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How Many Words Is THIS Picture Worth?

By
Real Estate Agent with Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI

How Many Words Is THIS Picture Worth?

They say "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words."

How much is this one worth?

Livonia House w Garbage Cans

A few days ago, I wrote a blog about the house with the lowest listed price in Livonia, MI, the city I live in. There ARE Options!

I was searching homes on our local MLS and I thought I'd look up some of the "Upper End" homes. When I found the listing, I couldn't believe what I saw! Not only was there a grand total of one picture, this picture also had something in the foreground. Something that just shouldn't have been there!

In case you didn't notice...

Livonia House w Garbage Cans and Arrow

I'm sure it was just an oversight, and the agent either forgot to move the cans or hired someone to take the picture, but really?

Is this acceptable on Any Level?

When you want your house sold, you need pictures. Lots of pictures. That's what I do. I take a ton of pictures. I go through all of the pictures and put the best ones of every room in your house online.

Buyers search for homes online. When they find a house that fits what they're looking for, they check out the pictures. If they like the pictures, they call their real estate agent and schedule an appointment to personally view the home. If they like it, hopefully they put an offer on it. Very simple. They don't have pictures to look at, most of the time they move on to the next house. The one With pictures. See the value of having pictures of your home when you're ready to sell?

Call me. I'll make sure pictures of your house are plastered all over the Internet. Without your garbage cans in them.

Eric...

 

 

Chris Eckert Real Estate Team
KW Advisors - San Mateo, CA
Selling the Mid-Peninsula Realtor
perhaps it was an old-time agent. I still find some who believe that photos are not important. They want the buyers to come to see the house, not just look at the photos online.
Jan 19, 2011 04:39 PM
Liz and Bill Spear
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Eric, Congratulations on the Featured Post!  And considering that the lawn is so green, suspect the photo has had plenty of opportunity to be corrected too.

Jan 19, 2011 10:01 PM
William James Walton Sr.
WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Briotti Group - Waterbury, CT
Greater Waterbury Real Estate

Eric,

You stole the words picture right out of my head. I was just about to write a post about this very fact. I'm still going to do it, but with a different twist. Hmmm.....

Jan 19, 2011 11:26 PM
Fernando Herboso - Associate Broker MD, & VA
Maxus Realty Group of Samson Properties - Clarksburg, MD
301-246-0001 Serving Maryland, DC and Northern VA

Man, does the garbage gets picked up late on this neighborhood. .under the hot sun phewwww! 

Detail, details details. . .

Jan 19, 2011 11:54 PM
Susan Hamblen
Exit Realty Achieve - Smithtown, NY
Making the world a happier place...one client, one

Yes I saw it too! Pictures make all the difference about the buyer coming to see the home or NOT!

Jan 20, 2011 12:48 AM
Don Rogers
Keller Williams Realty Chesterfield - O'Fallon, MO
Realtor, Broker, CDPE, GRI, OnullFallon MO & St Charles County MO homes

Eric,

This is like taking a picture of a home with a car in the driveway and about an inch of the street showing.

There should have been many more photos of this home unless the exterior is the best part of the home. 

Jan 20, 2011 01:34 AM
Margie Kopp Sorrell
Coldwell Banker Lake Oconee Realty and Lake Country - Greensboro, GA
Lake Oconee Real Estate

Eric- spotted it right off the bat. You don't even have to have the slightest eye for photography to realize as a Realtor that those should not be in the pic! I'm constantly blown away by the poor quality of pics some ppl use for advertising their properties...some so bad you can't even tell what it is you are looking at. With today's technology there's no excuse. Invest. The home owner invests in you. Take the time to do the same for them.

Margie Kopp

 

Jan 20, 2011 01:37 AM
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Eric, look on the bright side. At least you know the trash was taken out. lol The trash cans are way to obvious in the photo to have not noticed them.

Jan 20, 2011 02:19 AM
Mark Delgado
houses for rent, Solano County & Glen Cove - Benicia, CA
Benicia and Vallejo, Property Management, rental h
I couldn't agree more. The quality of our photos alone brings in a considerable amount of our traffic and has brought us new clients as well. http://www.delgadomanagement.com
Jan 20, 2011 02:24 AM
Greg Haraksin, North Orange County Homes
Prudential California Realty - Brea, CA

That's awful.  I don't know what agents are thinking when they publish such bad photos.

Jan 20, 2011 02:26 AM
Kyle Clark
REMAX TOWN & COUNTRY - Winter Springs, FL

 

It is amzing what we see in some photos...  Maybe it is a new marketing plan.. "BUY THIS HOUSE AND GET TWO FREE TRASH CANS"

 

Kyle Clark

REMAX Town & Country Realty

 

Jan 20, 2011 02:49 AM
Mike Russell
Mike Russell Real Estate Group - Overland Park, KS
Overland Park Kansas Real Estate

Crazy,

 

It amazes me that someone get's hired to sell an incredible very expensive home and they have no idea how to do it. I thought rich people were savvier than this?

Jan 20, 2011 03:22 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Jeanne, sellers are very demanding these days.

Greg, thanks. I appreciate it.

Tom, or at least put a smiley face over them!

Cheri, those are awesome. Still have the pics?

Kim, It's fine. I put "really??" in the post!

Melissa, totally agree.

Leslie, technically, I don't know, but i'll let it run it's course. lol

 

Jan 20, 2011 10:06 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Linda, who knows.

BLiz, exactly. Couldn't have said it better.

Chris Ann, thanks for the feature!

Michael, suuurrree you didn't.

CIndy, most people would. Amazing, isn't it?

Patricia, thanks!

John, they could have done a number of things to avoid this.

Kristi, we see a lot in this busines, don't we?

Myhang, a lot of things could happen.

Charles, what's a QR code? Just kidding.

Traci, You're welcome. Thanks for coming by!

Jan 20, 2011 10:18 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Chris, it's incredible the things that agents get away with.

Eva, Gotta have more than one and they all should be good.

Pat, that's a great idea. I think I'll start a photo album myself.

Trisha, Exactly!

Margaret, I don't know how to "remove" things from photos, but I know how to take them without things in them.

Chris, possibly, but the photos are what brings the buyers to the home, right?

BLiz, Thanks! and yes, plenty of opportunity.

William, I'll come by and check it out.

Fernando, haha. Details indeed.

Jan 20, 2011 10:28 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Susan, totally! The buyers love pictures.

Don, too many pics with cars blocking everything.

Margie, even a cell phone camera these days can take decent pics.

Michael, That's true.

Mark, Pictures are a great advertising tool, for sure!

Greg, I don't think they're thinking at all.

Kyle, you never know these days.

Michael, I thought so, too.

Jan 20, 2011 10:34 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

Noticed those cans right away..and how simple it would be to crop them. Only one photo on a house today...is criminal in our business. Maybe too harsh a word, could we use malpractice?

Margaret

Jan 21, 2011 01:26 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Margaret, whichever word you use, it's just not right.

Jan 21, 2011 10:29 AM
Denny and Denise Rockwell
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Brea, CA
Real Estate Professionals, Staging & Design

Eric, We see this all the time.  Wome are much worse.  Unprofessional!

Jan 26, 2011 02:42 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Denny & Denise, I've seen worse, also. Mostly inside pics. This just happened to be the one to make me write about it.

Jan 26, 2011 07:38 AM