Pictures are the first (and maybe last) impression you will give a buyer

What a shame... those homes are gorgeous!  I find the pictures to be so important, I don't post my listings on the MLS until I've got great ones... even if that means taking an extra day to re-do them or wait for the best light.

I agree. I use a professional photographer for all listings both large and small. When people are searching they will call the ones that have the best photos.

I have a great deal of 1st hand knowledge about this. I will post a blog about this issue.

Lane, you are so right. I have seen this many times from Realtors as well. I recently went to a listing presentation for an expired listing. The house was a great house but the only pictures listed were of the two free-standing fireplaces...and I mean just the fireplaces. The pictures should capture the charm and character of the house. They should point out the features of the house. They are the voice of the house until the house can speak for itself (figuratively speaking).

Lane, you hit the nail on the head today.  Homeowners seem to forget they are selling a product with a price tag in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  You can find better pictures of $3 items on Ebay.

I keep waiting for the lightbulb to go off, but it hasn't happened yet.

Yeah -It's a shame what some agents use as photos. They take them in a couple minutes and thats it! With all the internet exposure potential it is a big waste of time to shoot shoddy pictures!

Using a professional real estate photographer is diffently the way to go. They go into a house with the right camera, lens and flashes to make the home look great. The good ones will have more experence that even the Realtor in what angle to shoot the house and how to get the room to look right.

Using poot listing photo can really turn off potential buyers before you even know they saw the listing.

In my opinion, a bad picture is worse then no picture. Not only does it make the agent look like they just don't care it also probably makes the people trying to sale the house feel like they are at the bottom of their realtors "list of importance."  After all, you do want to sale the house dont you?! 

Great points - I never get tired of talking about the importance of attractive photos to our profession.