on anyone to get it done. So the question remains...why?

LaShawn, I have already suggested that to our MLS, but it seems to be falling on deaf ears so far. LOL @ your picture and video taking - I do the same thing for my out of town buyers!

Mel, shame is right!

Kelly, VTs are a very nice extra, but you are right - the photos absolutely come first. I'd like to think that the end of the day would have different results, but some of these homes have list dates of a week ago (a whole other story!)

Kristin, I'm thinking it's a great place for Caspar, right? :)

Carole, I don't know if they are hiding anything or if it's just plain old laziness.

Marc, again with an MLS that has better rules :( You would think that the agent would want to write even MORE about vacant land since the photos won't do a lot to sell it, but the amenities will.

Why would I waste my buyer's time looking at this house?? There are plenty more with pictures for them to view prior to our scheduled appointment that they've already begun to imagine living in.

NOV

2008

Judi, you know that, I know that....now how do we get other agents to know that? It frustrates me to see this - especially on homes that have been on the market for more than a day.

Lisa - Don't you wonder how these people get any business. Don't sellers go online to check out the agent's work? I saw a new listing today in MLS - all you could see was 2 big trees and behind them about 1/5 of a front door. Unbelievable!!

April, LOL! You've gotta love when you can't see the house for the trees :) Seriously, you would think that the sellers WOULD be checking on this stuff - I know if I was selling my house, I would google it all of the time.

If you say it enough times...MAYBE a few of those agents will actually listen to you. :-) GBU~

Lisa in New Orleans: I wonder what these sellers would think if they knew their agents are not delivering what they initially promised! I guess, as a home owner it is important to screen your listing Realtor and hold them accountable for listing the home to their fullest potential. After I input a listing, as courtesy, I will hand deliver a MLS sheet to the sellers. Sellers - make sure you ask how many pictures are allowed on the local MLS and then ask your agent how many they have uploaded?

That's terrible Lisa, do the agents get fines their? We get fines and we have the mls police..we don't get by with much and why the heck would you...losing money??????

Elizabeth, how's this: You can't sell an invisible house, you can't sell an invisible house, you can't sell... :)

Michelle, it's something that sellers should be aware of, but I would bet that most of them aren't and it's a poor reflection on their agent.

Midori, there are no requirements that we MUST have photos in the MLS here - believe me, I wish there were. I've asked our local board about at least requiring one photo before a listing goes live, but my wishes are falling on deaf ears.

NOV

2008

My board has requirements for a picture within 48 hours or you get fined. There are still listings that close without having photos.... amazes me!

April, I wish our board had requirements - unfortunately, the only one I've seen is "don't put photos with your signs in them on MLS".

We don't allow listings with no pictures. If no pics 2 days after entering the data they get a fine.

NOV

2008

Georgina, that seems to be fairly common in many places - I keep asking for some rules here, but no luck yet.

NOV

2008

Nearly 50% with no photos? That's hard to believe. Our board requires photos. I'd certainly suggest to any potential sellers that they look on realtor.com to search for homes like theirs, to see how others are marketed.

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